Govt To Switch Tactics In War On Drugs

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Enforcement agencies should keep up with the times, says law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said.PETALING JAYA: Medical intervention, treatment and rehabilitation will receive focus as the government seeks to switch its approach in combating drug addiction, says law minister Azalina Othman Said.
Azalina, who is also responsible for institutional reform, urged law enforcement agencies to “keep up with the times”, particularly the advancement of synthetic drug creation and methods of abuse.
She said existing drug laws were outdated as they were created in the 1950s.
“The discretion of the judiciary is especially important in addressing drug traffickers separately from drug abusers, and for the latter, a case-by-case treatment such as whether the individual is a first-time user.
“The discretion of the judiciary is also vital in introducing rehabilitation options instead of sentences focussing solely on punishment.”
Azalina said the legal affairs department had been studying the creation of a sentencing council aimed at reducing imprisonment sentences by promoting more rehabilitation and restorative-based sentences across criminal legislations.
The department is also studying ways to overhaul the Offenders Compulsory Attendance Act to promote community-based rehabilitation instead of prison for offenders sentenced to jail terms of three years and below.
She said minor drug offenders made up 63% of prison inmates in Malaysia.
Azalina hoped to present a Cabinet paper on the matter by the year-end parliamentary setting.
In February, home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the government was in the final stages of introducing a new act involving treatment methods to replace punishment for drug offences. - FMT

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