16-May-23 17:00

Dr Sangeeth Kaur, Vice President, Malaysian Alliance for Drug Policy Reform

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail announced that a new law may be introduced to decriminalise the possession and use of small quantities of illicit drugs, in order to reduce overcrowding in prisons. The proposed Drug and Substance Abuse (Treatment and Rehabilitation) Act would mean that people found with said small quantities of illegal substances will not be prosecuted but instead sent to drug rehabilitation centres. But details are scarce at the moment, and it's unclear what kinds of substances we're talking about and what rehabilitation will actually look like. We discuss these issues with Dr Sangeeth Kaur, and also look at the complexities we need to consider in decriminalising drugs.

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