Malaysia: Market and legal data analysis of the cannabis sector

20th March 2023: Malaysia: Prime minister Anwar Ibrahim said yesterday that legalisation of medicinal cannabis needs to be looked into very carefully, as its control could prove very difficult, press reports. Concerned about the increasing number of young drug addicts, the prime minister said that he is open to discussion and to looking into the implications of legalising medicinal cannabis, and then they can decide whether to legalise some areas, completely allow it or leave it as it currently is.
13th February 2023: Malaysia: Prime minister Anwar Ibrahim has said that the government is awaiting the outcome of the Ministry of Health's research on the medicinal use of cannabis before deciding to legalise it, press reports.
21st November 2022: Malaysia: None of the three main coalitions in Malaysia got the amount of votes needed to hold a simple majority of seats in Parliament after the 19th November parliamentary election results, leading to extreme uncertainty over the formation of the next government. Khairy Jamaluddin, former minister of health, has already accepted his electoral loss, as he is highly unlikely to continue as minister of health given that his party's coalition only won 30 of the 222 total seats in Parliament. Khairy, keen to learn from Thailand's policies on cannabis, stated in July 2022 that he would announce a framework for the registration of CBD-containing medicinal products, though he never did.
7th October 2022: Malaysia: Malaysian minister of health Khairy Jamaluddin was asked a parliamentary question about the results of his August visit to Thailand, the aim of which was to learn from that country’s policy on medicinal cannabis in order to shape Malaysia’s own. He answered that the visit was a success in terms of examining the use of cannabis in Thailand before considering exploring the potential use of medical cannabis in Malaysia. Jamaluddin added that the results of an ongoing study registered in the National Research Medical Register, involving 456 medical practitioners asked to identify their attitudes and beliefs towards the use of medical cannabis, “will be a benchmark for the perception of the use of medical cannabis in Malaysia”.
24th August 2022: Malaysia: During a fact-finding visit to Thailand to learn about the country’s policies on cannabis, health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said recreational cannabis would not be legalised in Malaysia, media reports. “If the clinical evidence gathered shows that cannabis is safe and efficacious for medical use, we will draw up a robust regulatory framework and clinical practice guideline. Rest assured, recreational use is not being considered,” Khairy said.
17th August 2022: Malaysia: A Ministry of Health official has said Malaysia is planning to learn from Thailand’s policy on medicinal cannabis to shape its own, Reuters reports. The comments came after Thai health minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he would meet his Malaysian opposite number Khairy Jamaluddin during a meeting of Asia-Pacific health ministers next week, at which it is expected that Charnvirakul will brief other ministers on his work in legalising cannabis.
28th July 2022: Malaysia: In response to a parliamentary question, deputy health minister Noor Azmi Ghazali said that until the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1952 is amended, anyone found using or possessing CBD oil, cannabis, hemp or any of its by-products – including for medical reasons – will still be prosecuted, press reports. He acknowledged that there are several benefits to using cannabis for medicinal purposes, but said that “until the relevant laws are amended, the government’s hands are tied”, and called for “everyone’s cooperation to amend them”.
21st July 2022: Malaysia: Health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said today that the Cannabis and Ketum Industry Development Committee will hold its first meeting on Monday, 25th July, press reports. The committee, chaired by Khairy, will be tasked with drawing up the framework to enable the registration of CBD-containing medicinal products, after evaluating experts’ evidence and input on the safety of CBD.
14th July 2022: Malaysia: The Ministry of Health will announce “sometime this year” a framework to enable the registration of CBD-containing medicinal products, press reports. They will only be obtainable with a doctor’s prescription, and registered only by pharmaceutical companies. Health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said a timetable enabling sales to begin next year was “realistic”. Asked about self-cultivation, he added: “The issue of planting is far away. We move step by step: first we list CBD products, we look at doctors’ acceptance and patient acceptance. If the acceptance is high, safe and effective, then we will think about cultivation.”
27th April 2022: Malaysia: The deputy minister of communications and multimedia has said that the Malaysian government has given its approval to cultivate cannabis for medicinal purposes, press reports. The deputy minister further stated that discussions must be now held with the Ministry of Health on how to proceed with the enactment of proper regulations to set out the licensing process.
22nd April 2022: Malaysia: Following last week's meeting between the Medicinal Cannabis Caucus and the prime minister to discuss policy issues related to the hemp industry and medical cannabis, which we reported on, the prime minister is reportedly reviewing the previous government's decisions over medical cannabis.
13th April 2022: Malaysia: The Medicinal Cannabis Caucus, a bipartisan parliamentary group composed of both government and opposition MPs, held a meeting with the prime minister yesterday to discuss policy issues related to the hemp industry and medicinal cannabis, press reports. They said the prime minister responded positively to the issues raised, and agreed to take the matter to a future cabinet meeting.

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