The health ministry will allow cannabis-based medication to be registered if there is solid evidence the product can be used safely and effectively to treat patients, caretaker health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said.
He said that the Institute for Clinical Research under the National Health Institute was conducting reviews and discussions with experts, especially in the fields of ecology and palliative care.
“It also involves experts in services that provide treatment for certain conditions, such as epilepsy, and they are checking on data from abroad in terms of the effectiveness and safety of using cannabis in certain conditions.
“If the experts’ review reveals solid evidence that cannabis can be used safely and effectively, then we can open up registration for those indications,” he said at a media conference after the handover of the Serdang Hospital Heart Centre here today.
He said that it was vital to ensure that local experts were satisfied that cannabis could be used for certain conditions.
It was previously reported that the government would decide on the medical use of cannabis before the end of this year. – FMT