KUWAIT CITY, Nov 30: First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah on Sunday affirmed that Kuwait’s new anti-drug legislation represents a decisive step in the state’s fight against narcotics and psychotropic substances, stressing that there will be no leniency toward anyone threatening societal security.

Sheikh Fahad was referring to Decree-Law No. (2025/159) on combating narcotics and psychotropic substances, describing it as a robust deterrent system within Kuwait’s legislative framework. The law standardizes and increases penalties for importation, smuggling, manufacturing, cultivation, trafficking, promotion, sale, purchase, and exchange of drugs, with punishments ranging from fines of up to two million Kuwaiti dinars (USD 6.6 million) to life imprisonment and the death penalty in the most severe cases.

The law targets particularly egregious offenses, including the exploitation of minors in drug-related activities, crimes committed in treatment, rehabilitation, educational, and sports facilities, as well as prisons. It also covers coercion to use drugs, organizing or managing criminal gangs, planting drugs on others, and misuse of public office or influence to commit narcotics-related crimes.

Sheikh Fahad noted that recent years have seen large-scale drug seizures and numerous thwarted smuggling attempts. “The new law enhances the ability of security agencies to enforce deterrence and tighten the noose on criminal networks through the strongest punitive framework the country has seen,” he said.

The legislation also addresses misuse of prescriptions, increases penalties for drug use within prisons, police stations, rehabilitation centers, educational institutions, places of worship, and learning facilities, and incorporates a humanitarian dimension by allowing voluntary treatment or reports filed by relatives up to the third degree. Confidentiality of such reports is guaranteed, with penalties imposed on those who disclose information or file false reports.

Sheikh Fahad added that the General Directorate of Public Relations and Security Media will launch a comprehensive awareness campaign under the slogan “We Protect Our Nation,” using television, radio, cinema advertisements, exhibitions, and electronic screens to inform the public about the law, penalties, and legal treatment opportunities.

The law will come into effect 14 days after its publication in the Official Gazette (Kuwait Alyoum), providing the public time to review its provisions and allowing authorities to complete the necessary regulatory procedures. Sheikh Fahad reiterated that the Ministry of Interior will not tolerate any crime targeting citizens or threatening societal security, calling for enhanced community cooperation to confront the scourge of drugs.

Kuwait strengthens fight against narcotics with new legislation.