Malaysia to decriminalize possession of drugs for personal use

The Malaysian government has announced that it will set up a special committee to move forward as quickly as possible on legislative amendments to decriminalize drug use, according to Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman.

«My ministry is involved in this area because drugs can kill the future of young people,» he declared at a press conference in the Parliament lobby today.

«Our position is to make a distinction between drug addicts in need of treatment and drug dealers. Drug addicts are not criminals and should not be sent to prison.

Syed Saddiq did not give a time frame for the committee's work, saying that it will serve to coordinate the various stakeholders, including the local Ministry of the Interior and the Chief Secretary, to gather as much information as possible. He also said that it was important for young people to be given a second chance in life for this type of offence, and not be ostracized by society.

«So far, what we have is superficial, and not based on facts. Of course, we still need to look at the rules and legal issues such as the amount of drug possession that need to be discussed.».

«This case is about young people. Unfortunately, the majority of them come from disadvantaged backgrounds and, once arrested, they can't post bail. They can simply plead guilty and go to jail,» he said.

Last June, the Minister of Health, Dzulkefly Ahmad, announced that the government was considering removing penalties for personal drug possession. He made it clear that this was not a move to legalize drug distribution or trafficking.

Malaysia currently has some of the toughest drug laws in Southeast Asia. The death penalty has however, was abolished in 2018 particularly for cannabis-related crimes.