BANGKOK, Feb 10 ― Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government has not decided on whether to legalise the use of cannabis for medical purposes in the country.

He said the government was still waiting for the recommendations of the Health Ministry (MoH) before deciding on the matter.

"Right now, it is not taken seriously. We will wait for the findings. There are issues affecting security,” he told Malaysian reporters today at the end of his two-day official visit to Thailand.

He was asked to comment on whether the government would continue or stop the research on the use of cannabis for medical purposes.

Former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin went on a working visit to Thailand in August last year to access the potential use of cannabis for medical purposes and the legal framework for its medical use.

Khairy said then that the government would study Thailand’s experience to adapt to the Malaysian context before deciding on the matter.

Thailand is the first Southeast Asian country to legalise the use of cannabis for medical purposes. ― Bernama