ABU DHABI: The UAE Public Prosecution (PP) said on Sunday that a penal case shall not be filed against abusers of narcotics or psychotropics if they report to addiction treatment units.
The PP cited Article 43 of the Federal Law No. 14 of 1995, for combating narcotics and psychotropics, and the amendments thereof which stipulate that “A penal case shall not be filed against the abusers of narcotics or psychotropics if they present themselves or spouse or one of his relatives up to the second degree to the addiction treatment unit, the public prosecution, or the police, requesting to have him admitted for treatment at the unit, in which case, such person shall be admitted thereto until the unit decides to release him.”
In its official twitter account, the PP added that “In the cases in which such a person is entered into the unit by other than the public prosecution, the entering entity shall obtain the approval of the Public Prosecution when having such a person admitted into or released from the unit or in case of his failure to adhere to the treatment plan or his failure to surrender the narcotics he is keeping, in order to take the necessary action for filing the penal case.”
It added that “If the unit states that a person has not adhered to the devised treatment plan, such a person shall not avail of the provision of item (1) of this article. In all cases, the duration of treatment, habilitation and care shall not exceed two years. The provision of this article shall not apply to whoever was keeping a narcotic which he failed to deliver to the unit, the Public Prosecution, or the police when presenting himself for seeking treatment.”
The PP dedicates its official twitter account to promote awareness, instill a basic understanding of the law, and empower various segments of society to navigate basic legal issues.