Anti-Drugs Law (Law No 2 of 1993)

This law increases the penalties for the use of minors in drug-related crimes or for drug-related crimes committed against minors.

One should view this law in the context of a dramatic rise in the Syrian production and trafficking of drugs, particularly Captagon. The Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad and its allies have leveraged Captagon trafficking as a means of exerting pressure on the Gulf states, notably Saudi Arabia, to reintegrate Syria into the Arab world and secure concessions that would allow the regime to reinforce its position after thirteen years of conflict.

While the Syrian regime has denied involvement in the production and distribution of Captagon to the Gulf states, trafficking the drug is a primary source of hard currency for the regime. The networks involved in this process include members of the leadership’s inner circle.