Article 29 of the Saudi Anti-Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Law
المادة 29 من نظام مكافحة المخدرات والمؤثرات العقلية
The article bars the pharmacist from dispensing medicines specified by the Ministry of Health that contain narcotic substances except on a prescription approved by a human or veterinary doctor or dentist licensed in the Kingdom.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
لا يجوز للصيدلي صرف أدوية -تحددها وزارة الصحة - تحتوي على مواد مخدرة أو مؤثرات عقلية إلا بموجب وصفة طبية معتمدة من طبيب بشري أو بيطري أو طبيب أسنان من المرخص لهم بمزاولة المهنة في المملكة. وتحدد اللائحة شروط الوصفة وبياناتها، ومدة صلاحيتها.
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 29 explained in plain English
This is one of the articles of the Law closest to daily life, because it governs dispensing medicines containing narcotic or psychotropic substances in pharmacies. Its content is:
- Medicines covered: the medicines that the Ministry of Health specifies as containing narcotic or psychotropic substances. The Ministry is the one that sets the list of these medicines.
- Condition for dispensing: the pharmacist may not dispense them except under an approved medical prescription.
- Who issues the prescription: a human doctor, a veterinary doctor, or a dentist, on condition that he is licensed to practice the profession in the Kingdom.
It follows that the pharmacist does not dispense these medicines without a prescription, even if the patient knows the name of the medicine or has used it before. The text also requires that the doctor be licensed to practice in the Kingdom, so a prescription from a doctor not licensed in the Kingdom does not meet this condition.
As for the conditions of the prescription, its details and its period of validity, the article refers them to the Implementing Regulations, and the text itself does not set them.
After this article comes Article Thirty, which requires the prescription to be kept in the pharmacy after its contents are dispensed, with the date of dispensing and its entry number in the prescription register recorded on it and the pharmacy's stamp applied. Before it comes Article Twenty-Eight on keeping these substances tightly in licensed establishments. Anyone facing a problem over dispensing a medicine of this kind would do well to consult a lawyer specialized in health regulations.
Practical example
Noura went to a pharmacy in Riyadh asking for an anxiety medicine that the Ministry of Health has specified because it contains a psychotropic substance, and said that she had used it before. The pharmacist declines to dispense it until she brings an approved medical prescription from a doctor licensed to practice the profession in the Kingdom.
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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Frequently asked questions about Article 29 of the Saudi Anti-Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Law
May a pharmacist dispense a medicine containing psychotropic substances without a prescription?
No. He may not dispense the medicines specified by the Ministry of Health that contain narcotic or psychotropic substances except on an approved medical prescription.
Is a dentist's or veterinarian's prescription accepted?
Yes. The article allows a prescription from a human doctor, veterinary doctor or dentist who is licensed to practice the profession in the Kingdom.
How long is a prescription for narcotic medicines valid?
The article does not specify it; it refers the conditions of the prescription, its details and its period of validity to the Implementing Regulations.
Is a prescription from a doctor outside Saudi Arabia enough?
The article requires the prescription to be from a doctor licensed to practice the profession in the Kingdom.
More articles on Dispensing Narcotic Medicines by Prescription
- Article 30
The article requires the prescription for narcotic medicines to be kept in the pharmacy after dispensing, with the date and register entry number recorded and the pharmacy stamp applied, and refers the retention period to the Regulations.
تحفظ الوصفة الطبية الخاصة بمواد مخدرة أو مؤثرات عقلية بعد صرف محتوياتها في الصيدلية، ويسجل عليها تاريخ صرفها ورقم قيدها بسجل الوصفات الطبية، وتختم بخاتم الصيدلي
- Article 31
The article requires the pharmacist or responsible pharmacy technician to record in special registers all medicines containing narcotic or psychotropic substances received by and dispensed from the pharmacy, according to the Regulations.
يجب على الصيدلي أو فني الصيدلية المسئول تقييد جميع ما يرد إلى الصيدلية من أدوية تحتوي على مواد مخدرة أو مؤثرات عقلية، وما يصرف منها، في سجلات خاصة بذلك، وفق ما
- Article 32
The article requires every treatment institution to review the procedures for prescribing and dispensing narcotic and psychotropic medicines periodically, and to notify the Ministry of Health when it discovers any violation.
على كل مؤسسة علاجية أن تراجع من وقت إلى آخر إجراءات وصف الأدوية المخدرة أو المؤثرات العقلية وصرفها، للتحقق من صحة دواعي وصفها وصرفها وفق ما تقتضيه الأصول الطبية
- Article 33
The article licenses doctors to possess narcotic and psychotropic medicines and prescribe and dispense them from their private clinics, and specialized paramedics to possess some emergency medicines and administer them in emergency cases only, according to the Regulations.
1- يرخص للأطباء بحيازة الأدوية المخدرة أو المؤثرات العقلية ، ووصفها وصرفها من عياداتهم الخاصة، وفق الضوابط التي تحددها اللائحة . 2- للمسعفين المتخصصين حيازة وإع
- Article 34
The article prohibits a doctor from writing a prescription for himself or a member of his family for medicines containing narcotic or psychotropic substances, whatever the quantity.
يحظر على الطبيب أن يحرر لنفسه أو لأحد أفراد عائلته وصفة لأدوية تحتوي على مواد مخدرة أو مؤثرات عقلية بأي كمية كانت.
- Article 35
The article bars an unlicensed person from possessing narcotic or psychotropic medicines except on a licensed doctor's prescription, prohibits giving them up, and requires returning unused medicines, or those of a deceased person, to their source.
1- لا يجوز لأي شخص غير مرخص له حيازة أدوية مخدرة أو مؤثرات عقلية ما لم يصفها له طبيب مرخص له بحسب أحكام هذا النظام. ولا يجوز له التنازل عن الأدوية المخدرة أو ال
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.