March 14, 1980

PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 1683

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 sedactives,  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 anisomer, 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;"

SECTION 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." 

SECTION 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 impose upon any person who, unless authorized by law, shall import or bring any regulated drug into the Philippines".

SECTION 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."

SECTION 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 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."

SECTION 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;"

SECTION 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.

Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 76 No. 20 Page 3095 on May 19, 1980.

Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 79 No. 21 Page 3107 on May 23, 1983.