Mandatory death sentence: No more plans to amend DDA 1952

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad confirmed that the Health Ministry has no plans to amend Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 regarding the abolition of death sentence for offences related to dangerous drugs.

“Even though the Health Ministry supervises the 1952 Dangerous Drugs Act, the implementation and enforcement of the act is under other agencies, including the Royal Malaysian Police under the Home Ministry.

“At present the Health Ministry has no plans to make amendments to the 1952 Dangerous Drugs Act for the abolition of death sentence in relations to offences related to dangerous drugs,” he said in a Dewan Rakyat written reply yesterday.

He said this in response to a question from Syerleena Abdul Rashid (PH-Bukit Bendera) who asked whether the government has plans for an amendment to the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 in an effort to make it in line with international law and human rights standards.

Earlier on he pointed out that section 39B(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act have already been amended to toe in line with the Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Act 2023

The section now reads as the following:

“(2) Any person who contravenes any of the provisions of subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence against this Act and shall be punished on conviction with death or imprisonment for life and shall, if he is not sentenced to death, be punished with whipping of not less than fifteen strokes.”

Whipping as a form of punishment too have been done away with under the Dangerous Drugs Act.