PETALING JAYA (Bloomberg): Public outrage over a death penalty handed to a 29-year-old man is spurring Malaysia to start talks to legalise marijuana for medical use, racing to become the first Asian country to do so.

The Cabinet "very briefly" discussed the medicinal value of marijuana in a meeting last week and has started early and informal talks on amending the relevant laws, Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar (pic) said in an interview on Tuesday in Putrajaya, the country's government centre.