The story · written by gpt-5.6-sol-medium,
Palau enacted a wide-ranging anti-drug law in May 2026. RPPL 12-5 expands testing, links a positive test to possession and brings drug impairment into the driving law, while also directing money to rehabilitation.
From bill to law
The legislature passed the measure in April. President Surangel Whipps Jr. signed it on 7 May 2026, after Congress returned a version he described as much stricter than the original proposal.
The reporting covers illegal drugs generally and focuses heavily on methamphetamine. It names marijuana as one of the substances covered by the driving rule, but does not identify a new marijuana-specific quantity or penalty.
Testing becomes central
Designated employees must undergo drug testing at least twice a year. The groups listed include police, customs and immigration personnel, health workers, and operators of buses, boats and heavy equipment. Applicants must pass a test before being hired.
A positive test can lead to immediate dismissal and referral to prosecutors, subject to limited exceptions such as a valid prescription. Foreign workers and their family members also face medical screening, including a drug test, soon after arrival. A result showing illegal drug use can lead immigration officials to review whether they may remain in Palau.
The law treats illegal drugs found in a person’s blood or urine as proof of possession of a small amount. A June report on a separate traffic-stop prosecution described this as one of RPPL 12-5’s strengthened enforcement rules.
Driving and possession
Driving under the influence was expanded beyond alcohol. A driver under the influence of marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine or an illegal opioid can now face a felony possession charge. Drivers are treated as having consented to drug-related sobriety tests as well as alcohol testing.
The measure also increases penalties for serious drug crimes. The sources read do not say that Palau changed its earlier fine-only treatment of small-scale marijuana possession, so this article does not infer a new cannabis penalty from the broader law.
Enforcement and treatment
RPPL 12-5 formalises drug-enforcement and rehabilitation funds. Seized money and property are to be divided equally between enforcement and rehabilitation, while part of collected fines also supports treatment.
In the index
The positive-test rule tightened how illegal use can establish possession, but it did not cross a scoring threshold in Palau’s already criminalised system. Palau’s score therefore does not move.[1][2][3]
Listed for context. No score change is recorded for Palau here.
References
- Island Times — Late-night traffic stop leads to drug charges for woman under Palau's new drug law (26 June 2026)archived
- PINA / Island Times — Zero-tolerance drug law clears Palau legislature (29 April 2026)archived
- Island Times — Driving under the influence of illegal drugs now a felony in Palau (8 May 2026)archived
Checked. The date and the event were compared with a source that was read.