‘Decision on death penalty for Lukman should be reviewed’

KUALA LUMPUR: The Prime Minister believes the decision to sentence a man to death for having medicinal cannabis oil should be reviewed.

“No, I think we should review that,” said Dr Mahathir Mohamad without elaborating further.

He said this when asked about the case of Muhammad Lukman, a 29-year-old father of one who was sentenced to death for possessing, processing and distributing medical marijuana (cannabis oil).

Dr Mahathir told reporters this on the sidelines of the Conference of the Electric Power Supply Industry (CEPSI 2018) yesterday.

Muhammad Lukman was arrested along with his then fivemonth pregnant wife in 2015 for possession of 3.1 litres of cannabis oil, 279gm of compressed cannabis and 1.4kg of substance containing tetrahydrocan nabininol (THC).

His wife was freed but Muhammad Lukman was given the death sentence by the Shah Alam High Court on Aug 30.

Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar said she will be writing an appeal to the Attorney General seeking a pardon for Muhammad Lukman.

An online petition calling for the release of Muhammad Lukman is also making its rounds on social media.

On Sept 9, lawyer Farhan Maaruf claimed that Muhammad Lukman only wanted to assist patients suffering from ailments that can be treated with THC, an active ingredient in cannabis.

Farhan said his client had no intention whatsoever to distribute or push cannabis on the streets.

Under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, individuals caught possessing 200gm or more of cannabis will be charged with drug trafficking, which carries the death penalty.

Some countries such as Switzerland and Russia have decriminalised marijuana in small amounts.