Mauritania: 1993 and 2008 law penalties, tables and eight history entries

Producing, growing or trafficking high-risk drugs carried fifteen to thirty years in priso … me, violence, weapons or a death caused by the drugs could also bring capital punishment. Article 5 treated holding any amount as trafficking rather than as a separate possession offence. Simple illicit use carried up to two years, a fine alone, or both, with treatment routes t … the law nineteen days after Mauritania joined the UN convention against drug trafficking.

The 1993 law allows death for repeat or aggravatedtreats possession of any amount as high-risk drug offences; simpletrafficking: 15–30 years and a large fine, with death on a repeat conviction. Simple use can meanbring up to two years, a fine alone, or both. Executions have been suspended since 1987.

Article 5 of the 1993 law includes possession and purchase ofLaw 93-037 treats holding, buying or transporting a high-risk drugs among offences carryingdrug as trafficking, whatever the amount: 15–30 years and a 10–100 million ouguiya fine, with death foron a repeat offenceconviction.[@l9337] Cannabis is a high-risk substance in Table I under the 2008 law.[@law2008] The separate simple-use offence in Article 39 carries up to two years, a fine alone, or both;, but its wording doescovers use only, not extend that penalty to personal possession.[@l9337]

l9337, law2008

Growing or, producing or extracting a high-risk drugsdrug carries 15–30 years and a 10–100 million ouguiya fine under Article 3 of the 1993 law, with death foron a repeat offenceconviction. Article 13 also permits capital punishment in specified aggravated cases[@l9337] The 2008 law separately bans cannabis cultivation and requires landowners and occupiers to destroy plants.[@law2008] The maximum is doubled, includingup to death, where the offence involves an organised crime andgroup, violence or weapons, or drugs that caused a death.[@l9337]

l9337, law2008

Reliable figures on arrests or imprisonment of cannabis users remain unknown. Khalid Tinasti's 2017 analysis described scarce Mauritanian drug-use data and a public debateEnforcement is focused on trafficking, and no national arrest series is published. ECPM's 2024 assessment[@unodc_szr] Police reported a moratorium on executions101 drug cases and 156 suspects in the first half of 2023, with 12 kg of hashish and 7.1 kg of resin seized.[@cridem2023] In July–August 2026 the last military-court executiongendarmerie reported dismantling more than ten networks with over 40 arrests and individual resin seizures of 202, 230 and 210 kg.[@lecalame2026] The death penalty remains in law but executions have been suspended since 1987.[@ecpm2025]

gdpounodc_szr, ecpm2024cridem2023, lecalame2026, ecpm2025

GivingOffering, delivering or transferring a high-risk drug to another person, including without paymentfree or paid, falls under Article 5's and carries 15–30 years and a 10–100 million ouguiya fine. Repeat offences carry, with death; Article 13 also permits capital punishment for specified aggravated offences on a repeat conviction.[@l9337] Facilitating another person's use, including by providing premises, carries two to ten years, and criminal association ten to twenty.[@l9337] Attempt carries five to ten years.[@l9337]

Illicit use carries up to two years, a 50,000–100,000 ouguiya fine alone, or both under Article 39one of those penalties alone. Completing[@l9337] A person who completes prescribed treatment or successful detoxification or medical supervision can preventavoid prosecution under Articles 44, and 51. Voluntarythose who seek treatment seekers canvoluntarily may request anonymity.[@l9337]

Recreational supply is prohibitedNo legal source. TheCannabis is in Table I of the 2008 parliamentary debate concerned controlled medicineslaw, with doctors prescribingwhich bans all operations except licensed medical and pharmacists dispensingscientific work on Tables II and III; the health minister may authorise research quantities under strict supervisionArticle 81.[@law2008] No patient or recreational route was found.[@law2008]

l9337, assembly2008law2008

The 1993 law prescribes deathDeath is prescribed for a repeat high-risk production, cultivation, import, export and trafficking offencesconviction under Articles 3–5., and Article 13 also permits capital punishment where specified offences involveallows it on a first conviction for organised crime, violence or weapons, or drugs that caused a death. ECPM's 2024 assessment still listed these clauses and reported[@l9337] Mauritania has a de facto moratorium: the last execution was in 1987, following a militaryand it voted against the UN moratorium resolution on 17 December 2024.[@ecpm2025,amnesty2024] No drug-court convictionspecific death sentence was verified for 2024–2026.[@ecpm2025]

l9337, ecpm2024ecpm2025, amnesty2024

Tinasti's 2017 analysis cited limited earlier evidence of smallNo lawful cannabis production. The 1993 law punishes growing high-risk drugs with 15–30 years, and the 2008 law expressly bans cannabis cultivation.[@l9337,law2008] Small-scale cultivation near the Senegal River was reported in the south. Current production levels remainearlier research, but current output is unknown.[@gdpo]

l9337, law2008, gdpo

Legal recreational products are prohibited by the drug law.

l9337

No operating medical cannabis programme. Cannabis is established byin Table I of the retained sources. The 2008 debate addressedlaw, which the controlledannex treats as having no real medical interest; licensed medical handling is limited to Tables II and III.[@law2008] Article 81 allows the health minister to authorise research or scientific-police quantities, not patient supply of narcotic medicines under prescription.[@law2008]

assembly2008law2008

Article 17 of the 1993 law requires permanent territorial exclusion for foreigners convicted of listed offences, including illicit use. Courts, and courts can also impose travel restrictions, withdraw passportsbans and suspend driving licences.[@l9337] The separate use chapter contains an additional exclusion clause with inconsistent crosslaw also provides civic-referencesrights bans and confiscation.[@l9337]

Law 93-37The 1993 law punishes growing a high-risk drug with 15–30 years and a fine, and death for a repeat offence (Article 3). Ministerial orders determine the domestic schedules. The2008 law speaks of substancesbans cannabis cultivation, but neither expressly mentions seeds; the Convention excludes seeds from "cannabis".[@l9337,law2008] Sowing is cultivation and clones are plants and does not mention seeds, so both fall under the ban; the seed statuses here are an inference.[@law2008]

l9337, law2008

The 1993 law prohibits growing and supplying high-risk drugs, including gifts, and provides no recreational club exceptionNo cannabis clubs are known. Facilitating another person's use, including by providing premises, carries two to ten years, and a finethe law provides no club exception.[@l9337]

There is no recreationallegal supply exception for visitors. Simple illicit use can bring up to two years, a fine alone, or both. Article 17 requires permanent exclusion for foreignersA foreigner convicted of a listed drug offencesoffence, including use; the use chapter also contains a separate exclusion clause with inconsistent cross-references, must be permanently excluded from Mauritania under Article 17.[@l9337]

Mauritania — Law 2008-012 of 27 April 2008 on the licit market in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances Mauritania — Ordinance 2006-047 of 6 December 2006, Road Code ECPM — Mauritanie: la peine de mort en droit et en pratique (2025) Amnesty International — UN member states move closer to rejecting the death penalty (18 December 2024) UNODC Data Portal — Drug seizures, reported seizures in kilogram equivalents Cridem / Sahara Media — Mauritania: 156 suspects and 101 drug cases in the first half of 2023 (14 August 2023) Le Calame — Importantes saisies de la gendarmerie (21 August 2026) North Africa Post — Mauritania: drug-trafficking prison sentence of ex-president's sons upheld (5 September 2016) ECPM — Mauritanie, la peine de mort en droit et en pratique (2024), printed pp. 2 and 6 AMI — National Assembly debate on narcotic and psychotropic drugs (21 February 2008) 2 unchanged

MRU

label Possession, purchase or transport of any amount · treatment criminal · term Trafficking · prison min 15 years · prison 30 years · fine min 10000000 · fine 100000000 · note Article 5; death on a repeat conviction, label Simple use · treatment criminal · term Use · prison 2 years · fine min 50000 · fine 100000 · note Article 39; prison, fine, or one only

MRU

label Cultivation or production · treatment criminal · term Production · prison min 15 years · prison 30 years · fine min 10000000 · fine 100000000 · note Article 3; death on a repeat conviction, label Aggravated production or trafficking · treatment criminal · term Aggravated offence · death true · note Article 13; organised group, violence or weapons, or drugs that caused a death

MRU

label Supply or transfer, free or paid · treatment criminal · term Trafficking · prison min 15 years · prison 30 years · fine min 10000000 · fine 100000000 · note Article 5; death on a repeat conviction, label Facilitating use, including premises · treatment criminal · term Facilitation · prison min 2 years · prison 10 years · fine min 200000 · fine 1000000, label Criminal association · treatment criminal · term Association · prison min 10 years · prison 20 years · fine min 100000 · fine 1000000

no

No legal source; only licensed medical and research handling is excepted

All recreational use is prohibited. Possession of any amount is treated as trafficking under Article 5, with 15–30 years and a large fine, while simple use carries up to two years.[@l9337] The death penalty applies on a repeat trafficking conviction, but no executions have been carried out since 1987.[@ecpm2025] [The 1993 law set the framework.](/history/mauritania-drug-law-1993/)

l9337, ecpm2025

none

No hemp or CBD regime and no THC threshold. The 2008 law bans cannabis cultivation without distinguishing industrial varieties, and Table I covers the plant and its preparations.[@law2008] No industrial licence was found.[@law2008]

law2008

impairment

The road code, Ordinance 2006-047, article 10(2), prohibits driving under the influence of substances capable of reducing physical or mental capacity, with 11 days to three months and a 6,000–40,000 ouguiya fine, or one only.[@traffic2006] There is no numeric THC limit; the test is impairment.[@traffic2006]

traffic2006

UNODC records 4 kg of herbal cannabis and 40 kg of resin seized in 2024, figures that are probably partial.[@unodc_szr] Press reports in July–August 2026 described individual resin seizures of 202, 230 and 210 kg and more than 40 arrests, an order of magnitude above the annual figure; the difference reflects reporting methods, not a verified surge.[@lecalame2026]

unodc_szr, lecalame2026

No national arrest total for 2024–2026 was published.[@unodc_szr] Police reported 101 drug cases, 156 suspects, 12 kg of hashish and 7.1 kg of resin in the first half of 2023.[@cridem2023] In July–August 2026 the gendarmerie reported more than ten networks dismantled and over 40 arrests.[@lecalame2026] A former president's sons were jailed in 2016 over 1.3 tonnes of cannabis.[@northafrica2016]

unodc_szr, cridem2023, lecalame2026, northafrica2016