A joint committee between the Ministry of Health and the Food and Drug Authority has approved updates to the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Control System, which included a regulatory framework stipulating that any pharmaceutical product combining a narcotic substance and a psychotropic substance be treated as a fully narcotic substance, resulting in the application of stricter provisions and penalties.

The updates included a ban on the possession or cultivation of prohibited plants and seeds at all stages of their growth and in any form, foremost among them cannabis, poppy, coca, khat, kratom, and hallucinogenic ergot fungus, as part of regulating the movement of narcotic substances, psychotropic substances, chemical precursors, and prohibited plants, in line with international standards to protect public health and regulate legitimate scientific and medical uses.

The updated provisions classified narcotic substances and psychotropic substances into 5 main categories for each, with the international drug lists including the "yellow list" for narcotics and the "green list" for psychotropic substances, while the fifth category was designated for locally controlled substances in Saudi Arabia.

The provisions imposed a ban on the trading, prescribing, possessing, or importing of fourth-category narcotics and first-category psychotropic substances, in addition to specific substances from the second category, including phenmetrazine, methaqualone, and secobarbital, limiting their use to pure medical and scientific research after obtaining prior approval from the drug sector of the General Authority for Food and Drug.

The updates included facilitation for certain pharmaceutical products, except for medications containing 8 mg or less of codeine, provided they are in the form of tablets or capsules, as well as products containing ephedrine or ethanol, from the strict control of the Narcotics Control System, subjecting them to the pharmaceutical establishments and products system and its executive regulations, allowing them to be dispensed to patients in need with a prescription.

Deterrent Measures for Traffickers

Psychologist Walid Al-Ghamdi explained to "Okaz" that the updates to the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Control System come in line with developments and changes, contributing to achieving the goals of combating drug abuse. He pointed out that treating dual pharmaceutical products that combine a narcotic substance and a psychotropic substance as fully narcotic substances, and applying stricter penalties to them, represents a deterrent measure against drug traffickers and those who tamper with the nation's resources and the future of its youth.