Presidential Decree No. 1675, issued on February 17, 1980, amends Section 4 of the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1972, reinforcing the country's commitment to combat drug-related crimes. It establishes severe penalties, including life imprisonment to death and fines between twenty thousand to thirty thousand pesos, for the sale, distribution, or transport of prohibited drugs, unless authorized by law. If the offense involves a minor or results in death, the maximum penalty applies. This decree reflects the urgent need to address the detrimental effects of drug addiction on public order and state stability. The law took immediate effect upon its issuance.
February 17, 1980
PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 1675
AMENDING FURTHER SECTION 4 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6425, AS AMENDED, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE DANGEROUS DRUGS ACT OF 1972
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, the baneful effects of drug addiction, if not effectively checked, would undermine public order and the stability of the State; and
WHEREAS, there is urgent necessity to reinforce the drive against dangerous drugs by making "drug pushing" a capital offense.
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, as follows:
Section 4 of Republic Act No. 6425, as amended, otherwise known as the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1972, is hereby further amended to read as follows.
"Sec. 4. Sale, Administration, Delivery, Distribution and Transportation of Prohibited Drugs. — The penalty of life imprisonment to death and a fine ranging from twenty thousand to thirty thousand pesos shall be imposed upon any person who, unless authorized by law, shall sell, administer, deliver, give away to another, distribute, dispatch in transit or transport any prohibited drug, or shall act as a broker in any of such transactions. If the victim of the offense is a minor, or should a prohibited 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 2. This Decree shall take effect immediately.
DONE in the City of Manila, this 17th day of February, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Eighty.
Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 76 No. 18 Page 2799 on May 5, 1980.