The story · written by gpt-6,
Iraq sharply increased drug penalties at the end of 1968, exposing specified trafficking offenders to death or lifelong hard labour.[1] Cannabis growers and suppliers were covered, while people possessing or growing for their own use faced a separate increase to three to ten years in prison plus a fine.[1]
The previous penalties were already severe
Under the 1967 amendment, unauthorised personal possession or growing carried one to five years in prison and a fine of 100–500 dinars.[2] Supplying drugs, including giving them away, and growing for trade could bring a term of hard labour.[2] Customs and drug-control officials faced lifelong hard labour for the specified supply offences.[2]
The government’s explanation for the next amendment said those penalties were no longer deterring smugglers and other offenders.[1] It presented stronger punishment as a way to stop drugs entering and spreading through society.[1] The new penalties took effect when published on 30 December 1968.[1]
Trafficking could lead to lifelong hard labour or death
The principal trafficking offences now carried lifelong hard labour and a fine of 3,000–10,000 dinars.[1] They included supplying drugs, holding them for trade, and growing cannabis for trade.[1] The list also covered moving the specified drug plants or their seeds for that purpose.[1]
Death or lifelong hard labour became possible for repeat offenders in the specified import, production and supply group.[1] The same alternatives applied to leaders of groups committing the listed trafficking offences and to customs officials and other public employees with drug-related responsibilities.[1] The wording reached both organised supply and officials whose work connected them to controlled drugs.[1]
People growing for themselves faced longer imprisonment
For unauthorised possession or growing intended for personal use, the minimum rose from one year to three and the maximum from five years to ten.[1] The fine increased to 500–1,000 dinars.[1]
The distinction between supplying others and personal use therefore remained central to the punishment.[1] Both routes now exposed offenders to substantially longer confinement than the previous amendment had provided.[1]
Later reforms widened punishment and introduced limited treatment
The 1979 reform raised the personal-use maximum again, to fifteen years.[3] It also let courts order six months of treatment instead for people whose dependence arose from a medical condition, with earlier release supported by medical evidence of recovery.[3]
In 2002, death or life imprisonment became the penalty across the principal trafficking list, alongside property confiscation.[4] Capital punishment was then suspended in 2003, before a 2004 order restored it for drug trafficking aimed at financing or assisting offences against the government.[5][6] These amendments shaped Iraq’s drug law until the 2017 replacement.[7]
Listed for context. No score change is recorded for Iraq here.
References
- Law 196 of 1968, second amendment of the Narcotics LawRepublic of Iraq · In Al-Waqa'i al-Iraqiya, issue 1673, 30 December 1968, p. 901 · 1968 · Articles 1–3 and statement of reasons
- Iraqi Legislation Database — Law 4 of 1967 amending the Narcotics LawRepublic of Iraq · In Al-Waqa'i al-Iraqiya, issue 1368, 6 February 1967 · 1967 · Full original amendment, article 1 replacing article 14; publication in Gazette issue 1368, 6 February 1967archived
- Iraqi Legislation Database — Law 144 of 1979 amending the Narcotics LawRepublic of Iraq · In Al-Waqa'i al-Iraqiya, issue 2741, 19 November 1979, p. 480 · 1979 · Articles 2–7, especially replacement article 14(II) and new article 14(VII); article 8 commencementarchived
- Law 38 of 2002 amending the Narcotics LawRepublic of Iraq · 2002 · Articles 1–2, replacement of the principal trafficking penalty
- Coalition Provisional Authority Order 7, Penal CodeCoalition Provisional Authority · 2003 · Section 3(1), suspension of capital punishmentarchived
- Order 3 of 2004 restoring capital punishmentIraqi Interim Government · 2004 · Paragraph 2, trafficking linked to financing or assisting article 190 offences
- Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Law 50 of 2017, original GazetteRepublic of Iraq · In Al-Waqa'i al-Iraqiya, issue 4446, 8 May 2017 · 2017 · Articles 28, 32, 37, 39–40 and 50–51; original article 39(1) cross-reference corrected in January 2018archived
Checked. The date and the event were compared with a source that was read.