Drug possession and personal use in the UAE are governed by Federal Decree-Law No. (30) of 2021 on Combating Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances, as amended (the “Narcotics Law“), in force since 2 January 2022. It prohibits possession, acquisition and consumption outside authorised medical use, classifies controlled substances across ten Schedules, and sets penalties running from a fine to the death penalty depending on how the conduct. This insight explores key provisions of the UAE Narcotics law.
What Counts as Possession or Personal Use
A person who holds, carries or stores a substance may be considered to have possession by default, whether or not they actually bought or own it. In practice, this means that substances found in a bag, vehicle or room under a person’s control can be attributed to them.
