The Executive Council announced Wednesday that the government has drafted a bill which proposes to add 21 substances to Macau’s anti-drug law, based on recent decisions passed by the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs that include additional 24 substances subject to international control.
The current anti-drug law was enacted in 2009. The law is officially known as the Law on the Prohibition of the Illicit Production, Trafficking and Consumption of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.
Leong Heng Teng, spokesman for the government’s top advisory body, made the announcement during a press conference at Government Headquarters yesterday.
The bill will be submitted in due course to the Legislative Assembly (AL) for debate and vote.
The Commission of Narcotic Drugs (CND) was established by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 1946 to assist the latter in supervising the application of the international drug control treaties, according to the commission’s website.
Leong noted that according to Macau’s anti-drug law, the local government is required to add new substances to the law, based on new amendments passed by the respective entity of the United Nations.
Leong noted that the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs passed decisions in a meeting in 2017 and a meeting last year to list an additional 24 substances subject to international control, 21 of which are not listed in the current version of Macau’s anti-drug law. Leong said that therefore the local government has drafted the bill proposing to list the 21 additional substances in the anti-drug law, to carry out the obligations under the respective international conventions concerning narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, and also to enable the local government to better take joint action with neighbouring regions and the international community in preventing and combating drug-related crimes.
According to Leong, the proposed 21 new substances comprise 19 narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, and two substances used as “precursors” to manufacture drugs.
The government proposes that the amendment bill take effect on the day after its promulgation in the Official Gazette (BO), Leong said.
The local government previously proposed to list additional substances in the anti-drug law, which was enacted in 2009, on two occasions – 2014 and 2016. The two amendment bills were passed by the legislature.(Macaunews)
