Azis said discussions with experts and relevant stakeholders was still needed and therefore any amendment to the Poisons Act 1952 to include ketum abuse might not be tabled at this sitting of Parliament.

It was reported previously that the government planned to table amendments to the Poisons Act 1952 to address ketum abuse.

Speaking to reporters at the lobby of the Parliament, Azis said: “There are a lot of views that we need to consider. On our part, especially the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK), we know that with ketum, there can be abuse.

“The ketum plant itself is not a problem. But the problem is with individuals who modify and mix it with mosquito poison or whatever substance – that is what causes addiction and that is the danger.”

He said, at present there was no specific policy on the cultivation of ketum because it was a plant found naturally growing in Malaysia.