Cabinet approves draft law with max 10-year jail

The cabinet on Thursday approved in principle the draft of the Drugs Act 2022, with tougher punishment to prevent drugs-related irregularities and offences.

Under the law, a person will be jailed for a maximum of 10 years and face a Tk 10 lakh fine if found guilty of producing, storing and selling counterfeit or adulterated medicines as well as selling stolen government drugs.

However, the punishment under the existing law for the same offences is a maximum of three-year imprisonment and a Tk 2 lakh fine.

Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam shared the development at a press briefing after the weekly cabinet meeting held at the secretariat in Dhaka. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina chaired the meeting after joining virtually from Ganabhaban. Anwarul said the proposed law was designed following the Drugs Act of 1940 and the Drugs (Control) Ordinance of 1982.

He said the new law with 103 sections has a lot of features regarding various issues, including activities of the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA), quality control, and how will licences be given to institutions for drug production, sale, storage and distribution. The cabinet secretary said anyone who manufactures and imports drugs without a licence can be punished with 10-year imprisonment and a fine of Tk 10 lakh or both.

Anyone who manufactures, sells, stores or displays drugs without registration and anyone manufacturing, selling, storing and distributing adulterated drugs will also be given the maximum punishment, he said.

The maximum punishment will also be applicable for stealing and selling government drugs as per the draft law, he added.

Anwarul said that there will also be one court in each district for handling such cases while DGDA will investigate.

Under the draft law, the offences include producing or importing drugs without licences; producing, importing, exporting, marketing, stocking, selling or showcasing drugs without registration; producing, selling, stocking or marketing adulterated drugs; and stealing and selling government drugs.