New drug Act proposal on treatment, rehab presented to Cabinet in July, says Saifuddin

SERDANG - A new act related to drugs is expected to be presented to the Cabinet meeting in July.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution said the new act would be named Drugs and Substance Abuse Act (Treatment and Rehabilitation).

"With the presence of these laws on drug offences related to possession or minimal usage, the initial intention was not to classify these common types of drugs as criminalised acts.

"I have been briefed on the progress of the bill and it is going as planned.

Our target is to present it at the Cabinet meeting in July," he said at the Home Ministry Raya Open House, today.

Saifuddin said he would work along with the with the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) to prepare a draft, once approval is given.

"If it all goes smoothly the first reading of the bill would take place in parliament this year," he said.

He previously said under the new act, addicts convicted of offences would undergo rehabilitation under the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) either in an institution or communities.

The new act would later include more comprehensive and structured legal provisions to ensure individuals who abuse drugs and substances receive appropriate treatment and rehabilitation.