Malaysia to decide on the medical use of cannabis before the end of the year

Malaysian Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin took part in a bilateral meeting on medical cannabis with Thai Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. Their objective? To explore the potential health benefits of cannabis and determine what Malaysia can learn from its neighboring country's medical cannabis policies.

Thailand is the the first Southeast Asian country to legalize the use of cannabis for medical purposes.

Jamaluddin also met with the Thai government's Pharmaceutical Organization and key players in the sector. He later visited cannabis greenhouses.

At a press conference, Jamaluddin said: «Malaysia doesn't want to be left behind. Therefore, we want to see and study the efficacy and safety of using cannabis for medical purposes».

In the meantime, the official assured us that, for the time being, Malaysia is only considering the use of cannabis for medical purposes and not its cultivation, but that it would not rule it out in the future.

«If there's a strong demand to make it an industry, we'll look at cannabis cultivation. We'll take it one step at a time,» he said.

The Minister concluded that the government will make a decision on the use of the medical marijuana before the end of the year.

«I want to act quickly... I'm convinced we'll be able to take a position this year. The main decision, yes or no, will be made this year and the policy will probably be implemented next year. That's my goal,» he declared.