First, health minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced that the registration of medicinal cannabidiol products would soon be allowed in Malaysia. Then came a working trip to Thailand to study the possible legalisation of cannabis for medical use.
Where better to learn than the newly crowned “Amsterdam of the East”? And who knows how much he really learned – but at least we got some remarkable pictures of him there.
Safe to say, then, that KJ is really taking this weed thing seriously.
His personal support may be the least surprising part of this story. Of all of the current ministers, if you asked me to pick the one who’d be most open to legalisation, it would be him (Peja would also be a strong contender).
He’s one of the youngest and most progressive, and with Thailand getting the ball rolling, the pressure of being the first in the region to legalise cannabis has been lifted.
It also rides upon a wave of positive sentiment towards the once-shunned drug. While the Netherlands have always been viewed as the world’s pot-smoking capital, in recent years more and more countries have liberalised their drug laws to recognise marijuana’s relatively minor threat to society.
Many states in the US now allow recreational consumption and even more allow weed to be produced and sold for medical use. In fact, most of the west has begun to allow its cultivation for medicinal use, and it’s only been recently that Asian countries have begun taking note.
What’s weird is the timing. With all signs pointing to a general election before the year is up, KJ has precious little time to get any law drafted and passed before then. He may have sparked the conversation, but he might now have to watch all the momentum and excitement he’s built burn out.
His spot atop the health ministry could also be in jeopardy if early indications are anything to go by. Umno deputy-president Mohamad Hasan appears to be eying KJ’s parliamentary seat of Rembau and the rumoured alternatives for KJ are currently held by Pakatan Harapan heavyweights Anwar Ibrahim (Port Dickson) and Loke Siew Fook (Seremban), casting doubt over whether KJ will be able to nab a spot in the Dewan Rakyat at all.
Even then, if he is able to win another term as MP there’s no guarantee he will be allowed to hold on to the health portfolio. Despite his handling of the pandemic – which most agree was an upgrade over Adham Baba’s unsteady hand – results don’t always beget longevity. He might have done enough to earn another term at the helm, but that doesn’t mean he’ll get the chance.
It’s a shame then, as the arguments for some level of legalisation are strong. Medically, research indicates that both CBD and cannabis can be used to treat a multitude of conditions and help manage pain.
While neither is a cure-all (few medications are), the likelihood of nasty side effects occurring are staggeringly low. Think of it this way: we’ve all received at least two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine developed and tested in under two years, and in comparison, weed is far better understood.
There’s also significant potential economic upside. For a country with an already low taxpayer base in need of money, being able to tax the same for marijuana or its derivatives is a missed opportunity staring the government in the face.
Thailand’s recent liberalisation of its weed laws will only bolster the existing black market in Malaysia, allowing for higher quality products to be sold at greater volumes than ever before. Why not, then, take control and steal some of the black market’s business, all the while pocketing a little to fund meaningful projects.
Regulation will be key, if we see some relaxation of local laws. Perhaps the biggest question will be how the government would classify the substance: as pharmaceutical or natural remedy.
In the case of the former, the registration process would be complicated and prescriptions could be difficult to get, but patients would be guaranteed a certain standard of medicine.
As a natural remedy, there would be minimal oversight over quality but it would liberate the potential market. There’s a middle ground there somewhere, and I’m sure there are people far smarter than me working on finding where it is.
We’re probably a long way from adopting an approach like that in Amsterdam or Thailand (not that it would necessarily be a good idea), but there’s been encouraging movement on the issue for the first time ever. For a country with famously draconian drug laws, even this has to qualify as a major win. - FMT
Editor’s note: The photographs by Bernama show Khairy Jamaluddin visiting a cannabis growing centre in Pattaya, Thailand, in August.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
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