KUWAIT : Officials describe the move as a “comprehensive war on drugs” aimed at closing legal loopholes and strengthening deterrence.
According to the state news agency KUNA, the new legislation, endorsed by the Cabinet in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al Abdullah Al Sabah, will be submitted to Emir Sheikh Mishal Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah for final approval.
The revised law consolidates two earlier statutes, Law No. 74 of 1983 on narcotics and Law No. 48 of 1987 on psychotropic substances, creating a unified and more robust legal framework. It introduces severe penalties, including execution or life imprisonment for traffickers, dealers, and intermediaries, and fines reaching up to two million Kuwaiti dinars.
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The law empowers authorities to conduct random drug tests across both military and civilian employees to ensure continued fitness for service. The Minister of Health will integrate drug testing into premarital medical checks, while the Minister of Interior will mandate similar screening for driver’s licence and firearms-permit applicants.
Refusing a drug test could result in imprisonment of up to four years, except in cases involving students and marriage applicants, and police will now have powers to arrest anyone suspected of drug use. Addicts will face compulsory hospitalisation under police supervision until full recovery, and separate prison facilities will be designated for drug-related offenders.
The most severe penalties include the death sentence for those supplying drugs to minors, using an official position to traffic narcotics, or bartering drugs for favours. Athletes using stimulants face up to 10 years in prison, while those inciting or facilitating drug use could receive three-year sentences.
Kuwaiti officials said the law seeks to unify terminology, close procedural gaps, and establish an integrated system for prevention, treatment, and punishment.
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