Harm Reduction International, Release and the Anti Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN) submitted evidence to the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights regarding major human rights violations of the poor committed by the Malaysian authorities in the context of drug control.

The submission highlights that people who use drugs in Malaysia are often subject to a vicious cycle of social exclusion, lack of access to basic services; and that fair trial rights of the poor are often severely impeded due to a lack of resources and competent representation, and limited familiarity with the law.

A recent study on women who use drugs in Malaysia found that 31% of surveyed women were either homeless or unstably housed, a staggering 91.3% had been jailed, and almost half had been placed in a compulsory drug detention centre.

The submission points to the intersection between drug law enforcement and poverty in Malaysia, including in relation to death sentences for drug related offences.