Ministry to organise programmes to address public stigma against ketum, hemp
PUTRAJAYA: The Ministry of Communications and Multimedia will organise information programmes aimed at reducing the public stigma against ketum and hemp when the cultivation procedure is finalised, its Deputy Minister Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin has said.
He said the ministry would also educate the public on the use of ketum and hemp for medical and healthcare purposes.
“We plant the trees not just for fun, but for medical purposes,” he said after launching the ‘Most Gutta Percha Tree Planting – The Malaysia Book of Records’ programme in conjunction with the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2022, here yesterday. On April 24, Zahidi was reported saying that the Cabinet had approved a discussion to be held with Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin on the growing of ketum and hemp for medical purposes.
The discussion, however, has not taken place.
In his speech earlier, Zahidi said the government is now trying to achieve the target of planting 100 million Gutta Percha trees across the country, having successfully planted 37 million of the tree species so far.
“This programme is one of the efforts to refute the allegation that there were uncontrolled treefelling activities to the extent of affecting the ecosystem. Through this programme, we replant trees,” he said.
Inspired by the Greening Malaysia Programme organised by the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry, the programme was held to preserve the country’s biological diversity and the Gutta Percha tree species was selected due to its important heritage status in Malaysia.