Kuwait’s Cabinet has approved a comprehensive new anti-narcotics law, which introduces strict penalties for drug-related crimes and screening procedures for civilians to detect and prevent drug proliferation.
The new legislation, consolidating two previous laws, establishes tougher penalties, including execution or life imprisonment for traffickers, dealers and intermediaries, alongside fines of up to KD2 million.
The law empowers Kuwait’s Ministry of Health to include drug screening in premarital medical checks and the Minister of Interior to add it to driver’s licence and firearms-permit requirements.
It has also introduced random drug testing for military and civilian employees, mandatory testing for driver’s licence and marriage applicants.
Police have been granted immediate arrest powers for suspected users, while refusing a drug test could lead to imprisonment of up to four years, except for marriage applicants and students.
The legislation prescribes death sentences in four categories, including for anyone supplying drugs to minors, exploiting an official position to traffic narcotics, or bartering drugs for favours.
Officials said the law aims to unify terminology, standardise enforcement and strengthen prevention, treatment and deterrence within a single, robust legal framework to protect society from narcotics.
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