Article 18 of the Saudi Anti-Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Law

المادة 18 من نظام مكافحة المخدرات والمؤثرات العقلية

The article bars transporting narcotic or psychotropic substances inside the Kingdom except under the controls and conditions set by the Implementing Regulations.

Official text (Arabic)

This article has not been amended since the law was issued.

لا يجوز نقل المواد المخدرة أو المؤثرات العقلية داخل المملكة إلا بموجب الضوابط والشروط التي تحددها اللائحة .

This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers

Article 18 explained in plain English

Control over narcotic and psychotropic substances does not end when they enter the Kingdom lawfully; moving them from one place to another inside the Kingdom, such as from a warehouse to a pharmacy or from one city to another, is itself subject to restrictions. This article sets a general rule:

Narcotic or psychotropic substances may not be transported inside the Kingdom,
except under the controls and conditions set by the Implementing Regulations.

The text does not state these controls or the body that supervises them, so their details are found in the Regulations, and the form of permits or the means of transport allowed cannot be inferred from the article alone.

Lawful transport of these substances inside the Kingdom is that which is carried out under the controls of the Regulations referred to in this article, and it is not enough that the substance itself entered the Kingdom lawfully.

This article is part of the provisions regulating lawful dealing. Before it comes Article Seventeen on licensing the import and cultivation of seeds of the Table (4) plants for medical and research purposes, and after it comes Article Nineteen, which regulates the passage of these substances through the Kingdom to another State. Anyone who needs advice on transport requirements would do well to consult a lawyer specialized in health and administrative regulations.

Practical example

A licensed drug warehouse in Riyadh wants to send a quantity of a medicine containing a psychotropic substance to a licensed pharmacy in Abha. This cannot be done by ordinary shipping; the controls and conditions set by the Regulations for transporting these substances inside the Kingdom must be followed.

Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.

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