Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Khalid Abu Bakar said if marijuana was to be used for medical benefits, it had to be done with proper regulation.

“To us, it is not time yet for us to be liberal. PDRM does not support and in fact opposes it.

“If it is used as a medicine, it should be regulated. Not just anyone can take it. There must be controlled prescriptions from the doctors,” Khalid said at a press conference in Bukit Aman today.

He added that intoxication was something that no religion promoted.

“It is also illegal in religion, not just Islam. I’m sure other religions also don’t allow intoxication.”

He stressed that many young Malaysians used marijuana first before moving on to harder drugs.

“There are a lot of young Malaysians who misuse ganja. They also use it as a platform to go on to other more serious drugs.”

Khalid was responding to a proposal made at the Youth Parliament earlier this month to legalise marijuana.

Supporters of this proposal had pointed out that marijuana could serve as a medicine and it had been legalised in countries such as the United States.

Earlier this week, Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the United States could not handle the drug abuse issue and had therefore legalised its use.