The government will go ahead with the proposal to make it an offence under the Dangerous Drugs Act to abuse ketum leaves despite the possibility of using the leaves to treat drug addicts.

Deputy Internal Security Minister Johari Baharom said it could not be confirmed so far whether ketum leaves could be used as an alternative to methadone to treat addicts.

"If the study on the leaves showed positive results, the government will consider it, but the study to put ketum leaves on the list of dangerous drugs will continue," he told Bernama today.

He was commenting on a medical research being conducted at Universiti Malaya on ketum leaves' properties that can possibly be used in the clinical treatment of drug addicts.

Currently, sale and possession of ketum leaves are an offence under Section 20 (5) of the Poisons Act 1952.

Johari said use of ketum leaves for medical treatment was not an offence.