Death penalty, hefty fines in drug affairs

28/10/2025

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 28: During its weekly session on Tuesday, chaired by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Kuwait’s Cabinet approved, a draft decree- law on combating drugs and psychotropic substances and the regulation of their use and trafficking. The draft decree-law aims to merge Law No. 74 of 1983 on combating drugs and regulating their use and trafficking, with Law No. 48 of 1987 on combating psychotropic substances and regulating their use and trafficking, which increases the penalties, to include the death penalty, coupled with hefty fines for smugglers, dealers, promoters, and barterers of drugs and psychotropic substances.

The merger will achieve numerous benefits that contribute to protecting society from the harms of drugs and psychotropic substances, including unifying the concepts and terminology, it also unifies legal provisions related to crimes, penalties, and procedures, facilitating its implementation. The Cabinet decided to refer the draft decree-law to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- Sabah for approval.

The Cabinet held its weekly meeting under the chairmanship of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. Following the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Shereeda Al-Mousherji made the following statement. The Cabinet reviewed messages received by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- Sabah from several heads of friendly and sisterly states concerning means of strengthening bilateral relations and enhancing cooperation across various fields.

The Cabinet was briefed on the upcoming official visit of His Highness the Prime Minister to Cairo to represent His Highness the Amir at the grand opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum and to hold bilateral talks between October 29 and November 1, 2025. It also noted His Highness the Amir’s directive assigning His Highness the Prime Minister to represent Kuwait at the Second World Summit for Social Development, to be held in Doha from November 4 to 6, 2025, upon an invitation from Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

The Cabinet welcomed the forthcoming official visit of Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and his accompanying delegation to Kuwait on November 1, expressing hope that the visit would further strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two friendly countries. Ministers also reviewed reports by Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sheikh Abdullah Ali Al-Salem Al-Sabah and Minister of Public Works Dr. Noura Al-Mashaan on the official opening of the new air traffic control tower and third runway at Kuwait International Airport, describing them as major milestones in the country’s aviation infrastructure.

The Cabinet reviewed a presentation by Minister of State for Communications Omar Al-Omar on the framework agreement with Google Cloud and the recently signed contract with Microsoft, followed by an update from Sheikh Abdullah Sabah Al-Hamoud Al-Sabah Head of the Supervisory Committee for the Google Strategic Agreement, on progress made in implementing related digital projects. The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Dr. Nader Al- Jalal submitted a report on the achievements of Abdullah Al-Salem University’s Founding Board (2021-2025), highlighting major milestones such as the adoption of the university’s organizational structure, strategic plan, and academic programs, and the admission of its first student cohort in the 2023-2024 academic year.

Dr. Al-Jalal also noted that a ministerial decision was issued appointing Dr. Mona Al-Ahmad from Kuwait University’s Faculty of Medicine as Acting President of Abdullah Al-Salem University. The Cabinet approved a draft decreelaw on combating narcotics and psychotropic substances, merging existing laws to unify legal definitions and procedures while strengthening penalties up to capital punishment and heavy fines for traffickers and smugglers.

The Cabinet also approved a draft decree on a memorandum of understanding between the governments of Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates for cooperation in industry and advanced technology, and referred both drafts to His Highness the Amir for endorsement. The Cabinet discussed several other agenda items and approved relevant recommendations, while referring others to specialized ministerial committees for further study and necessary action. (KUNA)