Products containing cannabis-derived cannabidiol to be registered next year - Khairy

KUALA LUMPUR – A framework permitting the registration of specific cannabidiol (CBD) products by next year will soon be announced by the Health Ministry.

The framework would be made public "sometime this year," according to its minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who also announced that the ministry would be accepting proposal submissions for CBD products that should be registered.

“Accordingly, if science is pointing us in a certain way, we could not escape it since the ministry was committed to evidence and science.

"I'm working internally to make sure everyone in the Health Ministry is behind this,” he said at the launch of the Centre’s Drug Perception Study Report here today.

Khairy said CBD products should not be used for self-medication and would not be sold over the counter; instead, they would only be prescribed as recommended by doctors.

He continued by saying that medical officials would need to get proper training and instruction to ensure they were aware of the conditions that permitted the prescription of CBD products.

He declared that the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) would examine the proposals for the items, including assessing their legitimacy and the information regarding their safety and effectiveness for specific illnesses.

“For the time being, these CBD (items) will only be prescribed, not for personal use or self-medication and especially not for cannabis use for leisure. Only cannabidiol products will be allowed.

"How we approach this needs to be calibrated and done in steps.

"I believe we are prepared. The discussion has been helpful. A good goal is next year."

He added that the government needed to adopt a cautious approach and look into both scientific research and international usage patterns for CBD products.

Cannabis growing, however, would not be part of this system.

"We are not there yet, despite the numerous requests to open up cannabis crops.

"We need to first register a few items and gauge the amount of support from physicians and patients. If support is strong, safe, and effective, we may then consider cultivation," said Khairy.

According to the ministry, regional universities would undertake human trials and clinical studies on CBD products before they could be registered.

In order to expand the usage of CBD products, the ministry was also in discussions with a number of researchers, including those from Universiti Malaya, to carry out additional research and clinical trials on the use of CBD for particular medical ailments.

"Our medical officers would be able to prescribe CBD for a wider range of ailments until there is greater evidence in terms of clinical tests for specific medical disorders,” he said.

Khairy had stated in April that the government supported any study for the medical application of CBD that was initiated by business or academia.

On November 17 of last year, the minister stated that if there was adequate scientific evidence for it to be marketed, applications for the use of cannabis for medical purposes might be filed to the Drug Control Authority for examination and registration.