Malaysia: Lukman to appeal death sentence on November 27

This week, the Malaysian Court of Appeal a granted Lukman an appeal against his death sentence, to be held on November 27. The deputy prosecutor in charge of the case did not oppose the appeal.

Lukman was made sentenced to death in August 2018 for distributing free cannabis oil to patients in need. In 2015, authorities discovered 3 liters of cannabis oil and 279 grams of cannabis in his home.

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Around 900 Malaysians are under sentence of death for drug-related offences. Another medical cannabis activist, Mohammed Zaireen bin Zainal, founder of the Marijuana Education Movement in Malaysia, is also awaiting his final appeal, and a former military captain known as «Dr. Ganja» is awaiting trial for distributing medical cannabis oil.

Several elements have evolved since the beginning of these trials. Members of the government have opened up the possibility of legalize medical cannabis in Malaysia and the death penalty has since abolished for crimes related, among other things, to cannabis. If Lukman manages to escape the death penalty, he faces a possible life sentence.

If medical cannabis were legalized, Malaysia would become the second largest country in Southeast Asia after Thailand to legalize cannabis for medical purposes.