KUALA LUMPUR – The Health Ministry welcomes any proposal to hold clinical trials for medical marijuana for use among patients in Malaysia, said its minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
Khairy said the trials are important to study the effectiveness and safety aspects of the alternative treatments.
“I have also received several proposals to hold clinical trials to gain assurance on the matters I have mentioned,” he said during his winding-up speech on the second reading of the tabling of the ministry’s allocation for Budget 2022.
He was also responding to a query by Ramkarpal Singh (Bukit Gelugor-PH) who proposed a new policy on the possession of medical cannabis products and amendments to the legislation to be in line with international practices under the Vienna Convention.
Despite the proposal, Khairy said laws such as the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, the Poisons Act 1952, and the Sales of Drugs Act 1952 did not prohibit the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes.
“If there are any quarters that have sufficient scientific evidence to use cannabis for medical purposes, taking into account aspects of quality, safety, and effectiveness, requests for products containing cannabis for that purpose can be brought to the drug control authorities to be evaluated and registered under the Control of Drugs and Cosmetics Regulations 1984 and others to be marketed in Malaysia,” he said.
Khairy said there currently are no cannabis-based medical products registered or sold on the open market in Malaysia.
He added that the authorities had previously registered a product called Sativax in 2014.
“However, based on the request of the company itself, the registration of the product was cancelled in 2017,” he said.
On Monday, a lawyer noted the use of medical marijuana in Malaysia remains a legal minefield for patients despite Khairy’s earlier assurance that existing laws do not prevent its consumption for that sole purpose.
Farhad Read, of the firm Read & Co, said Khairy was likely pointing to a provision commonly known as a “without lawful excuse” clause, when the minister said existing laws regulating cannabis and its byproducts do not hinder its usage for medical purposes.
The clause, Farhan said, is found in the offences of possession, consumption, and trafficking.
Responding to a parliamentary question fielded by Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman on Monday, Khairy said the existing laws comprise the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, Poisons Act 1952, and Sale of Drugs Act 1952.
Syed Saddiq asked the health minister to state Malaysia’s position regarding the usage of hemp and medical marijuana as alternative medicines that can be offered to patients.
Khairy cited the three acts as laws that allow the import and usage of medical marijuana products, as long as several legal requirements are met. – The Vibes, November 17, 2021
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