No death penalty reprieve for man who distributed cannabis oil

Zaim Ibrahim Zaim Ibrahim Updated 7 years ago · Published on 15 Oct 2018 7:39PM · 2 Comments

Father of one Muhammad Lukman was found guilty of processing, possessing and distributing cannabis oil by the Shah Alam High Court, which handed him a death sentence on August 30. The death sentence sparked a public outcry and calls for his case to be reviewed. – The Malaysian Insight pic, October 15, 2018.

MUHAMMAD Lukman Mohamad, who was found guilty of distributing cannabis oil (medicinal marijuana), is not getting a moratorium on his death sentence as his case is still up for appeal, the minister in charge of law, Liew Vui Keong, said today.

Any moratorium on death sentences could only be for cases which have completed the process of trial and appeal in the courts, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department told The Malaysian Insight.

As the 29-year-old’s appeal is still pending, there were no grounds for a moratorium on his death sentence.

“The process of appeal is not yet complete. If he is found not guilty he will be freed. If he is found guilty, then it can still go to the Federal Court,” Liew said.

He was asked about the announcement by Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman who two days ago said the cabinet had agreed to place a moratorium on Muhammad’s death sentence.

Liew declined to comment on Syed Saddiq’s announcement.

In Parliament earlier today, Liew said the government intended to abolish the death penalty for the 18 criminal offences that carried the capital punishment. He also acknowledged opposition to the plan from families of murder victims but said repeal could not be done for some offences and not others.

Liew yesterday was also reported as saying that a minimum 30-year prison sentence would replace the death penalty.

These changes to the law are expected to be tabled in the second parliamentary sitting of the current term, which began today.

Muhammad, who has a seven-year-old daughter, was found guilty of processing, possessing and distributing cannabis oil by the Shah Alam High Court, which handed him a death sentence on August 30.

He was arrested in December 2015 for the possession of 3.1 litres of cannabis oil, 279 grams of compressed cannabis, 1.4kg of substance containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

The death sentence triggered a public outcry from various quarters including Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar, who said she would be writing to the attorney-general to seek a pardon for Muhammad.

Other voices have called for medical marijuana to be allowed and be exempt from the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad on September 19 said that Muhammad’s death sentence should be reviewed. – October 15, 2018.

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Comments

  • Isn't it time we become honest with ourselves and each other and outgrow the need to depend on emblems of external authority to govern and regulate our behavior as adults? At one time the use of tobacco was decreed a crime punishable by death and in some violent cultures adultery is still punished by stoning (but strangely only women are subject to this demonic form of punishment, the men always go scot-free). Same with the criminalization of marijuana. If you do your own deep research you are likely to discover that the only reason why this time-honored herb fell foul of the law because of the whisky distillers' political clout. They knew that the vast majority of humans would opt for weed instead of alcohol as a relaxant. Indeed, the illegalization of almost natural or processed gas served only to enrich powerful drug lords and their secret partners in law enforcement. It is a well-known fact that in most countries the police play a lucrative and cynical game with the producers and distributors of cannabis (by pretending to bust a dealer and seize impressive amounts of the banned substance, only to release it back into the market after the media circus has packed up and left). Lukman is a father of a young child and has harmed nobody, as far as I know. He may even have helped some people with their medical issues. Wisest recourse is to tell Lukman to wait until marijuana is legalized (which should be done next week or,latest, next year) and then go public with his enterprise.

    Posted 7 years ago by Antares Maitreya · Reply

  • Isn't it time we become honest with ourselves and each other and outgrow the need to depend on emblems of external authority to govern and regulate our behavior as adults? At one time the use of tobacco was decreed a crime punishable by death and in some violent cultures adultery is still punished by stoning (but strangely only women are subject to this demonic form of punishment, the men always go scot-free). Same with the criminalization of marijuana. If you do your own deep research you are likely to discover that the only reason why this time-honored herb fell foul of the law because of the whisky distillers' political clout. They knew that the vast majority of humans would opt for weed instead of alcohol as a relaxant. Indeed, the illegalization of most natural or processed drugs has served only to enrich giant pharmaceutical corporations and powerful drug lords - along with their sleeping partners in law enforcement. It is a well-known fact that in most countries the police play a lucrative and cynical game with the producers and distributors of cannabis (by pretending to bust a dealer and seize impressive amounts of the banned substance, only to release it back into the market after the media circus has packed up and left). Lukman is a father of a young child and has harmed nobody, as far as I know. He may even have helped some people with their medical issues. Wisest recourse is to tell Lukman to wait until marijuana is legalized (which should be done next week or at the latest next year) and then go public with his enterprise.

    Posted 7 years ago by Antares Maitreya · Reply