Officiating at the regional conference on prison reforms organised by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), she said decriminalisation of drug offences was important, but stressed that this was not the official stand of the government.

There have been several attempts to decriminalise drug offences previously.

Former health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad had said the previous Pakatan Harapan government would embark on a new policy where drug addicts get treated, not jailed.

More recently, experts and lawmakers, including Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, had called for the legalisation of marijuana for economic and medical purposes.

Home minister Hamzah Zainudin had said in response that there were existing platforms to discuss the legalisation of marijuana. “There is a special platform to discuss this legalisation issue, which is the Cabinet Committee on Combating Drugs, set up by the prime minister in 2004.”

Azalina, the Pengerang MP, also said she was of the view that incarceration of children must only be seen as a last resort.

“We know that justice is served when it is due but incarceration of children should be the last resort. There are currently 1,475 migrants, refugees and asylum seekers who are children at the immigration detention centres.

“Prisoners and detainees are human beings. Preserving their dignity is preserving our dignity as a civilised society,” she said.

Deputy home affairs minister Jonathan Yasin said the prisons department had been looking into reforms to address issues such as overcrowding, which he described as one of the prime concerns.

He said overcrowding has caused a domino effect, causing other issues such as inadequate care and limited access to medical aid and basic needs.

“Building more prisons may not be a practical solution,” he said.