President Ahmed al-Sharaa's Decree No. 39 granted a general amnesty for crimes committed before 17 February 2026. It wiped out the full sentence for the drug-use felony under Article 43 of the 1993 narcotics law but expressly excluded the trafficking, smuggling, manufacturing, cultivation and supply offences in Articles 39 to 42. The decree did not change the drug law itself, so a new possession case after that date is still prosecuted under Article 43.[1][2]
Listed for context. No score change is recorded for Syria here.
References
- الرأي العام — النص الكامل للمرسوم رقم 39 لعام 2026 (19 February 2026)Article 3(b), Article 8(g), Article 15
- The National — Syria's President Al Shara pardons kidnappers and drug users in amnesty (19 February 2026)pardons drug users but upholds punishments for drug dealersarchived
Checked. The date and the event were compared with a source that was read.