Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye has dismissed suggestions that cannabis has medicinal properties that can be used to treat cancer and other illnesses.

"(The Health) Ministry knows that there is no proof that cannabis can be used to treat cancer or other illnesses.

"I wish to remind (the public) that cannabis has not been recognised in this country as a treatment for any illness," Lee said when met on the sidelines of an exhibition by the Institute of Medical Research in Kuala Lumpur today.

Calls for the government to study the medicinal value of cannabis - colloquially known as ganja in Malaysia - was sparked by the death sentence imposed on Muhammad Lukman Mohamad, 29, for the possession of materials derived from the plant.

Lukman's supporters claim that the processed form of cannabis in his possession was used to treat those with illnesses for free. Some government lawmakers have urged Putrajaya to review the sentence in view of this.

Even Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has chimed in on this matter, stating that Lukman's sentence ought to be reviewed.

There is an ongoing social media campaign for the government to save Lukman's life.

Although an increasing number of jurisdictions across the globe are legalising cannabis for medicinal purposes, there is a general lack of consensus on whether the plant has curative properties at all.

Related report:

Medical marijuana: How does the evidence stack up?