Dubai: Dubai’s Attorney General Essam Eisa Al Humaidan has instructed the Drugs Prosecution to take the appropriate action regarding those convicted of drug abuse and give them the opportunity to recover and reintegrate into society.
Al Humaidan’s instructions come in the wake of the recent amendments to the anti-narcotics law that allow for reducing jail terms and sending drug addicts to rehabilitation centres.
He also asked the Drugs Prosecution to demand reduction of jail terms against drug abusers.
Al Humaidan said that the Drugs Prosecution has been commissioned to re-examine all drugs-related sentences issued before the new law came into force after the use of illegal drugs was downgraded to a misdemeanour and is no longer a crime.
This will help the convicted to benefit from reduced punishment as per article 13 of the UAE Penal Code.
“The use of illegal drugs has been downgraded to a misdemeanour and options other than jail have been provided for first-time offenders, under the recent changes to the anti-narcotics law,” Al Humaidan said.
The minimum four-year jail sentence has been reduced to two, and the Attorney General has the power to send an offender for treatment without the case going to court, after advice from police and prosecution.
Options for first-time offenders include sending them to a rehabilitation centre, to give drug users an opportunity to quit, return to the right path and reintegrate into mainstream society.
