Two recent conferences in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), located in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, celebrated advancing discussions about psychedelic-assisted therapy in the country, with notable speakers ranging from Rick Doblin, PhD of The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) to Jesse Gould of Heroic Hearts Project, according to a March 6 press release. Discussions ranged on topics from MDMA-assisted therapy to ketamine, psilocybin, and more. The country’s strict intolerance of drugs is transforming, with recently reduced penalties and a growing number of efforts to introduce psychedelic-assisted therapy.

Major changes are taking place in the country as drug laws are being reformed and medical professionals are reevaluating the value of psychedelics in the field of medicine.

The Energia Foundation and Tabula Rasa Ventures, which introduced psychedelic education at Davos in 2022, have been some of the players at the forefront of bringing understanding of psychedelic-assisted therapy to the UAE. Over the past 14 months, they’ve been focused on educating policymakers, sovereign wealth funds, and clinicians in the UAE about the benefits of psychedelic therapies.

Last January, the 4th Abu Dhabi Integrated Mental Health conference was co-hosted by the Energia Foundation in January 2024, which included discussions led by Rick Doblin, Sherry Rais, and Maria Velkova alongside Dr. Rasheed Al Hammadi, the Director of the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi. The conference highlighted the ongoing research and potential regulatory changes for these therapies in the UAE.

“Our work here has shown us that the UAE is one of the most forward-thinking, scientifically rigorous, and ambitious countries on the planet. We’re grateful to the Department of Health, SEHA, and many of the other incredible institutions that are supportive of the psychedelic education we’re bringing to the region,” said Marik Hazan, Executive Director of the Energia Foundation.

Organizers explained that MDMA-assisted therapy is anticipated to receive FDA approval in the United States by September. The UAE, known for its progressive health policies, could be the second country to embrace this innovative treatment, thanks to the collaborative efforts of US-based psychedelic groups and the forward-looking stance of the UAE’s health policy.

The UAE and Drug Policy: From Corporal and Capital Punishment to Reform

The country’s rapidly-evolving drug policies foreshadow change. Up until January 2022, the UAE had a zero-tolerance policy for illegal drug-related offenses with penalties escalating to a death sentence for drug traffickers, arrest and deportation for citizens of other countries living in the UAE caught using or possessing drugs, and three years to life for selling drugs.Tripsitter reported that before then, first-time offenders entering the country caught with cannabis, even CBD oil, could receive up to four years in prison.

Things have changed: Federal Decree Law no. 30 of 2021 on Combating Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances, which took effect on January 2, 2022, brings fundamental changes to drug laws in the UAE, reducing penalties and making drug abuse a health issue. Still, psychedelics are extremely rare in the country according to anecdotal reports.

Organizations are gearing up for the new territory of psychedelic-assisted therapy emerging in the region. Although penalties for travelers bringing THC products into the country have been reduced, and first-time offenders who live in the country are now offered treatment options instead of prison time, all drugs are still illegal in the UAE. High Times has documented several incidents where people foolishly brought drugs into the country.  Sill, medical professionals prepare for imminent changes in psychedelic-assisted therapy.

Pioneering Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy

The Dialogues in Mental Health conference, held June 10, 2023 at the upscale Conrad Hotel in Dubai, marked a historic moment for the Arabian Gulf, being the first in the region to include psychedelic programming. It was supported by the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), the UAE’s largest healthcare network, in collaboration with government officials from the Department of Health (DoH).

This initiative underscores the UAE’s commitment to pioneering health treatments and technological innovation. Notably, the Abu Dhabi Integrated Mental Health conference co-hosted by the Energia Foundation in January 2024, which included discussions led by experts such as Rick Doblin, Sherry Rais, and Maria Velkova alongside Dr. Rasheed Al Hammadi, the Director of the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi, further highlighted the ongoing research and potential regulatory changes for these therapies in the UAE.

Nahida Nayaz Ahmed, Chief Medical Officer at SEHA Mental Health and Well-Being Services, expressed optimism about the future of these treatments: “We were excited to host so many experts from the emerging field of psychedelic-assisted therapy. There’s still a lot of important research that needs to be done, but I’m hopeful that these medicines can expand the arsenal of tools we have to treat our most pressing mental health challenges.”

Keep an eye on the UAE, as conferences are helping to spread awareness about the need for psychedelic-assisted therapies.

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Nigerian-born artist Burna Boy, 32, revealed that he turned down a $5 million offer to perform in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) because smoking cannabis is banned in the city, and the punishments are severe. 

Per the local law, attempting to enter Dubai with cannabis can result in a five-year sentence, and if you’re caught smoking weed there, you might face a minimum of three months behind bars, and you’ll possibly be deported once you’re released. Before changes were made to ease and update drug laws two years ago, travelers caught with weed could face up to 10 years behind bars. 

Doing 90 days in prison still does not sound appealing, however. For smokers, the only way to be entirely safe is to simply avoid travel to Dubai. That’s probably why Burna Boy turned down the gig, because he smokes pretty much everywhere he goes and there’s no way to hide those amounts.

We Talk Sound posted a video on X on Oct. 31, showing the rapper freestyling and recounting his feelings about Dubai and places that shun weed to the extreme.

“Just now I turned down Dubai money, five million dollars na small thing ‘cause me I no dey like to dey go where dem no go gree allow me smoke igbo,”

“Igbo” is the common term used in Nigeria to refer to cannabis, and he referred to a gig he refused to do, due to Dubai’s drug policy.

Burna Boy isn’t shy about his love for the herb. When interviewed by Zane Lowe, he provided his thoughts about cannabis. “There is no substance to it, like, nobody is talking about anything, it’s just a great time,” Burna Boy said. “It’s an amazing time.”

He added, “But at the end of the day, life is not an amazing time…you’re still going to face life. So for me, I feel like, music should be that. Music should be the essence of the artist, you understand, the artist is a person. Me speaking for myself, the artist is a person who has good days, bad days, great days, and worst days.”

If You Get Caught with Weed in Dubai, This is What Happens

Dubai is home to some of the strictest cannabis laws on earth, however the country is loosening its harsh stance on drugs over the past few years. The new protocol for Dubai travelers, in effect for only as recently as 2021, is to confiscate and destroy cannabis products instead of imposing hard time, but you’ll still sit in jail for 90 days.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the UAE, announced the new changes on November 27, 2021. As part of a series of sweeping changes, people who are convicted of drug-related crimes may serve time in secure detention offering treatment and education instead of prison time. In addition, deportation for non-citizens in drug use and possession cases is no longer mandatory. 

Until recently, drug possession was not tolerated in any degree in the UAE. Carrying residual amounts of any drug—including cannabis—could land you years in prison. As little as five years ago, four years was the minimum jail sentence for drug crimes. High Times routinely called it one of the worst countries with some of the “strictest weed laws.”

But the nation updated its outdated laws. The new legislation was outlined in the Official Gazette. The latest issue of the Official Gazette can be downloaded here. First-time offenders will receive minimum sentences of three months as part of a new approach that hopes to integrate “drug users” back into society, but also imposing harsher punishments for serial offenders.

They even punish people for smoking in other countries: After being treated in a hospital, an American was detained in Dubai in 2021 for testing positive for cannabinoids—even though he consumed it in the United States.

In a cautionary and chilling tale that has drawn attention to the United Arab Emirates’ ultra-punitive anti-drug laws, Peter Clark has found himself in legal jeopardy over what appears to be an incredibly unfortunate series of events.

Here’s the backstory, which comes via the website “Detained in Dubai”, a group founded by Radha Stirling that claims to “have helped thousands of victims of injustice over the past ten years”: Clark, a resident of Las Vegas, flew to Dubai on February 24 “to assess professional recording studios.” There, he was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment for pancreatitis. While at the hospital, personnel conducted a urine test and “found residue traces of hashish.”

High Times frequently reports on high profile arrests, most notably people such as Brittney Griner, which brings up big questions about awareness of strict drug laws in places across the world. Do your homework and avoid places where you can face worse things than hard time—such as corporal or capital punishments.

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Spanning across six countries in Europe and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Europol and multiple law enforcement agencies launched Operation Desert Light and took down one of the world’s largest suppliers of cocaine.

According to a press release, Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, took out a 49-person “super cartel” and confiscated over 30 tons of drugs amid Operation Desert Light. Police say the cartel was headed by six main drug lords—the only ones considered “high-value targets”—in Dubai, with 43 lower-level henchmen.

“A total of 49 suspects have been arrested during the course of this investigation,” Europol stated. “The drugpins considered as high-value targets by Europol had come together to form what was known as a ‘super cartel’ which controlled around one third of the cocaine trade in Europe.”

Europol posted a YouTube video showing police agents and dogs searching homes filled with luxury sports cars, pools, and piles of unopened iPhones.

Nearly every drug enforcement agency around was called in: The massive operation enlisted Spain’s Guardia Civil; France’s Police Nationale; Belgium’s Federal Judicial Police Brussels and Federal Judicial Police Antwerp; the Netherlands’ National Police National Criminal Investigations Division and Police Unit Rotterdam; United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Interior and Dubai Police Force; and the DEA from the United States.

“These arrests are the culmination of parallel investigations run in Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the UAE with the support of Europol into the activities of this prolific criminal network involved in large-scale drugs trafficking and money laundering.”

“The scale of cocaine importation into Europe under the suspects’ control and command was massive and over 30 tonnes of drugs were seized by law enforcement over the course of the investigations.”

Vice reports that a Dutch-Bosnian trafficker Edin Gacanin, 40, aka “Tito” is allegedly one of the 50 largest cocaine traffickers in Europe, according to a leaked DEA report. Tito was a “big fish” suspected drug kingpin, with alleged links to high-profile Dutch crime boss Ridouan Taghi, who was also arrested in Dubai in 2019, and is currently on trial. Zouhair Lamchachti, 39, aka “Beertje”, who is both Dutch and Moroccan, was also arrested as a high value target.

The operation requires a bit of coordination: Last September, Europol and the Ministry of Interior of the United Arab Emirates joined forces. They signed a Liaison Officer Agreement, thus allowing UAE law enforcement liaison officers to be deployed to Europol’s headquarters in the Netherlands, the report explains. 

Europol said they’ve been planning to take down the super cartel for two years.

In Europe, data shows that during the past 10 years, access to cocaine in Europe is increasing yearly, according to The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction’s European Drug Report. “Overall, indicators suggest that the availability and use of cocaine in Europe remains high by historical standards,” analysts wrote. “In 2020, a record high of 213 tonnes of cocaine was seized. Increases in the number of cocaine laboratories dismantled in 2020, seizures of raw materials imported from South America and associated chemicals, together indicate large-scale cocaine processing in Europe.”

Cocaine is a problem in the U.S. as well, especially when it involves corrupt law enforcement. An off-duty Pentagon police officer was arrested last month with at least 2.5 kilos of cocaine. In that case, the Arlington County Police Department charged the officer with two counts of Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substance, and Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substance while Armed. 

Read Europol’s announcement for more details about the police approach to Operation Desert Light.

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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) eased some of its harsh drug laws, relaxing penalties for tourists who enter the country with products infused with THC. The new protocol for Dubai travelers is to confiscate and destroy cannabis products instead of imposing hard time.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the UAE, announced the new changes on November 27. As part of a series of sweeping changes, people who are convicted of drug-related crimes may serve time in secure detention offering treatment and education instead of prison time. In addition, deportation for non-citizens in drug use and possession cases is no longer mandatory. 

Until recently, drug possession was not tolerated in any degree in the UAE. Carrying residual amounts of any drug—including cannabis—could land you years in prison. As little as five years ago, four years was the minimum jail sentence for drug crimes. High Times routinely called it one of the worst countries with some of the “strictest weed laws.”

But the nation updated its outdated laws. The new legislation was outlined in the Official Gazette. The latest issue of the Official Gazette can be downloaded here. First-time offenders will receive minimum sentences of three months as part of a new approach that hopes to integrate “drug users” back into society, but also imposing harsher punishments for serial offenders.

The Official Gazette is a periodic publication issued by the Government of Dubai through the Supreme Legislation Committee (SLC). According to the government’s website, it contains all legislation issued by the Government of Dubai​​ including laws, decrees, resolutions, regulations, bylaws, instructions and orders.

Carrying food, drinks or any other cannabis-infused products will no longer be a criminal offense. Instead, such items will simply be confiscated and destroyed. The UAE previously reduced minimum sentences for cannabis from four years to two in 2016.

The National News, which reports on the UAE, announced that the new legislation will go into effect on January 2. “The legislator gave the court freedom to decide the penalty between either imprisonment or fine in the first and second instances but in the third instance, a penalty of combined prison and fine is mandatory,” Dr. Hasan Elhais, of Al Rowaad Advocates, told National News.

“We can clearly see a recognition of the need for a co-ordinated approach that considers criminal justice and public health in regards to using drugs,” Dr. Elhais said. “While justice is at the heart of the new law, we can also see how the issue of using drugs is being looked at as an illness rather than a crime.”

Americans in Dubai 

Americans tend to run into a bit of culture clash in UAE: for instance, it’s illegal to say “fuck” in public or take photos of people without their permission. The same applies to the degree of punishment for cannabis.

Last April, American Peter Clark found himself in legal jeopardy over testing positive for cannabinoids, even though he consumed it in the United States. The website “Detained in Dubai”, a group founded by Radha Stirling, claims to “have helped thousands of victims of injustice over the past 10 years.”

It was there High Times caught on about the case of Clark, who learned the hard way that Dubai does not play around when it comes to cannabis. Unfortunately, this was before the law of the land was updated.

“I was absolutely stunned to learn that I was being charged due to residual marijuana in my system. I smoked it legally back in America long before I even got on the plane,” he told the Daily Mail. “I knew about Dubai’s strict drug laws but never for one moment did I think something I legally did in my own country would lead to my arrest.”

With the nation’s new laws on drugs, it’s clear the times have changed.

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