Parliament completes second reading of Anti-Narcotics Bill

The Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament Dr. Rewas Faiq on 18 December chaired a Parliament sitting at which the Legislative Committee and other relevant committees continued the second reading of the Bill on Narcotics and the Dealers and Users of Narcotics. 

Deputy Speaker Hemin Hawrami, the Secretary Muna Kahwchi, the KRG Minister of Health Dr. Saman Barzinji also attended the sitting. 

MPs and the relevant committees debated the report on the bill. MPs suggested asking Parliament's Health Committee to categorise the types and ingredients of narcotics, in consultation with academic centres, to improve the bill and to complete this within a week. The suggestion won a majority of votes. MPs will vote on passing the bill into law at a future sitting. 

MPs began the second reading of the Anti-Narcotics Bill on 16 December, but did not finish reading all of its articles, so the second reading continued on 18 December. 

MPs voted to hold the second readingh in closed (untelevised) session because of the sensitivity of the subject.