Drug Law Reform in Peru

Trend

In Peru, coca leaf consumption has never been criminalized and a state-controlled licensing system exists for its cultivation and distribution.

With regard to other drugs, in 1982, Decree 122 established that dependent users shall no longer be punished for possession of drugs for immediate personal consumption, but only when a medical certification is provided to prove the dependency.

High sentences are in place for even the lowest levels of trade. Minimum sentences of 2 years, for example, apply for distributing “small quantities directly to individual consumers,” with a maximum of 10 years.

Law

1982, Law on Illicit Drug Trafficking, Decree No 122,
Article 56:

“A person who, without medical authorization, possesses drugs in personal doses for his own immediate use is not punishable. Certification of dependency shall be required for immunity from punishment to apply.”