The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, officially designated as Republic Act No. 9165, is a consolidation of Senate Bill No. 1858 and House Bill No. 4433. It was enacted and passed by the

Senate of the Philippines The Senate of the Philippines () is the upper house of Congress of the Philippines, Congress, the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, with the House of Representatives of the Philippines, House of Representatives as the lower house. The ...

and

House of Representatives of the Philippines The House of Representatives (; '','' thus commonly referred to as ''Kamara'') is the lower house of Congress of the Philippines, Congress, the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, with the Senate of the Philippines as the upper house. The ...

on May 30 and 29, 2002, respectively. It was signed into law by President

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal-Arroyo (; born April 5, 1947), often referred to as PGMA or GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician who served as the 14th president of the Philippines from Presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 2001 to 2010 ...

on June 7, 2002. It repealed Republic Act No. 6425, otherwise known as the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1972, as amended, and providing funds for its implementation. Under this act, the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) remains as the policy-making and strategy-formulating body in the planning and formulation of policies and program on drug prevention and control. It also created the

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA, ; Filipino: ''Ahensiya ng Pilipinas sa Pagpapatupad ng Batas Laban sa Bawal na Gamot'') is the lead anti-drug law enforcement agency, responsible for preventing, investigating and combating any d ...

(PDEA) under the Office of the President, which serves as the implementing arm of the DDB. The PDEA is responsible for the enforcement of all the provisions on any dangerous drugs, controlled precursors and essential chemicals as provided in the act.

Enforcement

The law took effect on June 22, 2002, 15 days after it was signed by

. Its primary implementing agency is the

. The list of illegal drugs may be modified by the DDB through a proceeding initiated by the PDEA, the

Department of Health A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their o ...

, or any petition by a concerned party.

Penalties

Under the law, anyone found guilty of Illegal drug trade, importation or sale of dangerous drugs, with the manufacture of illegal drugs, or with the operation of a drug den can be punished with life imprisonment and a fine ranging from ₱500,000 (then ~$) to ₱10,000,000 (then ~$). Anyone found guilty of importing or selling drug precursors, protecting other violators, or working as an employee in a drug den can be punished with 12 years and a day to 20 years of imprisonment and a fine ranging from ₱100,000 (then ~$) to ₱500,000 (then ~$). The maximum penalty is given if the sale or delivery was done within 100 meters of a school, if a minor was directly involved in the process of handling dangerous drugs, or if the victim of the offense is a mentally incapacitated individual. The penalty for possession of illegal drugs depends on the quantity of the drug (regardless of quality) and the type of drug.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Republic Act No. 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002

Republic Act No. 6425, the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1972
2002 in law Philippine criminal law Drug policy of the Philippines Presidency of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Philippine legislation

Enforcement

Penalties

See also

References

External links