The Dangerous Drugs Act will soon be amended so that a person (if suspected of having committed a drug offence for his personal consumption) will not be prosecuted for that offence.
Instead, the person will be referred to the Drug Users Administrative Panel (DUAP), according to a recent Cabinet decision. The amendment is a recommendation of the Commission of Inquiry on Drug Trafficking (2018).
On being referred to the DUAP, the drug user will be directed to undergo rehabilitation such as education, counselling, treatment, aftercare, social reintegration or any other therapy at a public health institution.
The Panel will monitor the progress of the drug user during the period of rehabilitation and will assist the drug user to overcome his addiction to drugs.
The Bill also makes provisions for a patient to be treated with medicinal cannabis where that patient suffers from therapeutic conditions that have failed to respond to conventional treatment.
A Medicinal Cannabis Therapeutic Committee will be set up in every regional hospital and will, on a case to case basis, determine whether a patient needs medicinal cannabis for his treatment.
The use, dispensing and importation of medicinal cannabis will be supervised by the Ministry of Health and Wellness.
The Forensic Science Laboratory will be empowered, as is the case in other several jurisdictions, to analyse a sample of dangerous drugs seized rather than analysing all the dangerous drugs seized.
In addition, the Police will be given wider powers so as to enable it to detect drug offences and will, on the order of a District Magistrate, be able to destroy dangerous drugs seized rather than keeping same to be produced in Court.
Source: Cabinet Papers, Government of Mauritius
