The government should consider a royal pardon for reformed prisoners who were convicted of drug-related offences, mooted the Malaysian Substance Abuse Council (Masac), saying it can help lessen the congestion at prisons nationwide.

In a statement, the NGO's secretary-general Raja Azizan Suhaimi also proposed that the government consider a pardon for former drug addicts who have been free from substance abuse for at least five years.

This, he said, would help...