Is Cannabinol legal in Malaysia?

Legal status

Cannabinol is not named in the First Schedule to the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, and it is not one of the cannabinoids that are. Part III names «delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol», «delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol», their 8-beta-hydroxy and 11-hydroxy forms, «11-nor-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid», «Parahexyl» and «Tetrahydrocannabinols» under a specific chemical designation. Cannabinol is the fully aromatic oxidation product of THC, and is neither a tetrahydrocannabinol nor an isomer, ester, ether or salt of one. It matters far more where the cannabinol is: in practice it is in cannabis, and «Cannabis» is named in Parts I and II and «Extract or tincture of cannabis» in Part III, so cannabinol inside plant material or an extract is caught by those entries and not by any entry of its own.

Consequences if caught

Capital and life exposure. There is none on the text, and the reason is that cannabinol is in neither list. Section 39B, the only capital provision in Malaysian drug law, bites on «a dangerous drug», which section 2 defines as «any drug or substance which is for the time being comprised in the First Schedule» to the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. This substance is not in that Schedule, so there is no section 39B exposure, no section 37(da) presumption weight and no section 39A enhanced penalty. It is not in the Third Schedule to the Poisons Act 1952 either, so the section 30 psychotropic offence does not reach it. Do not read that as permission. The Dangerous Drugs Act carries no analogue clause at all, measured across the whole Act, so a substance is in or out on the naming; but section 45A provides that where the Minister «considers it expedient to add a substance to, or remove a substance from, or vary the First Schedule, he may by order make the requisite modifications», and he has used it twice since the consolidated text, by P.U. (A) 97 gazetted 2 April 2024 and P.U. (A) 416 gazetted 25 November 2025. An order takes effect on gazetting and there is no notice period. Customs may also treat an unlisted substance as a prohibited import under a separate order that was not read for this cell.

If prescribed or medical

The prescription question for cannabinol has no clean answer under either statute. Cannabinol has no entry of its own in either Act and it is not one of the cannabinoids that are named. Part III names «delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol» and «delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol», their hydroxy forms, parahexyl and a tetrahydrocannabinol entry under a specific chemical designation, and cannabinol is the fully aromatic oxidation product of THC, neither a tetrahydrocannabinol nor an isomer, ester, ether or salt of one. Where the cannabinol is decides the answer: in practice it is in cannabis, and cannabis is named in Parts I and II with «Extract or tincture of cannabis» in Part III, so cannabinol inside plant material or an extract is caught by those entries and not by any entry of its own. Isolated cannabinol from a source carrying no cannabis resin is reached by neither Act on the text. What this cell does not state is whether it is a registered product, an unregistered product or a prohibited import under the medicines and customs instruments, because none of those instruments was read for it.

Documentation

No documentation requirement can be stated for cannabinol, because the route through the two statutes is unsettled and the paperwork would depend on which route applies. What decides the paperwork is what the cannabinol is in. Inside plant material or an extract the governing entries are the cannabis ones in Parts I and II and «Extract or tincture of cannabis» in Part III, and the answer is the cannabis answer. Isolated from a source carrying no resin, there is no entry at all. Carry any prescription and the original packaging as a matter of course. Product registration with the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency and the customs prohibited imports orders are separate regimes and neither was read for this cell. If the Poisons Act route is the right one, the one month personal import allowance in regulation 4(2)(a) of the Poisons (Psychotropic Substances) Regulations 1989 and the section 30(5) penalty would be the provisions in point. This cell does not assert that they apply.

Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Malaysia’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.