Malaysian Princess Ditches Royal Life To Raise Awareness For Cannabis Laws
This Malaysian Princess Is The First Royalty To Advocate For Cannabis Law.
Malaysia has some of the world’s strictest marijuana laws. As it stands, getting caught with up to 50 grams of weed can put you in prison for up to a decade, and possession of more than 200 grams can earn you the death penalty.
An unsuspected figure is hoping to change that.
Tengku Chanela Jamidah is a descendant of the Pahang royal family, but don’t let her royal status fool you. She’s not afraid to speak out against strict drug policies and myths about CBD.
Tengku Chanela’s journey with cannabis took a lot of turns before it became what it is now. She had once belonged to the world of fashion, being considered one of Malaysia’s Most Stylish Women by Harper’s BAZAAR. While working as a beauty brand ambassador, she moved from Malaysia to the U.S. years ago.
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Something changed when she arrived in the states. She says she entered a deep meditative state and discovered that the wellness industry was a better place for her after envisioning herself making music with crystal bowls. She said:
“I knew the universe was sending me a sign.”
She decided to leave the fashion world behind and began operating two healing and meditation studios in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
Tengku Chanela knew this was the right path for her because of her love of CBD, she explained:
“In 2018, I started taking CBD oil for anxiety, insomnia, and chronic pain. It was mind-blowing. The diverse use of this plant, coupled with how transformational it was in improving my quality of life, encouraged me to share about it with others.”
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Could Malaysia’s cannabis laws head into a new direction?
With strict laws in Malaysia about cannabis possession, the country’s cannabis users have needed a voice advocating for major changes to the country’s legislation. Tengku Chanela has certainly tried to do her part. Not only is she spreading awareness of the country’s cannabis laws through her social networking accounts, but she has teamed up with the Malaysia Society of Awareness, a non-profit organization that contributes efforts towards destigmatizing cannabis.
The group created a petition calling on Malaysian officials to permit research and education efforts towards cannabis. The petition’s description writes, “We would like to educate and give awareness to the citizens of Malaysia who are already vastly venturing into the use of this psychedelic substance to ensure they understand the responsible use and medical applications of cannabis as a whole.”
It has received more than 86,000 signatures out of its 150,000-signature goal.
Their efforts may have some pull, considering that Malaysia’s health minister, Dzulkefly Ahmad, hinted at reforming the country’s anti-cannabis approach last summer:
“Drugs have destroyed many lives, but wrong-headed governmental policies have destroyed many more. I think it’s obvious that after 40 years of war on drugs, it has not worked. There should be the decriminalization of drugs,” he said.
Perhaps Malaysia will be the next nation to deconstruct the harmful stigma against cannabis.
