Libya: Law 7/1990 penalties, tables and 14 history entries

Law 23 of 2002 amended Law 7 of 1990. Its new Article 35 bis says intent to traffic is est … he offender cannot prove another purpose. Article 34 keeps death or life imprisonment for importing, producing, promoting or trading in drugsplants and seeds with intent, but it does not make every small sale capital: simple supply under Article 35 carries life or ten to fifteen years.

Law 7 of 1990 on drugs and psychotropic substances, amended in 1996, is replaced the 1971 law and remains the basis of Libya'sLibyan drug control and. Article 34 allows the death penaltyor life imprisonment for traffickingimporting, exporting, producing, manufacturing or promoting drugs, or planting and trading Table 5 plants or seeds, with intent to traffic; personal use under Article 37 carries three to fifteen years. The 2002 amendment made death mandatory where aggravating facts apply.

Law 23 of 1971 replaced the narcotics law of 1956 (Law 44) and its 1963 amendment, and repealed the Penal Code's earlier drug articles. It banned growing the listed plants, Indian hemp among them, and holding or trading them or their seeds at any stage of growth. Only roasted hemp seed that cannot germinate and stalk fibre were exempt.

Cannabis is banned in every form. Trading in it can carryPersonal use or possession carries three to fifteen years; import, production or cultivation with intent to traffic carries death or life imprisonment; personal use and possession carry prison and a fine, and death is mandatory with treatment possible insteadaggravating facts.

Article 37 of Law 7 of 1990 lists hashish and the cannabis plant among its controlled substances (Tables 1 and 5). Article 37 punishes holdingpersonal use, buyingpossession, purchase, transport or growing for personal use with prisonthree to fifteen years and a fine of 1,000 to –5,000 dinarsdinar fine; the court may order treatment in a clinic for six to twelve months' treatment instead, and a user who seeks treatment before prosecution can avoid it.[@law7,penal] "Imprisonment" in the Penal Code means three to fifteen years, which is why the article's bare wording is a year insteadlong term. Law 23 of 2002 added[@penal] Article 35 bis: intent to traffic is established even for of 2002 lets a single act, or a smalltiny quantity establish intent to traffic, or when the offender cannot prove another purposeso a possession case can escalate.[@law2002]

law7, law2002, penal

label Personal use, Article 37possession or growing · treatment criminal · term Personal use · prison min 3 years · prison 15 years · fine min 1000 · fine 5000 · note Prison and 1,000 to 5,000 dinarsArticle 37; court may order treatment in a clinic for six to twelve months may replace the penalty, label Drug acts without intent to a year insteadtraffic or use · treatment criminal · term Other drug offence · prison min 3 years · prison 10 years · fine min 500 · fine 3000 · note Article 38

Growing for personal use falls under Article 30 bans growing37: three to fifteen years and a 1, holding000–5,000 dinar fine.[@law7] Planting or trading in the Table 5 plants, or their seeds included, except for medicalwith intent to traffic or scientific purposes. Growing for trade carriespromote is an Article 34 offence carrying death or life imprisonment and a 10,000–50,000 dinar fine (Article 34); growing for personal use falls under Article 37death is mandatory where an aggravating fact applies.[@law7,law2002] There is no plant-count threshold.[@law7]

law7, law2002

Enforcement is split between eastern and western agencies and no national series is published.[@lana24,almenassa25] The statute sets prison for personal use (Article 37)eastern agency reported 2,073 drug arrests and allows treatment instead951 g of hashish in 2024, alongside much larger pill and no prosecution if the user comes forward for treatment on their owncocaine seizures. How it is applied is not shown by[@lana24] Its Tripoli counterpart recorded 238 cannabis cases and 354 suspects in the textfirst quarter of 2025, with about 359 kg seized.[@almenassa25] Courts imposed life terms for importing cannabis seeds in 2025 and for a cultivation operation in 2026.[@libyaherald25,libyaobserver26a]

law7lana24, almenassa25, libyaherald25, libyaobserver26a

Supplying a user for paymentSupply with intent to traffic carries life imprisonment or at least ten to fifteen years (Article 35). Supplyingand a 5,000–20,000 dinar fine; supplying without payment carries prisonthree to fifteen years and a fine of 2,000 to –5,000 dinarsdinar fine. Article 35 bis of 2002 treats even a one-off act as[@law7] Importing, producing, manufacturing or promoting drugs, or trading Table 5 plants or seeds, with intent, carries death or life and a 10,000–50,000 dinar fine.[@law7,law2002] A place managed for drug use carries six months to three years.[@law7]

label Supply for payment, Article 35with intent to traffic · treatment criminal · term Trafficking · prison min 10 years · prison 15 years · fine min 5000 · fine 20000 · note Life imprisonment is available, label Supply without payment, Article 35 · treatment criminal · term Supply · prison min 3 years · prison 15 years · fine 5000min 2000 · note Prison and 2fine 5000,000 to 5,000 dinars, label Trading or growing for tradeImport, Article 34production or promotion with intent · treatment criminal · term Trafficking · death true · fine min 10000 · fine 50000 · note Death or life imprisonment and 10; death mandatory with Article 35(2) aggravating facts,000 to 50,000 dinars label Premises managed for drug use · treatment criminal · term Premises · prison min 6 months · prison 3 years · fine min 100 · fine 500

Use is punished under Article 37 punishes actually using drugs with prisonthree to fifteen years and a fine of 1,000 to –5,000 dinarsdinar fine.[@law7] The court may order treatment for six to twelve months instead, unless the person is licensed;and a user who comes forward for treatment can replace thebefore prosecution is not prosecuted.[@law7] There is no standalone lower penalty for consumption.[@law7]

NoneNo legal source for personal use. Medical and scientific use is allowed only under licence (Articles 30–31 allow licensed medical and following)scientific handling, including cultivation by public services and research centres, but not patient supply.[@law7] No medical cannabis programme or dispensary was found.[@law7]

All recreational use is prohibited. Personal use or possession carries prisonthree to fifteen years and a 1,000 to –5,000 dinar fine, and any one-offa single act, however small, or tiny quantity can be treated as trafficking under the 2002 amendment.[@law7,law2002] Import, production or cultivation with intent carries death or life, with death mandatory where an aggravating fact applies.[@law7] [The 1990 law set the framework.](/history/libya-narcotics-law-1990/)

Death is prescribed by Article 34 of Law 7 of 1990 punishes trading infor importing, exporting, producing, manufacturing or promoting drugs, or growingplanting or importingtrading Table 5 plants or seeds, with intent to trade, with death ortraffic; the court may choose life imprisonment andinstead. Death becomes mandatory where an Article 35(2) aggravating fact applies, such as a fine of 10prior drug conviction,000 to 50 a minor,000 dinars a school or an organised gang.[@law7,law2002] Simple possession and ordinary sale do not carry death.[@law7] No recent cannabis execution was found; the executions resumed in eastern Libya in August 2026 concerned military cases, while recent drug death sentences concerned pills.[@hrw_exec26,amnesty_exec26]

law7, law2002, hrw_exec26, amnesty_exec26

No lawfulcommercial cannabis production. PlantingArticle 34 bans importing, holdingexporting, producing, extracting, manufacturing or promoting narcotics, and trading the listedplanting Table 5 plants is banned exceptor seeds, outside the medical and scientific scheme.[@law7] Articles 30–31 allow cultivation only for licensed medical or scientific purposesinstitutions.[@law7]

No medical cannabis programme beyond licensed scientific or medical handling under the Law 7 licensing system. Cannabis is a Table 1 narcotic and a Table 5 plant; none existsArticles 30–31 let the health committee license public services, scientific institutes and research centres to grow banned plants for personal usemedical or scientific work.[@law7] That is not a patient route, and no approved cannabis medicine or dispensary was found.[@law7]

A conviction can be published under Article 46, and licences can be revoked under Article 47.[@law7] Article 49 allows residence restrictions, banishment and bans on certain professions for repeat felony offenders, and foreigners can face banishment.[@law7] The retained sources do not establish collateral consequences beyond the penalties described abovelaw also provides confiscation of drugs, equipment and proceeds.[@law7]

law7

Article 30 of Law 7 of 1990 bans growing, importing, owning, holding, buying or selling the listed plants at any stage of growth, as well as their seeds, except for licensed medical or scientific purposes under licence.[@law7] Only cannabis seeds roasted so they cannot germinate, and stalk fibre, are exempt. Growing[@law7] Personal growing or holding the plants or their seeds for personal use is punished with prison and a fine of 1,000 to 5,000 dinarsfalls under Article 37; trade falls under Article 34.[@law7]

No cannabis clubs are known, and the law leaves no room. Managing or preparing a place for them: growing cannabis and supplying itpaid drug use carries six months to another person are both prohibitedthree years, and the law provides for the death penalty for the most serious drug offencessupply is separately prohibited.[@law7]

law7, law2002

There is no legal recreational supply for anyonevisitors. They face the same offences, soand a visitor has no lawful way to buy cannabisforeigner with repeat drug convictions can be banished under Article 49. The sources behind this profile describe no separate rule for visitors.[@law7]

Libya — Penal Code (Arabic) Libya — Traffic Law No. 11 of 1984 (Arabic) UNODC — Drug Trafficking Dynamics in Libya and across North Africa (2026) LANA — Libya's anti-narcotics agency reports its 2024 results (4 January 2025) Almenassa — Anti-Narcotics Agency records 351 cases and 550 suspects in Q1 2025 (24 April 2025) Libya Herald — Tripoli Criminal Court sentences drug smuggler to life for cannabis seeds (16 April 2025) Libya Observer — Five sentenced over cannabis cultivation in Bayda (15 March 2026) Libya Observer — Misrata customs seize more than five tonnes of hashish (25 June 2026) Big News Network — Libya seizes nearly $1 million worth of hashish (13 October 2026) Human Rights Watch — Eastern Libya authorities carry out wave of executions (14 October 2026) Amnesty International — Libya: dozens executed (11 September 2026) DCAF Libya security legislation database — Law No. 19 of 1996 amending Law No. 7 of 1990 on narcotics 2 unchanged

LYD

label Growing for personal use · treatment criminal · term Personal use · prison min 3 years · prison 15 years · fine min 1000 · fine 5000, label Cultivation or plant trade with intent · treatment criminal · term Trafficking · death true · fine min 10000 · fine 50000 · note Death or life imprisonment; death mandatory with Article 35(2) aggravating facts

LYD

label Use · treatment criminal · term Personal use · prison min 3 years · prison 15 years · fine min 1000 · fine 5000

no

No legal source; licensed medical and scientific handling only

none

No hemp or CBD regime and no THC threshold. Table 5 bans the cannabis plant at every stage, and Table 6 exempts only stalk fibre and roasted seeds that cannot germinate.[@law7] Growing low-THC hemp is not licensed.[@law7]

law7

impairment

Traffic Law 11 of 1984, article 58, punishes driving a vehicle, cart or bicycle while intoxicated or narcotised with one to three years in prison, withdrawal of the licence for one to three years, and confiscation of the substances.[@traffic1984] There is no numeric THC limit; the trigger is a state of intoxication or narcosis.[@traffic1984]

traffic1984

Libya is a transit route for Moroccan resin and a smaller producer of its own. UNODC puts the 2024 retail resin price at 20,000–35,000 dinars a kilogram and records four 2024 seizures worth 8.37–14.65 million dinars.[@unodc_libya26] Reported seizures range from 951 g by the eastern agency in 2024 to 5.47 tonnes of resin at Misrata customs in June 2026; the figures cover different agencies and are not a time series.[@lana24,libyaobserver26b]

unodc_libya26, lana24, libyaobserver26b

No national arrest total was published. The eastern agency reported 2,073 drug arrests in 2024, with 951 g of hashish among much larger pill and cocaine seizures.[@lana24] The Tripoli agency recorded 351 cases and 550 suspects in the first quarter of 2025, including 238 cannabis cases and 354 suspects.[@almenassa25] In 2025 the eastern agency reported 6.4 tonnes of hashish, and Misrata customs seized 5.47 tonnes in June 2026.[@bignews25,libyaobserver26b]

lana24, almenassa25, bignews25, libyaobserver26b