All citizens, residents, and tourists to the United Arab Emirates must be aware of the non-tolerance for drugs in the region. The UAE has a strict drug policy and laws in place which enforce ‘zero tolerance for drugs.
In this article, we would highlight the main provisions of the UAE drugs law and the applicable penalties for violations.
The Federal Law no. 14 of 1995 on the countermeasures against narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances ( ‘ Narcotics Law’) criminalizes the procurement, import, export, manufacture, extraction, separation, production, possession, acquisition, and abuse of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, as well as all the other types of activities and acts in connection therewith (Article 7). The above clause, however, does not apply to entities that are specially licensed in handling such substances.
The narcotics law categorizes drugs into two categories of:
Provisions to prevent medical abuse of banned substances:
Medical abuse of any narcotic or psychotropic drugs are curtailed in the UAE by virtue of article 24 and 27 of the Narcotics law which state that:
Penalties for use, possession of narcotics and illegal substances in the UAE:
Higher penalties are imposed on anyone who has induced or incited another person to commit any offences slated under the purview of the narcotics law. For ex-pats, along with the penalty, a deportation order will also be imposed along with a permanent travel ban restricting their entry into the UAE permanently. UAE is one of the few nations in the world that can impose even a death penalty for drug abuse. All in all, UAE means its zero-tolerance law for drug abuse, and there is strict adherence to the same in the region. Mere ignorance of this Law is not considered an excuse. Therefore, strict care should be taken primarily by tourists and new residents to ensure they make themselves well-acquainted with the narcotic law.
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