Government of Timor-Leste

After having been approved in its general terms, the Draft Law on Fighting Drug Trafficking, which was sent by the Government to the National Parliament, was approved by final vote in the parliamentary session on October 18^th.

Thus, a further step has been taken towards the fulfilment of the Government's programme under the Justice sector. Under the heading of citizens’ safety, the Government has chosen the prevention and combating of crimes related to drugs as crucial objectives to crime fighting.

The punishment for the consumption of narcotics was chosen under this draft Law, but mainly focusing on medical treatment, recognizing that this is a health problem that involves the need to provide support and assistance to people affected by this disease.

The Government has now a year to regulate the acquisition and the rules for the distribution of medicines for this purpose. The creation of a national body responsible for coordinating the fight against drugs in Timor-Leste is also expected shortly.

Each year, before June 30^th, the Government is responsible to forward a report to the National Parliament on the Country's situation regarding drug addiction and trafficking.