Drug policy reforms: Govt moving in right direction

 

It is with great pleasure that the scientific community, including experts from various universities and research entities, doctors, and psychologists, extend our congratulations to the government.

This is in regard to the recent passing of the Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Bill 2023.

We commend the government for its bold and courageous decision to implement this bill, which marks a significant milestone in the country's criminal justice system.

We also appreciate that this decision is rooted in science, evidence and compliance with the human rights treaties of the UN.

We would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the ministers and MPs who supported this bill, in particular, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said and her deputy, Ramkarpal Singh.

The duo introduced the bill and we congratulate all the ministers and MPs who supported this landmark bill.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said

We are heartened by the progress made by the current government in revising punitive laws and welcome the recent announcement by Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail that a new Bill will be introduced to decriminalise the possession and use of small quantities of drugs.

Drug use is a complex problem that has plagued us for decades and touches on many facets of society.

We, therefore, call upon the government in addressing it to take a whole-of-society approach and urge the government to engage with us, the scientific community and civil society (including the community who use drugs) to discuss the details of this bill.

We urge the government to work with us in deciding the threshold level of drugs which will separate a user from a dealer.

This includes the civil administrative procedures for those who are caught below the threshold level, the pathways to voluntary treatment and community-based treatment, the role of the family and evidence-based prevention methods.

Mandatory rehabilitation for anyone caught with a small amount of drugs will not be effective and does not constitute decriminalisation.

These nuts and bolts of decriminalisation policies will determine the success (or failure) of the bill that is being proposed.

Review outdated laws

As the government continues to take a Malaysia Madani approach in all sectors, we would like to urge our ministers to continue reviewing related laws that are negatively impacting Malaysians of all races and genders.

The global and local evidence is clear. Incarceration and mandatory rehabilitation are not evidence-based responses to the problem of drug use and addiction.

Instead, they induce prison overcrowding, which, in turn, leads to the spread of infectious diseases like tuberculosis (TB) and HIV within the prisons and the community, and exacerbate mental health issues amongst those who are incarcerated.

There is increasing evidence that the war on drugs has failed, and drug policy reforms around the world have shown better outcomes for society through programmes such as decriminalisation, diversion and improvements in medically assisted treatment.

As undersigned scientists and experts in this field, we stand in unison with our government, without any political affiliation, and are ready to assist the government in bringing forth more evidence-based laws and policies.

We look forward to working together with the government towards a brighter and more just future for all Malaysians. - Mkini

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The statement is endorsed by:

• Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman - Centre of Excellence for Research in AIDS (CERiA), University Malaya (UM)

• Dr Vicknasingam Kasinather - Centre for Drug Research (CDR), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

• Rosmawati Mohamed - Academy of Medicine Malaysia (AMM)

• Dr Muruga Raj Rajathurai - Malaysian Medical Association (MMA)

• Dr Steven Chow - Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Associations Malaysia

• Dr Steven Chow - Addiction Medicine Association of Malaysia (AMAM)

• Dr Mohamad Hussain Habil - University Malaya Centre for Addiction Sciences (UMCAS)

• Dr Rushdi Rashid – University Malaya Centre for Addiction Sciences (UMCAS)

• Dr Yee Hway Ann @ Anne Yee – University Malaya Centre for Addiction Sciences (UMCAS)

• Dr Mohd Fadzli Mohamad Isa – Malaysian Psychiatric Association (MPA)

• Dr Sahrim Ahmad – Pertubuhan Ikram Malaysia (Ikram)

• Dr Raja Iskandar Shah Raja Azwa – Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC)

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.