The United Arab Emirates Drug Laws: Regulations, Penalties, and Zero-Tolerance Policies
Introduction
Drug laws differ from one nation to another based on regulations for using, producing, or distributing. While the U.S drug policies appear strict and harsh, penalties for transporting or using drugs in some countries are severe. The United Arab Emirates is among the leading states with almost zero tolerance for drugs. Everyone, including visitors, tourists, and citizens, must comply with the country’s laws to avoid harsh penalties. Hence, no one would wish to get caught carrying, manufacturing, or selling drugs.
The UAE’s longstanding, stringent drug laws are meant to protect society from the harm that comes with drug use. The laws also protect companies and individuals from contradicting social norms. Only a few other countries have stricter drug laws than the UAE. For instance, Malaysia does not condone the practice and punishes those selling or peddling drugs with death. China also has equally strict laws, including executions and long jail terms (Al Ghaferi et al., 2017). Examining drugs, rules, and penalties in the UAE allows one to be vigilant and avoid contradicting the laws.
Religious and Familial Influences on Drug Prevention in the UAE
Surprisingly, the UAE is one of the most liberal countries in the Middle East. However, the UAE, like most Muslim countries, frowns upon intoxication of any kind (Al Ghaferi et al., 2017). Muslim communities appreciate sobriety and living according to Islamic teachings. As a result, most Islamic states tend to shun alcoholism by instilling in children the attitude to detest alcohol.
The UAE’s most potent tool in drug prevention is religious teachings and solid familial ties (Al Ghaferi et al., 2017). Most of the country’s laws and regulations align with the Shariah laws. Thus, religion is crucial in compelling the residents to abide by the rules.
At the same time, solid familial relationships enhance close bonding among the members. The UAE government focuses on these relationships to ensure the families take responsibility for instilling discipline in their members. Parents are responsible for instilling morals and values in children to prevent them from engaging in drug abuse. Islam firmly imposes mutual care among parents and children. Therefore, family and religion in the UAE play the most significant roles in people’s lives on a psychological and social basis.
Evolution of Drug Laws and Recent Legal Reforms
For the longest time, the UAE has had strict laws against drug production, consumption, and distribution. Federal Law number fourteen of 1994stipulates the regulations for narcotics and psychotropic substances (Elhais, 2021). Penalties for drug offenses vary depending on the individual case and can include imprisonment, rehabilitation, and deportation for foreigners. However, drug laws were recently revised following the new legal reforms.
Federal Law number 30 of 2021 contains the latest amendments for substance abuse regulations (Elhais, 2021). Among the notable changes are the relaxation of penalties for travelers caught with products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The substance is the main intoxicating element in cannabis.
Before the law was repealed, people caught in the UAE carrying food, drinks, or products with cannabis received a penalty of imprisonment (Elhais, 2021). With the new changes, a person arrested with products containing the cannabis compound for the first time would not go to prison. Instead, the UAE authorities would confiscate the products and destroy them. The reforms do not allow the importation of common drugs for personal consumption, including over-the-counter drugs such as amphetamines and sedatives.
Additionally, the revised laws reduced the minimum sentences for first-time offenders. Before the changes, a first-time drug offender was sentenced to two years, which the reforms have revised to three months (Elhais, 2021). In the previous laws, addicted convicts suffered even more after completing their term in prison. The government did not have a proper way to deal with offenders reentering the community. New rules provide that a convict can be rehabilitated at a detention facility separate from other offenders (Elhais, 2021). That ensures that drug addicts can recover while serving their terms.
Non-citizen drug users within the UAE receive similar prison sentences to the natives. However, the judge has the option to order the deportation of the offenders to their countries (Elhais, 2021). The convict has to serve the prison sentence before being deported. Before the new reforms, tourists and expatriates had found themselves in prison for crimes that would be viewed in their home countries as not criminal at all. The government is creating specialized programs with trained individuals to handle drug addiction and rehabilitation.
Penalties, Rehabilitation, and Treatment of Drug Offenders
Penalties for drug abuse and related activities vary from one offense to another. While the first-time offender receives only three months in prison or a fine between AED 20,000 and 100,000, a repeat offender earns a harsher punishment (Elhais, 2021). If the individual is committing the crime for the second time, the penalty is a fine of not less than AED 30,000 or a six-month sentence (Elhais, 2021). A third-time crime earns a penalty of two years or an AED 100,000 fine. Inciting or inducing another to a drug offense earns the individual five years in prison or an AED 50,000 fine (Elhais, 2021).
For a crime where drugs cause harm to another individual, the punishment is between seven and ten years in jail, depending on the damage (Elhais, 2021). Facilitating the sale of drugs receives the harshest penalty of ten or more years in prison and an accompanying fine—the punishment for repeat offenders who enable narcotic and psychotropic drugs amounts to life imprisonment. Therefore, despite being recently revised, the UAE laws remain stricter and harsher than one could imagine.
Article forty of the revised substance schedule provides guidelines for the activities that are allowed and those that are prohibited. Notably, the prohibition covers all drug use, production, and distribution except those used for medical or research purposes (Elhais, 2021). Nevertheless, the exempted activities must meet the requirements after being subjected to medical checks. Qualified medical personnel, such as physicians, must approve their use and provide the percentages and prescriptions.
Controlled Substances and International Drug Control Commitments
Strict drug regulations extend to controlled medicines to prevent people from abusing and getting addicted. As a signatory to various international conventions on controlled drugs, the UAE applies internationally recognized restriction strategies to ensure that narcotics and psychotropic substances are not readily within reach of ordinary people (Al Ghaferi et al., 2017). International convention regulatory measures guarantee that controlled drugs are only available for scientific and medical reasons.
The same global agency aims to limit the chances of narcotic and psychotropic substances being diverted into illegal channels. Importantly, the international conventions focus on eliminating drug trafficking and abuse. Therefore, the UAE, a member of these international conventions, adopted the mentioned measures in its drug laws.
For deeper insights into the controlled drug laws in the UAE, it is essential to understand what these drugs are. Federal Law number four of 1983 outlines the prerequisites for prescribing and supplying prescription drugs (Al Ghaferi et al., 2017). It also defines controlled drugs as those that, if misused, can lead to addiction.
The same drugs also have a high probability of being misused by people. Controlled drugs are usually prescribed to patients with acute illnesses in modern healthcare; usually, these are the inpatients who are constantly under the watch of a qualified physician. Controlled drugs fall under two major categories, Class A and B.
While some of the controlled substances in the two categories are available in pharmacies worldwide, these drugs are not freely accessible in the UAE (Al Ghaferi et al., 2017). Even Class B, which is a semi-controlled drug, is not freely imported into the country. One is required to obtain a permit from the Ministry of Health to bring in these controlled medicines.
Economic and Social Rationale for the UAE’s Zero-Tolerance Drug Policy
The UAE restricts drug use in the country due to two significant reasons. Firstly, drug use and addiction have enormous economic implications for the country. The country spends a lot of funds on the treatment of addiction yearly.
The annual accumulated cost includes treatment expenses and productivity losses due to addiction. Such funds could have been used for other worthy causes, such as development. Thus, enacting stricter laws is one of the ways the government is using to reduce the economic impact of drug abuse. Secondly, the UAE government upholds a zero-tolerance policy for drugs to build and support a drug-free society (Al Ghaferi et al., 2017). Drug use affects the health and well-being of people, leading to an unhealthy society.
Additionally, drugs contribute to other social evils, such as prostitution, robbery, and other delinquent behaviors. Apart from reduced crime rates, a drug-free community has a more reliable population, especially youth. Sober people engage in productive economic activities, contributing to the nation’s development. Therefore, the UAE focuses on having a prosperous community with negligible crime rates and other social evils.
Conclusion
In general, the UAE prohibits drug use, importation, production, and distribution. While medicine is available in pharmacies, controlled and semi-controlled drugs are restricted. People do not have access to narcotics and psychotropic drugs unless under the prescription and observation of a qualified physician.
As a Muslim country, the UAE strictly follows Shariah laws despite being perceived as one of the most liberal states in the Middle East. Both foreigners and citizens face the law if caught using, selling, or importing illicit drugs. The penalties for drug crimes range from three months to life imprisonment. The UAE’s reason for stricter drug policies is to reduce the economic implications of drug addiction and create a drug-free society.
References
Al Ghaferi, H. A., Ali, A. Y., Gawad, T. A., & Wanigaratne, S. (2017). Developing substance misuse services in the United Arab Emirates: The national rehabilitation center experience. BJP sych International, 14(4), 92-96.
Elhais, H. (2021). United Arab Emirates: What you should know about the new drugs law in the UAE. Mondaq.
