In-depth study needed on medical use of cannabis, says PM

Issues pertaining to approval for the use of cannabis for medical purposes require in-depth research and discussion, including from the aspect of controlling the use of the substance, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says.

He said this is taking into account the number of drug addicts among young people, including in rural areas, which he added was on the rise and had reached hundreds of thousands today.

"Have patience, we need to look into this very carefully. We have to remember that as soon as we legalise (cannabis) on the back of strong reasons such as for medical purposes and necessity, control could prove difficult. 

"I am not saying that I have a hardline view on the matter, but I have proposed we open this for discussion and look into the implications.

"For those who support or object, let’s have an overview in terms of its implications and then decide whether to legalise some parts or completely allow it, or to continue with what we are practising now," he said when answering a question from the floor at a youth dialogue at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre yesterday.

Anwar said Federal Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department director Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay had also given him an overview of the problems being dealt with in relation to the issue of drug abuse in the current situation.

Thailand was the first Southeast Asian country to allow the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes.

Last August, then health minister Khairy Jamaluddin, during a working visit to Thailand, said the government would take a stand on the use of cannabis for medical purposes, in addition to looking at the related legal framework.