The Criminal Liability of Physicians and Pharmacists for Offences Related to Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances

Physicians and pharmacists are permitted to handle and use narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances to treat patients or for other legitimate medical and scientific objectives under specific legal conditions.Failure to comply with these conditions results in the criminal liability of each party for the offences stipulated in Law No. 04--18 concerning the prevention of and fight against the illicit use and trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, as amended and supplemented by Law No. 23--05 dated 9 May 2023.This article examines the most significant new provisions on criminalisation and punishment introduced by the Algerian legislature in the aforementioned law, as well as in other regulatory texts governing and controlling the prescription of narcotic and psychotropic medications by physicians and their dispensation by pharmacists.