Malaysia urgently needs to rethink its drug laws

Punishing people who use drugs with retributive sentences is not the solution to winning the so-called war on drugs in Malaysia. — freepik.com

IN Malaysia, people who use drugs can be intercepted, screened and arraigned in court if they test positive or are found to possess even small amounts of narcotics for personal consumption, or have violated any other provisions of the Dangerous Drugs Act (DDA) 1952.

Civil society organisations and scholars have long called out authorities in Malaysia for their lack of interest in replacing this archaic drug law with timely interventions to deal with the endemic illicit drug abuse problem in general and people who use drugs habitually, in particular.