ISKANDAR PUTERI, Dec 16 — Former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said it was Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad prerogative to decide if Malaysia should continue exploring the proposal to allow medicinal marijuana use in the country.

Khairy said there was already research in this direction that the current health minister could use to aid in his decision.

“A lot of studies have been done during my time as the health minister, so he (Dr Dzulkefly) can refer to those done by various parties including the Health Ministry.

“Dr Dzulkefly can then decide on whether the proposal on medical use of cannabis is to be continued or not,” he said to reporters before he officiated the Johor Youth Council conference at the Datuk Jaafar Mohamad Building in Kota Iskandar here today.

Khairy, who is the Johor youth advisor and Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) football club board of directors, was commenting on the proposal to allow the medical use of cannabis in Malaysia, which he had explored while still the minister.

Last August, Khairy, during a working visit to Thailand, said the government would take a stand on the use of cannabis for medical purposes, in addition to looking at the legal framework related to it.

However, there was no follow-up on the matter after the 15th general election.

In March, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim reportedly said issues pertaining to approval of the use of cannabis for medical purposes in the country required further research and discussion.

On a separate matter, Khairy also suggested that the Health Ministry immediately issue purchasing regulations related to vape products that are now freely available after the government decided to remove nicotine liquids and gels from the Poisons Act list.

“This is because vape products can be bought in shops, grocery stores or restaurants due to very loose controls,” he explained, adding that the Health Ministry should act quickly on the matter.

On November 30, the Dewan Rakyat passed the approval to the 2023 Control of Smoking Products for Public Health, after two days of debate.