Reports from Hargeisa indicate that members of Somaliland’s House of Representatives have enacted a new law on drugs.
As per the new law, anybody found guilty of selling alcoholic beverages anywhere in the country is liable to a sentence ranging from 5 to 10 years in prison.
Members of Parliament (MPs) passed this new law in a session presided over by Speaker Bashe Mohamed Farah.
Parliamentary clerk, Abdirizaq Saeed Ayanle, confirmed the new changes.
He said the new law now has provisions listing some of the punishments prescribed for any offending party.
In the new Drug Law, anyone caught selling or consuming drugs in the country is liable to arrest, imprisonment, and 40 lashes of the whip.
The enactment of the new law follows recent reports that drug abuse has increased substantially around the country, especially among the youth.