Aguirre: Drug users who surrendered not yet off the hook

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II. YUJI VINCENT GONZALES/INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

Drug users who surrendered to authorities for fear of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war against illegal drugs are not yet off the hook, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said Friday.

“They will have to be investigated,” Aguirre said.

Aguirre explained that those who surrendered should identify who their suppliers are.

“Dapat magturo sila ng kasama nila. Mamaya babalik din sila sa dati (They should identify their accomplices. They might revert to their old ways),” Aguirre said.

“Under the law naman, they are not yet off the hook,” he added.

Under Republic Act 9165, also known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act, users found to be first-time offenders will not be meted out a jail term and instead will be sent to a government center for rehabilitation which shall run for six months.

Under Section 15 of the law, second-time offenders shall suffer the penalty of imprisonment of six years and one day to twelve years and a fine ranging from P50,000 to P200,000.

But second-time offenders found to be in possession of the following drugs in the stated amounts shall suffer the penalty of life imprisonment and a fine ranging from P500,000 to P10,000,000:

(1) 10 grams or more of opium;

(2) 10 grams or more of morphine;

(3) 10 grams or more of heroin;

(4) 10 grams or more of cocaine or cocaine hydrochloride;

(5) 50 grams or more of methamphetamine hydrochloride or “shabu”;

(6) 10 grams or more of marijuana resin or marijuana resin oil;

(7) 500 grams or more of marijuana; and

(8) 10 grams or more of other dangerous drugs such as, but not limited to, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDA) or “ecstasy,” paramethoxyamphetamine (PMA), trimethoxyamphetamine (TMA), lysergic acid diethylamine (LSD), gamma hydroxyamphetamine (GHB) and those similarly designed or newly introduced drugs and their derivatives, without having any therapeutic value or if the quantity possessed is far beyond therapeutic requirements, as determined and promulgated by the Board in accordance with Section 93, Article XI of this Act. RAM/rga

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