Cannabis in Brunei is illegal and can be punishable by caning or the death penalty. Brunei Darussalam's legislation is controlled by its sultan and is based on the country's Sharia-Islamic beliefs. In accordance with these laws, Brunei native, Lam Ming Hwa, received the death sentence in 2004 and a Malaysian native, Muhammad Mustaqim Mustofa bin Abdullah, was sentenced to death in 2017. Cannabis (also known as Marijuana, Ganja, Pot, Grass, Hashish, Weed) is the second most prominent drug in Brunei, behind methamphetamine. The United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime has reported a downward trend of cannabis usage in 2017-2018, after Brunei experienced an increased usage in 2013-2016. In response to the incidence of drug-abuse in Brunei, the Brunei's Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has created multiple divisions to aid in drug prevention and rehabilitation. Brunei's Sultan, the Malay Islamic Monarchy, and drugs Post-independence in 1984, Brunei Darussalam's has existed as an Islamic state. Following the pillars of the Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB), Brunei has aligned the country's legislation and beliefs in accordance with its Malaysian culture, Islam, and the sultanate. There is an ongoing debate in Islam regarding whether cannabis is halal. The Quran does not explicitly ban the use of cannabis, however it bans praying while intoxicated. Brunei's Sultan, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, contains the authority and responsibility of constructing the country's law to maintain Islamic morals within Brunei. Brunei's laws ban the use of cannabis, along with other narcotics. Introduction of the Islamic Criminal Law Act In 1996 Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah announced his plans for the Islamic Sharia laws to structure Brunei's court system, thus forming the foundation of the Islamic Criminal Law Act. Along with this announcement, he identified drugs as a danger to Brunei's society, and compared drugs to the ongoing HIV/AIDS pandemic. 2008 Drug "tragedy" Press coverage relating to drug misuse increased greatly due to the previous year's 33% increase in drug-related arrests compared to 2006. Drug-misuse in Brunei's youth became a major subject of concern for the Sultan during Brunei's 24th independence day celebration, with the Sultan labelling it as a "tragedy". Additional funding was provided by the Minister of Finance, to aid in controlling the nation's increased drug prevalence. It was used to add six new persons to Brunei's Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB), resulting in a total of 152 bureau members, with additional plans to add 30 more personnel to the