Severe Sentences: The judicial method sends a strong concept by punishing offenders seriously to discourage Other people from drug-similar crimes.
In Saudi Arabia, cannabis is classed being a narcotic compound under the Law of Combating Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances, promulgated by Royal Decree in 2005 and powerful from that 12 months, with implementing laws issued in 2010.[17][23] This regulation defines narcotics broadly to encompass substances mentioned in annexed schedules, such as cannabis in its different varieties which include marijuana (herb) and hashish (resin), aligning with Worldwide classifications beneath conventions similar to the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Medicines to which Saudi Arabia is a celebration.
The policy's defining attribute is its unyielding deterrence, together with public executions that underscore the hudud nature of drug crimes as offenses towards divine law, even though this has drawn Global scrutiny in excess of disproportionate software to non-citizens and requires reform from human legal rights observers.
Facts restrictions persist due to the illicit standing of cannabis, which most likely contributes to underreporting in self-administered surveys amid cultural stigma and lawful deterrents; thorough national updates continue being scarce, with most recent typical populace estimates predating 2020.
The federal government views drug offenses as critical transgressions versus the two societal perfectly-getting and spiritual tenets, shaping the Kingdom’s complete and stringent drug Regulate policies.
Increased drug crimes which include working could yield as much as ten years of jail time as well as whipping. Repeat offenders or drug traffickers may result in sentences up to the death penalty by beheading.
Enforcement of cannabis laws in Saudi Arabia is robust and uncompromising. The federal government has a strict anti-drug policy, and regulation enforcement organizations actively go after people today linked to cannabis-similar things to do.
Although Saudi Arabia has a few of the hardest drug legislation on this planet, it is not the only Middle Jap region with stringent cannabis policies.
Weed in Saudi Arabia remains strictly unlawful, with severe repercussions for those caught possessing, making use of, or trafficking it. The federal government enforces a zero-tolerance policy, and there's no indication this will improve inside the in close proximity to here long term.
The penalty for possession of cannabis for personal use could receive imprisonment for nearly six months, perhaps with whippings for to start with offenses.
Trials for cannabis-associated offenses take place in Felony Courts or specialised benches applying informal Sharia-primarily based procedures, wherever judges evaluate police reviews and confessions at First hearings, generally presenting predetermined results with minimal chance for rebuttal or cross-evaluation.[34] Sentencing follows conviction beneath the 2005 regulation's penalty scales—starting from imprisonment and flogging for possession to execution for large-scale trafficking—commuted at royal discretion in some circumstances, with appeals attainable to better courts or maybe the king but rarely altering serious drug verdicts.
Cultivation: Escalating cannabis vegetation is strictly prohibited and addressed as a significant legal offense. Legislation enforcement actively monitors and dismantles illicit cultivation web pages.
Human rights corporations have criticized Saudi Arabia's enforcement of anti-drug rules, especially the applying on the death penalty to non-violent offenses which include cannabis smuggling and possession with intent to distribute. Amnesty Worldwide reported a surge in executions for drug-linked crimes, with 122 folks executed in 2024—the best recorded determine—and a minimum of fifty nine drug-connected executions in Saudi Arabia from January to May 2025 by yourself, numerous involving hashish trafficking by overseas nationals.[71][72] These teams argue that this kind of punishments violate Intercontinental human rights benchmarks, as drug offenses tend not to qualify as "most severe crimes" warranting funds punishment below treaties such as Global Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and absence due course of action, which include coerced confessions and inadequate legal illustration.
Whilst international citizens may at times practical experience much more leniency for private use, their nationality would not exempt them from stringent enforcement, specifically in trafficking instances; cooperation with authorities can from time to time lead to mitigated sentences. Furthermore, people today below twenty years aged or those that voluntarily find procedure for drug addiction may possibly acquire various things to consider, provided they satisfy precise conditions and also have no prior convictions for drug-relevant or other serious crimes.
No matter if one particular’s cannabis use is for leisure or health care reasons, the punishment for simple possession is two years in prison as well as opportunity for fifty lashes.