Nurul Izzah to appeal to AG to pardon medical marijuana distributor on death row

PETALING JAYA: Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar will be writing an appeal to Attorney General Tommy Thomas seeking a pardon for Muhammad Lukman, who was recently sentenced to death for possessing, processing and distributing medical marijuana (cannabis oil). 

“Yes, we are following up. Personally speaking, I am writing an appeal to the AG - first and foremost to secure a pardon based on the merits of his case and predicament.

"And secondly, to eventually decriminalise the use of cannabis oil for medical reasons,” she told The Star Online on Monday (Sept 17). 

Nurul Izzah labelled Lukman’s death sentence, which was meted down to him earlier this month, as a miscarriage of justice. 

Lukman, a 29-year-old father of one, was arrested in Dec 2015 for the possession of 3.1 litres of cannabis oil, 279 grams of compressed cannabis, 1.4kg of substance containing tetrahydrocan nabinol (THC). 

He was nabbed by the police along with his five-month pregnant wife, who was freed later, during a raid at his home. He was handed a death sentence by the Shah Alam High Court on Aug 30.

Meanwhile, a petition calling for the release of Lukman is now making rounds in social media with 41,137 signatures as of Monday. 

The petition was started after a column by the Star news editor Martin Vengadesan on Sept 9 highlighted Lukman’s case.

“For those who were never exposed to the cannabis world, we treat it as a taboo topic.