The cabinet has approved the Narcotics Control Act 2018, keeping provisions of death sentences for production, trafficking, distribution and use of over 5gm of yaba or 25gm of heroin or cocaine, report agencies.
The approval came at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday.
After the meeting Cabinet Secretary Md Shafiul Alam told the media that yaba, shisha bars and dope testing are new additions to the law.
Now all sorts of narcotic substances are covered by the law, he said
"The punishment for transporting, trading, storing, producing, processing, applying and using more than five grams of Yaba or amphetamines will be the death penalty or life-term imprisonment," said the Cabinet Secretary.
In case of less than five grams of Yaba, he said, the punishment will be minimum one year in jail and maximum five years' imprisonment alongside the fine.
The Cabinet Secretary said Yaba or amphetamine substances group was included into the A-category narcotics in the proposed law as it is not in the existing Narcotics Control Act 1990.
The punishment for transporting, trading, storing, producing, processing, applying and using more than 25 grams of narcotics originated from heroin, cocaine and coca will be the death penalty or life-term imprisonment, while for less than 25 grams (A-category narcotics) will be minimum two years of imprisonment and maximum 10 years of jail, he said.
According to the bill, the maximum punishment for any individual or organisation in case of financing or patronising drug dealing will be the death penalty, Shafiul Alam said.
"If any individual or organisation finances, supplies money, instigates or patronises such crimes will face the similar punishment as per the law," he said.
Alongside Yaba, Shisha and dope test were incorporated in the draft bill as the exiting Narcotics Control Act 1990 does not address these, he said adding that the chemical of Khat drug was also mentioned in the proposed law.
"The proposed law will cover all the narcotic substances," the Cabinet Secretary said adding that all sorts of narcotics of the world were included in different categories of the bill.
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