Minister: UN’s reclassification of cannabis as less risky narcotic doesn’t change Malaysia’s position on drug

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 4 — The United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs’ decision to drop cannabis and cannabis resin from Schedule IV of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs 1961 (1961 Convention) does not change the control status of the substances in the country.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said the commission’s 63rd session, which took place in Vienna, Austria, on Wednesday, had agreed to accept the motion.

He said that cannabis and cannabis-related substances remained regulated under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 where legal action would be taken against any party who violated the provisions stipulated under the existing laws.

“At the international level, the commission’s decision will have no immediate impact on loosening international controls over cannabis because it still remains under the Schedule I of the 1961 Convention,” he said in a statement.

“Malaysia, as a member of the three international drug conventions — the 1961 Convention; the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances; and the 1988 United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances — remains committed to combating narcotics-related crimes domestically and globally,” he said. — Bernama