BY NED GAGAHE
The parliamentary Bills and Legislation Committee (BLC) has commenced its inquiry into the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2025, marking the first round of public hearings on proposed tougher penalties to combat the growing drug problem in the country.
The Bill seeks to amend the Dangerous Drugs Act (Cap. 98), an 84-year-old law, by revising Section 39 to significantly increase the maximum penalty for offences where no specific penalty is prescribed.
Appearing before the committee on Friday, February 20, were officials from the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) in the morning session, followed by the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Chief Magistrate in the afternoon.
In her opening remarks, MHMS Permanent Secretary Pauline McNeil said the ministry, as custodian of the Dangerous Drugs Act, is pushing for urgent amendments in light of the increasing prevalence of methamphetamine in the country.
“Our appearance here relates to the amendment of Section 39(2)(a) to increase the penalties from 100,000 penalty units to 15 million penalty units,” McNeil said.
She explained that the existing law is outdated and no longer reflects the current realities of drug-related crimes.
“What has triggered this situation is the fact that we have an outdated Dangerous Drugs Act that is 84 years old. While a full repeal and replacement of the Act will come at a later stage, for now we are looking at strengthening the penalties,” she said.
McNeil highlighted the rise in methamphetamine cases, including yacht interceptions, local manufacturing and distribution of the illicit drug within the country.
“We have heard of yacht intercepts of meth, local manufacturing and distribution of this illicit drug going around in the country. There is urgency for us to look at what we can do to enhance this amendment,” she added.
The overview of the Bill include;
-Clause 1 specifies the short title of the Act
-Clause 2 provides for the commencement of the Act on a date to be appointed by the Minister through a notice published in the Gazette
-Clause 3 states that the Bill amends the Dangerous Drugs Act (Cap. 98), referred to as the Principal Act
-Clause 4 amends Section 39 of the Principal Act to provide that where a person is convicted of an offence under the Act for which no penalty is specified, the offender is liable to a fine not exceeding 15,000,000 penalty units, or imprisonment for life, or both
The proposed amendment effectively increases the penalty under Section 39(2)(a), significantly raising the consequences for unspecified offences under the Act.
The committee has scheduled hearings for next week.
On Monday, 23 February 2026, from 9:30am to 10:30am, the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF), including its Drug Enforcement Unit, will appear before the committee alongside the Australian Police Force and the China Police Liaison Team.
From 10:30am to 12:00pm, the Solomon Islands Customs and Excise Division will present its submission.
After the lunch break, the Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs (Social Welfare Division) will appear from 1:00pm to 2:00pm.
This will be followed by the Solomon Ports Authority and Leroy Port/Wharf from 2:00pm to 3:00pm, and the Civil Aviation Authority of Solomon Islands (CAASI) together with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) from 3:00pm to 4:00pm.
On Tuesday, 24 February 2026, from 9:30am to 12:30pm, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Public Solicitor’s Office (PSO) and the Chief Magistrate are scheduled to appear.
The committee said that the hearing schedule remains subject to change should the need arise.
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