The Penal Code for Courts, signed on 4 January 2026 and sent to provincial courts, set fixed prison terms for cannabis offences: six months to seven years for growing it, one to seven years for moving or selling it, and six months for use. It made the primary court's decision final in drug cases, allowed no fines for these offences and set no death sentence for cannabis. The code had not been published in the Official Gazette by late February 2026, and the 2010 drug law's formal status was left unclear.[1][2][3]
Listed for context. No score change is recorded for Afghanistan here.
References
- Afghanistan Analysts Network — Penal Code for Courts [Da Muhakimo Jaza'i Usulnama], unofficial translation by John Butt (February 2026)Articles 94–116, pp. 50–58 (cultivation, transport, import, sale, use, finality, exemption certificates)
- Afghanistan Analysts Network — Inside the Islamic Emirate's Penal Code: Crime, punishment and authority in Afghanistan (26 February 2026)Sections 'The Penal Code for Courts in context' and 'Chapters 2 and 3: forgery and narcotics'; code not published in the Official Gazette
- Rawadari — Press release on the implications of the 'Criminal Procedure Code for Courts' issued by the Taliban (22 January 2026)Code signed by Hibatullah Akhundzada, issued 4 January 2026 and circulated to provincial courts
Checked. The date and the event were compared with a source that was read.