Cannabis Freedom Index

Changelog 45e8ac4tree

Malaysia: 2023 article, death-row correction and 4 history entries

Say the 2023 reform reviewed 936 death-row cases rather than opening a general\napplication window, drop the unsupported materia-medica clause, use the\ncurrent Act for planting, add four Malay terms, and correct the 2018\nsentencing-discretion date. Add four entries for 2024–2026 and move the\ndrafted 2023 article into articles/.

4 history entries added1 history entry edited1 country profile edited1 article written1 file of code, design or docs +322 −99 lines

History changes.yaml

Added 4

Edited 1

Malaysia lets judges avoid the death sentence

date

20172018-03-15

description

An amendment to theThe Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act gave2018, Act A1558, took effect on 15 March 2018 and let courts limited discretion in sentencingchoose life imprisonment instead of death for trafficking in four circumstances: the offender was a courier, where deathwas acting under another’s instruction, had beendiminished responsibility, or assisted the only penaltyauthorities. Death remained the default. The Act was enacted in 2017 but commenced in March 2018.

sources

Malaysia — Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 2018 (Act A1558) and commencement P.U.(B) 127/2018 Wikipedia — Cannabis in Malaysia

Countries and states 1 file

Malaysia countries/my.yaml

segments › enforcement › text

Prison and caning for possession, and the death penalty still available for trafficking.[@hrw] The 2023 reform let over a thousandreviewed 936 death-row prisoners apply for resentencingcases, not a general application window.[@mhamnesty25,review24]

segments › enforcement › sources

hrw, mhamnesty25, review24

context › recreational › text

All recreational use is prohibited. Possession starts at up to five years, weight bands ad … g, and trafficking can bring discretionary death; consumption brings up to two years.[@dda,wiki]

context › recreational › sources

dda, wiki

context › death penalty › text

The death penalty remains available for trafficking, which is presumed from 200 g of cannabis.[@dda] Since July 2023 it is discretionary, not mandatory, and the reform let over a thousandFederal Court reviewed 936 death-row prisoners apply for resentencingcases.[@hrw,mhamnesty25,review24]

context › death penalty › sources

dda, hrw, mhamnesty25, review24

context › medical › text

Medical or research use is lawful only with authorisation fromOnly a public officer authorised by the health minister may grow cannabis for research, education, experiment or medicine.[@dda] No cannabis-based medicine is currently registered for patients: Sativex was registered in 2014 and cancelled in 2017 at the company'’s request.[@moh_faq] CBD has no separate exemption, and products sold as CBD require regis … ould submit cannabis products for registration, but no product has been approved.[@star25]

context › culture › text

Cannabis in Malaysia is known as [ganja](/culture/language/ganja/), a word carried across the Indian Ocean world. The plant has a long history in Malay and Indian-Muslim materia medica, but the modern Dangerous Drugs Act treats it as a dangerous drug with no cultural exemption.[@dda]

context › planting › text

Section 6 of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 makes it an offence to possess cannabis "or the seeds of the plants from which they may be obtained" without authorisation, with up to five years in prison.[@dda52dda] Section 6B forbids planting or cultivating any plant from which cannabis may be obtained.[@dda52dda]

context › planting › sources

dda52dda

sources

Amnesty International Malaysia — Death sentences and executions in 2025 (18 May 2026) Amnesty International Malaysia — Review of death-row cases concludes (4 July 2025) Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka — Kamus Dewan, ganja Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka — Kamus Dewan, kanabis Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka — Kamus Dewan, marijuana Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka — Kamus Dewan, hem 11 unchanged

words

word ganja · lang Malay · say [gan.ja] · meaning everyday word for the plant and the drug · atlas ganja · sources dbp_ganja, word kanabis · lang Malay · say [ka.na.bis] · meaning formal/official term; hemp or ganja · sources dbp_kanabis, word marijuana · lang Malay · say [ma.ri.jua.na] · meaning English loanword common in news · sources dbp_marijuana, word hem · lang Malay · say [hém] · meaning hemp; the fibre plant, also the source of the drug · sources dbp_hem

Articles and atlas entries 1

Code, design and documents 1 file

docs/research/expansion-2026-10-28-asia-10.md +3 −1
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ None was marked busy.
 | Iraq | in progress | | |
 | Saudi Arabia | in progress | | |
-| Malaysia | in progress | | |
+| Malaysia | 2023 article, 936-case correction, 2018 date fix, 4 words, 4 history entries | no 2026 medical product | this commit |
 | Israel | 1925 article, 15 g presumption correction, medical cap nuance, 5 words, 1 history entry | zero-fine practice unverified for 2026 | this commit |
 
 Israel validation: `profile-audit il` zero errors and warnings. The profile now treats the 15 g line as a presumption rather than a cap, corrects the table note and the 60 g medical cap nuance, adds five Hebrew/Arabic terms and sources the 1925 ordinance to its text and the League convention. The 1925 entry has a 459-word article; one entry records the 2026 Canadian dumping inquiry.
+
+Malaysia validation: `profile-audit my` zero errors and warnings. The profile now says the 2023 reform reviewed 936 death-row cases rather than opening a general application window, drops the unsupported materia-medica clause, uses the current Act for planting and adds four Malay terms. The 2017 entry is corrected to 15 March 2018; four entries cover 2024–2026, and the 478-word 2023 article is in `articles/`.
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