Malaysia plans to decriminalise small-time drug use and ‘treat addicts as patients, not criminals’

Health minister said the move must not be mistaken as legalising drugs as trafficking will remain a crime

Malaysia would join dozens of countries that have adopted a drug decriminalisation policy, helping to cut drug-related legal costs and improve social outcomes

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Customs officials display seized drugs in Sepang. Malaysia's government has announced plans to remove criminal penalties for the possession and use of drugs in small quantities. Photo: AP

Published: 1:31pm, 28 Jun 2019Updated: 9:01pm, 28 Jun 2019

Malaysia’s government plans to drop criminal penalties for the possession and use of drugs in small quantities to battle addiction, but stressed the move is not akin to legalising narcotics.

Malaysia has one of the world’s harshest penalties for drug possession. Anyone found with 200 grams (7.05 ounces) of cannabis, 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of opium, 40 grams (1.41 ounces) of cocaine, and 15 grams (0.53 ounces) of heroin or morphine face being charged with drug trafficking, which carries the death penalty.

More than 1,200 prisoners are on death row, most of them convicted of drug crimes.

Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said in a statement Thursday that the proposal for the decriminalisation of drug addiction will be a significant game changer. He said drug addiction is a complex, relapsing medical condition and throwing an addict into jail will not cure them.

Malaysian Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad speaks during a press conference in Putrajaya, announcing plans to remove criminal penalties for the possession and use of drugs in small quantities. Photo: AP

“Drug decriminalisation will indeed be a critical next step toward achieving a rational drug policy that puts science and public health before punishment and incarceration,” Dzulkefly said. “An addict shall be treated as a patient, not as a criminal, whose addiction is a disease we would like to cure.”