Malaysian singer Yasin Sulaiman’s arrest reopens legalisation debate about medical cannabis
- Yasin, who became a household name in Malaysia during the 1990s for his Islamic devotional and spiritual music, said cannabis helped treat his bipolar disorder
- He now faces the death penalty if convicted – even as Malaysian lawmakers study the economic and medical benefits of allowing some form of cannabis use
Two-thirds of the 478 people sentenced to death in Malaysia between 2018 and last year were convicted of drug-related offences, according to official figures. Even cannabis possession of more than 200 grams (seven ounces) carries a mandatory death sentence, despite changing attitudes towards its use – particularly in Western countries that have increasingly moved to legalise or decriminalise the drug for medicinal and recreational purposes.
Debate surrounding the legality of medical cannabis in Malaysia remerged recently, following the arrest last month of singer Yasin Sulaiman, who has bipolar disorder.
The 47-year-old was charged on March 31 with drug trafficking after officers found 17 cannabis plants and 214 grams of dried plant material at his home in Kota Damansara, near Kuala Lumpur.
Yasin became a household name in Malaysia during the 1990s for his Islamic devotional and spiritual music, but now faces the death penalty if convicted. He has been denied bail, with his next court date set for mid-May.
His arrest, while sensational in itself, caused even more of a stir for the appeal he made to lawmaker Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman before being dragged into court.
