Malaysia: green light for the cultivation of medical cannabis

Malaysia's Cabinet, headed by the Prime Minister, has given its approval agreement to allow cannabis cultivation and kratom for medicinal purposes.

The Deputy Minister of Communications and Multimedia, Zahidi Zainul Abidin, said the Cabinet had no objections and instructed his ministry to discuss with the Minister of Health, Khairy Jamaluddin, the best way to to approve the cultivation process.

«This is a very good development, especially for those working in the medical field. But I would like to reiterate that any approval is for medicinal purposes and not for recreational use.», said Zahidi, quoted by Utusan Malaysia.

Zahidi noted that there was strong demand abroad for hemp and kratom due to their medicinal qualities and said he was confident that the Cabinet would soon approve their medical use in Malaysia, as local cultivation was currently limited for export.

Earlier this month, the Malaysian parliamentary group on the medical marijuana said that policy issues on the development of the hemp, cannabis and kratom industry would be raised in Cabinet after a meeting.

The meeting, attended by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, acknowledged that the industry was well developed in many countries, including neighboring Thailand.

Previously, Khairy had stated that his ministry was ready to collaborate with industry players or universities to conduct research into the medical use of cannabis. Theoretically, the medical use of cannabis is not prohibited in Malaysia, But due to the lack of local production, access to it is complicated.

The president of the Malaysian Medical Association, Dr Koh Kar Chai, said that all available evidence on medical cannabis must now be reviewed by local experts and its feasibility studied and assessed before any decision is made.

«It's not something that can be decided overnight,» he said. declared at the Sun.

Dr Koh said that apart from scientific evidence, the government must consider licensing and regulations, as well as legislation for the responsible sale and consumption of medical cannabis, if approved by the authorities.