Malaysian politicians say weed-infused product addressed to them does not belong to them

Two Malaysian politicians – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli – laughed at the discovery of a package addressed to them containing a THC-infused toothpaste product and said they had no idea where the package came from.

On March 10, Sepang district police seized a package believed to contain a tube of THC-infused toothpaste addressed to two politicians at a courier center on Pulau Meranti, near Putrajaya. The package was sent anonymously, maybe as a joke.

The toothpaste was labeled “Happy Green” with green and white fan leaf patterns, and the item was purchased through an online shopping platform with an address in Indonesia.

Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli held a press conference at the Parliament building in Kuala Lumpur to discuss the matter. “I just think it’s a waste,” Ramli joked. “Because I don’t take weed.” Both politicians claim they have no idea why the package was addressed to them.

“I don’t know, but the package was addressed to me and the Prime Minister,” he said. “Because I don’t take weed, we’ll just give it to the police, lah.” Rafizi is also Vice Chairman of Datuk Seri Anwar in Parti Keadilan Rakyat, a sub-party of Pakatan Harapan. He also raised a handful of other more serious issues at the press conference, and the case does not appear to result in any serious arrests.

Sepang District Deputy Police Chief Wan Kamarul Azran Wan Yusof said in a statement that an officer working at a ministry’s investigation office filed a police report regarding the package after receiving a tip from a delivery service. According to the boss, around 6:30 pm on March 10, two police officers and the informant went to a delivery center in Sepang, where the package was confiscated.

The case is ongoing as the product is banned under the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1952, which bans possession of raw opium, coca leaf, poppy straw and cannabis.

However, jokes aren’t exactly funny for a country known for imposing the death penalty for drug-related offences. Up until less than a year ago, Malaysia routinely sentenced drug dealers to death, even when it came to medicinal cannabis.

Fortunately, on June 10, 2022, the Malaysian cabinet agreed to abolish the mandatory death penalty for 12 different types of crimes, including those involving non-violent drug offences. The move comes four years after the government imposed a stay of execution. This is because most death row inmates in Malaysia have been convicted on narcotics charges.

Human rights activists in the region are cautiously optimistic. But Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said at the time there should be no celebration until the changes in the legislation are codified.

According to the government, 1,341 people were on Malaysia’s death row as of February this year – and 905 of those people were convicted of “drug trafficking”.

On August 30, 2016, a judge in Malaysia sentenced Muhammad Lukman Bin Mohamad to death after the judge found Lukman guilty of violating the country’s notoriously strict anti-cannabis laws.

According to local news sources in Malaysia, Lukman was arrested when authorities discovered just over three liters of cannabis oil. He was also found in possession of 279 grams of compressed cannabis. Specifically, he was found guilty of violating the Malaysian Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.