AMENDING CERTAIN SECTIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6425, AS AMENDED, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE DANGEROUS DRUGS ACT OF 1972 AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

WHEREAS, the campaign against the manufacture and
distribution of dangerous drugs is one of the nation’s primary concern
in the fight against criminality and lawlessness;

WHEREAS, it has been noted that the use of regulated drugs as substitute for prohibited drugs has become rampant;

WHEREAS, there is an imperative necessity to
effectively check the use of both prohibited and regulated drugs by
increasing the penalties for illegal traffic in, and illegal importation
of, all dangerous drugs, and illegal manufacture of regulated drugs,
and by making them capital offenses;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of
the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the
Constitution and the laws of the land, do hereby order and decree:

SECTION 1. Sub-paragraph (2), paragraph (e) of Section 2 of Republic Act No. 6425 is hereby amended to read as follows:

“(2) “Regulated drug” which includes self-inducing sedatives, such
as secobarbital, phenobarbital, pentobarbital, barbital, amobarbital and
any other drug which contains a salt or a derivative of a salt of
barbituric acid; any salt, isomer or salt of an isomer, of amphetamine,
such as bensedrine or dexedrine, or any drug which produces a
physiological action similar to amphetamine; and hynotic drugs, such as
methaqualone, nitrazepam or any other compound producing similar
physiological effects;”

SEC. 2. Section 3 of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

“SEC. 3. Importation of Prohibited Drugs.— The
penalty of life imprisonment to death and a fine ranging from twenty to
thirty thousand pesos shall be imposed upon any person who, unless
authorized by law, shall import or bring into the Philippines any
prohibited drug.”

SEC. 3. Section 14 of the same. Act is amended to read as follows:

“SEC. 14. Importation of Regulated Drugs. —
The penalty of life imprisonment to death and a fine ranging from
twenty to thirty thousand pesos shall be imposed upon any person who,
unless authorized by law, shall import or bring any regulated drug into
the Philippines”.

SEC. 4. Article III of R.A. No. 6425 is hereby
amended by adding a new section between Sections 14 and 15 to be known
as Section 14-A which shall read as follows:

“SEC. 14-A. Manufacture of Regulated Drugs.
— The penalty of life imprisonment to death and a fine ranging from
twenty to thirty thousand pesos shall be imposed upon any person who,
unless authorized by law, shall engage in the manufacture of any
regulated drug.

SEC. 5. Section 15 of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

“SEC. 15. Sale, Administration, Dispensation, Delivery, Transportation and Distribution of Regulated Drugs. —
The penalty of life imprisonment to death and a fine ranging from
twenty thousand to thirty thousand pesos shall be imposed upon any
persons who, unless authorized by law, shall sell, dispense, deliver,
transport or distribute any regulated drug. If the victim of the offense
is a minor, or should a regulated drug involved in any offense under
this Section be the proximate cause of the death of a victim thereof,
the maximum penalty herein provided shall be imposed.

SEC. 6. Paragraph (1) of Section 36 of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

“(1) Authorize, pursuant to the provisions of this Act, the
importation, distribution, manufacture, production, compounding,
prescription, dispensing and sale of, and other lawful acts in
connection with, dangerous drugs of such kind and quantity as it may
deem necessary according to the medical and research needs of the
country, which authorization shall be required by the Commissioner of
Internal Revenue as a basis for the issuance of permits for such
purposes in accordance with Republic Act No. 953; and to determine the
quantity/quantities to be imported, manufactured and held in stock at
any given time by an authorized importer, manufacturer distributor of
dangerous drugs;”

SEC. 7. This Decree shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 14th day of March, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Eighty.

			(Sgd.) FERDINAND E. MARCOS President of the Philippines
	By the President:
	(Sgd.) JUAN C. TUVERA
		Presidential Assistant