Brunei has drastically toughened penalties for drug...

Brunei has drastically toughened penalties for drug abuse, including wider use of the death penalty, in a desperate bid to curb its drug problem.
The sultanate recently amended the law to mete out the death penalty to anyone caught trafficking or smuggling more than 50 g of the synthetic drug methamphetamine hydrochloride, commonly called Ice or shabu.
Before the Misuse of Drugs Act was amended, the death penalty was reserved for those trafficking or smuggling more than 200 g of shabu.
The amendments, effective as from February, were prompted by the staggering rise in drug abuse, especially of shabu, which is flowing into the country in ever-increasing amounts.
Before the amendments traffickers or smugglers of 50 g of shabu would have earned a minimum sentence of 20 years in jail and 15 strokes of the cane. Now, this punishment is applicable to those caught dealing in a minimum of 20 g of shabu.
Traffickers of less than 50 g of shabu were previously liable only for a minimum sentence of five years in jail and five strokes of the cane.
Over the past few years, drug pushers hauled to court have generally been in possession of 20 g to 50 g of narcotics.
The new law also provides that anyone caught possessing more than 100 g of shabu - as opposed to 250 g earlier - would be sent to the gallows.
Two security guards who were caught delivering more than 100 g of shabu for trafficking were recently sentenced to 20 years in jail and 15 strokes of the cane. If they were to face the same charges now, the High Court would impose the mandatory death sentence.