RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s attorney general, Sheikh Saud bin Abdullah Al-Mujib, has approved the inclusion of all criminal descriptions related to the substance methamphetamine among the major crimes in the Kingdom that warrant arrest.
Sheikh Saud’s decision, dated March 1, 2025, comes within the framework of national efforts to combat drugs and limit their spread, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday.
The criminal descriptions referred to in the decision mean the crime of using crystal meth and crimes related to it, including possession, smuggling, bringing, receiving, obtaining, purchasing, or transporting, if the intent is for personal use or consumption, as well as the crime of attempting to manufacture the banned substance, said the report.
Methamphetamine — also known as shabu, crystal meth, or “poor man’s cocaine” — has been found to be harmful to health, causing serious psychological and behavioral disorders and contributing to the rise in crime and violence rates.
As such, the scourge has to be dealt with firmly in accordance with deterrent legislation and decisions, the report said.
While the law against drug trafficking and drug abuse is harsh, it also allows for reform and rehabilitation.
Article 42 of the Anti-Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Law stipulates that “the user of narcotic or psychotropic substances shall be granted the opportunity to receive treatment without legal accountability, by not filing a lawsuit against the user, user, or addict, if he or one of his relatives comes forward intending to receive treatment, provided that he hands over the narcotic or psychotropic substances in his possession, if any, or provides information about their location,” the report noted.
