Penalty Info

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Drug possessionPossibly — unconfirmed

Possibly — unconfirmed

Reported range, not yet confirmed against official text. Do not rely on this — awaiting confirmation.

Statutory range — reported, not yet confirmed

Art. 41 — Schedule 1, 2, 5 (except item 29 of Schedule 1); plants in Schedule 4 (except clause 8 of §2) — 1st offencePossibly — unconfirmed

Imprisonment
Imprisonment of not less than 3 months
Fine
Fine AED 20,000–100,000

Imprisonment OR fine.

Art. 41 — 2nd offence within 3 yearsPossibly — unconfirmed

Imprisonment
Imprisonment of not less than 6 months
Fine
Fine AED 30,000–100,000

Imprisonment OR fine.

Art. 41 — 3rd or subsequent offencePossibly — unconfirmed

Imprisonment
Imprisonment of not less than 2 years
Fine
Fine of not less than AED 100,000 (no maximum stated)

Imprisonment AND fine.

Art. 42 — item 29 of Schedule 1 / clause 8 of §2 of Schedule 4 — 1st offencePossibly — unconfirmed

Imprisonment
Imprisonment of not less than 3 months
Fine
Fine AED 10,000–100,000

Imprisonment OR fine.

Art. 42 — 2nd offencePossibly — unconfirmed

Imprisonment
Imprisonment of not less than 6 months
Fine
Fine AED 20,000–100,000

Imprisonment OR fine.

Art. 42 — 3rd or subsequent offencePossibly — unconfirmed

Imprisonment
Imprisonment of not less than 6 months
Fine
Fine of not less than AED 50,000 (upper bound NOT reliably verified — retrieved text was corrupt, not repeated)

Imprisonment AND fine.

Art. 43 — Schedules 3, 6, 7, 8 — 1st offencePossibly — unconfirmed

Imprisonment
Imprisonment of not less than 3 months
Fine
Fine AED 20,000–100,000

Imprisonment OR fine.

Art. 43 — 2nd offencePossibly — unconfirmed

Imprisonment
Imprisonment of not less than 6 months
Fine
Fine AED 30,000–100,000

Imprisonment OR fine.

Art. 43 — 3rd or subsequent offencePossibly — unconfirmed

Imprisonment
Imprisonment of not less than 1 year
Fine
Fine of not less than AED 100,000 (no maximum stated)

Imprisonment AND fine.

Art. 44 — Art. 12(2) mind-harming substances — 1st offencePossibly — unconfirmed

Imprisonment
Imprisonment of up to 6 months
Fine
Fine AED 20,000–100,000

Imprisonment OR fine.

Art. 44 — 2nd offencePossibly — unconfirmed

Imprisonment
Imprisonment of up to 1 year
Fine
Fine AED 30,000–100,000

Imprisonment OR fine.

Art. 44 — 3rd or subsequent offencePossibly — unconfirmed

Imprisonment
Imprisonment 1–2 years
Fine
Fine of not less than AED 200,000 (no maximum stated)

Imprisonment AND fine.

Art. 42 bis — non-citizen non-resident entering a port with prohibited substancesPossibly — unconfirmed

Imprisonment
Fine only (no imprisonment stated)
Fine
Fine AED 5,000–1,000,000 + confiscation / destruction

Cabinet graduated fines NOT verified — not stated.

Art. 45 — rehabilitation diversionPossibly — unconfirmed

Imprisonment
Rehabilitation placement up to 1 year (per Art. 46)
Fine
—

Except in cases of recurrence.

Note on this entry

Rehabilitation diversion (Art. 45, placement up to 1 year per Art. 46) applies except on recurrence. Deportation (Art. 75): shall be ordered for a foreigner, except a spouse / first-degree blood relative of a UAE national, or a family-member hardship exception. Art. 42 bis non-citizen non-resident port entry: fine AED 5,000–1,000,000 + confiscation / destruction; Cabinet graduated fines NOT verified — not stated.

Source

Statute
Decree-Law No. 30 of 2021, Arts. 41–45
Official source
Mirror of uaelegislation.gov.ae portal text
Verification status
Reported range, not yet confirmed against official text. Main text via mirror; the Art. 42(3) fine cap was retrieved from a corrupt text and is not repeated; Cabinet fines unverified.
Last verified
2026-10-19
Not legal advice. This range is the statutory penalty as written in the law — it is not “your sentence.” What is NOT accounted for here: Priors beyond tier, plea, discretion. If you face a real charge, consult a licensed lawyer in the relevant jurisdiction.