Zolpidem (Ambien) is a prescription sleep medication; it can cause dependence, complex sleep behaviors like sleep-driving, and is dangerous combined with alcohol or other depressants.
⏳Pending medical review. This page has not yet been checked by a clinician, so read it as general information, not medical advice.
Overview
Zolpidem, sold under the brand name Ambien, is a prescription sedative-hypnotic used for short-term treatment of insomnia. It is often called a 'Z-drug' — it is not a benzodiazepine chemically, but it acts on the same brain system and shares many of the same risks. It is intended for short-term use because tolerance and dependence can develop, and it is known for an unusual and serious effect: complex sleep behaviors such as sleep-walking, sleep-eating, and even sleep-driving, performed with no memory of them afterward. Like other CNS depressants, it is dangerous in combination with alcohol or other sedatives. It is widely prescribed and also misused.
Source: MedlinePlus; FDA; PubChem CID 5732
Chemistry & mechanism of action
Zolpidem acts on the same GABA-A receptor system as benzodiazepines, enhancing the calming effect of the neurotransmitter GABA to slow brain activity and promote sleep, though it binds somewhat more selectively to the receptor subtypes associated with sedation. Because it works through this same inhibitory system, it carries the class risk of dangerous CNS and breathing suppression when combined with other depressants. The drug is relatively short-acting, designed to help with sleep onset, but its effects on the brain during partial wakefulness are thought to underlie the complex sleep behaviors it can cause. Repeated use can lead to tolerance and dependence.
Source: MedlinePlus; PubChem CID 5732
Effects
Zolpidem produces drowsiness and sleep, and common effects include grogginess, dizziness, and impaired coordination, sometimes lingering into the next morning and impairing driving. The drug's hallmark adverse effect is complex sleep behavior — walking, eating, making phone calls, having conversations, or driving while not fully awake, with no memory of it — which can be dangerous and has prompted strong regulatory warnings. Some people experience memory gaps, confusion, or unusual behavior. With repeated use, tolerance and dependence can develop, and stopping after regular use can cause rebound insomnia and withdrawal. Effects are intensified by alcohol and other sedatives.
Source: MedlinePlus; FDA
Risks & harms
Two specific dangers stand out. First, complex sleep behaviors: zolpidem can cause people to carry out activities — including driving — while not fully awake and with no memory afterward, and serious injuries and deaths have occurred, which is why regulators warn against use in anyone who has experienced such an episode. Next-morning impairment can also make driving dangerous even when a person feels awake. Second, combination with other depressants: taken with alcohol, opioids, benzodiazepines, or other sedatives, zolpidem compounds CNS and breathing suppression and can be dangerous or fatal. Tolerance and dependence can develop with continued use, and abrupt discontinuation can cause withdrawal, so it should be stopped under medical guidance. Any pill obtained outside a licensed pharmacy can be counterfeit and may contain other substances, including fentanyl, so naloxone (over the counter in the U.S. since 2023) is worth having on hand. For poisoning guidance call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222; for substance-use support the SAMHSA National Helpline is 1-800-662-4357.
Source: MedlinePlus; FDA; SAMHSA
Legal status (US)
In the United States, zolpidem is a Schedule IV controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act: it has an accepted medical use and a lower abuse potential than Schedule II or III drugs, but it still carries a recognized risk of abuse and dependence and is available only by prescription. Possessing or selling it without a valid prescription is illegal. Internationally, zolpidem is controlled under the United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances, with penalties varying by country. For country-by-country legal detail, see our legality pages.
Source: DEA; UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances (1971)
Loading international legality & penalties…
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary by country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with the destination’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling — penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
Verify current rules with the destination country’s official drug authority and your own country’s embassy before traveling. Find the destination’s U.S. embassy & official country guidance → Non-U.S. travelers: check your own government’s travel advisory and embassy.
If you’re detained or arrested abroad
Contact your own country’s embassy or consulate in the destination immediately, not the destination’s authorities. U.S. citizens: contact the nearest U.S. embassy/consulate and the U.S. State Department at +1-202-501-4444 (from abroad). If a U.S. citizen is arrested or detained abroad →
Images
Visual references coming soon.
If it’s too intense
If an experience becomes overwhelming, the goal is to stay safe and let it pass, most difficult experiences ease as the drug wears off.
Get to a calm, safe space with someone you trust who is sober and can stay with you.
Cool down if you’re overheating, move somewhere cool, remove extra layers, rest. Overheating is especially a risk with stimulants and MDMA.
Sip water to thirst, but don’t over-hydrate. Drinking large amounts of plain water (especially after MDMA) can dangerously dilute your blood sodium (hyponatremia). Electrolytes help more than volume.
Slow your breathing, long, slow exhales help settle a racing heart and anxiety.
A sugary drink, fruit juice, or a snack can ease shakiness and the anxiety that comes with low blood sugar.
Do not take more, and do not add another substance to manage it. Redosing or adding something else (including a sedative like a benzodiazepine) can make things worse, not better.
With depressants, the danger is over-sedation: if someone is very drowsy, hard to wake, or breathing slowly, treat it as an emergency.
Call 911 (or Poison Control, 1-800-222-1222) right away for chest pain, a very high body temperature, a seizure, unconsciousness, or severe confusion. These are medical emergencies, not something to wait out.
Source: general harm-reduction guidance from SAMHSA, NIH/NIDA, and MedlinePlus, in our own words. Draft, not yet medically reviewed.
Forensic dossier
Draft · every field is source-cited or marked “Unknown, pending review”
3 DOSAGE FORMS AND STRENGTHS Zolpidem Tartrate Tablets, USP is available in 5 mg and 10 mg strength tablets for oral administration. Tablets are not scored. ZolopenFDA drug label ↗ · retrieved 2026-06-18
Unknown — pending review (verify tablet imprint/shape against NLM Pillbox/DailyMed; N/A if not an oral tablet)
Color
Unknown — pending review (verify tablet imprint/shape against NLM Pillbox/DailyMed; N/A if not an oral tablet)
Imprint
Unknown — pending review (verify tablet imprint/shape against NLM Pillbox/DailyMed; N/A if not an oral tablet)
Score
Unknown — pending review (verify tablet imprint/shape against NLM Pillbox/DailyMed; N/A if not an oral tablet)
Scheduling & legal status
US schedule
Unknown — pending review
International
Unknown, pending review
Effects, risks & interactions
Effects
Zolpidem is a "Z-drug" — not a benzodiazepine, though it acts selectively at the same GABA receptor — used specifically to treat insomnia. It produces rapid sedation and sleep onset with comparatively little of the anti-anxiety or muscle-relaxant effect of the benzodiazepines. Its action is short, matched to a night's sleep, and it is intended for short-term use.PubChem CID 5732 + DailyMed label ↗ · retrieved 2026-06-18
Risks
Zolpidem's most distinctive hazard is complex sleep behaviour: people have walked, driven, eaten, made phone calls or done other things while not fully awake and with no memory of it afterward — behaviours that have caused serious injuries and deaths and that carry a boxed warning. Beyond that, it causes next-day drowsiness and impaired coordination, and — like other sedatives — combining it with opioids, alcohol or other CNS depressants adds to the danger of respiratory depression. It can produce tolerance and dependence, with rebound insomnia when it is stopped.PubChem CID 5732 + DailyMed label ↗ · retrieved 2026-06-18
Interactions
Zolpidem's labelling warns that taking it with other CNS depressants — alcohol, opioids and other sedatives — produces additive sedation and can dangerously deepen respiratory depression, so the doses may need lowering and the combinations avoided. It also flags that the risk of complex sleep behaviours climbs when zolpidem is combined with other CNS depressants or taken above the recommended amount, and notes interactions with drugs that affect the CYP3A4 enzyme.DailyMed §7 / boxed warning ↗ · retrieved 2026-06-18
This drug comes in 149different versions. Make sure you’re looking at the right one, use the search above to find your exact pill by imprint, color, or shape.
Showing 149 of 149 variants
Illustration based on reported characteristics. Appearance varies, identical-looking pills can contain completely different substances. Always test.
Zolpidem is a 向精神薬, a psychotropic, designated by Cabinet Order in Japan. The entry is 「Ｎ・Ｎ・六―トリメチル―二―パラ―トリルイミダゾ［一・二―ａ］ピリジン―三―アセタミド（別名ゾルピデム）及びその塩類」 at 政令第四条第六十号, which is N,N,6-trimethyl-2-para-tolylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-3-acetamide, otherwise called zolpidem, and its salts. Zolpidem is not a benzodiazepine and it is a 向精神薬 all the same, which shows the list is built on abuse potential rather than on chemical class. It is prescribed in Japan as Myslee.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. This is the lightest of the listed regimes. The ceiling is seven years for trafficking, possession for your own use is not an offence at all, and no drug offence in Japan can bring the death penalty. Japan retains capital punishment and carries it out, but 死刑 appears in none of the six drug statutes, measured by searching every one of them for the word. It is available for homicide and for a small number of other offences and for no drug offence at all. 拘禁刑 replaced 懲役 and 禁錮 on 1 June 2025 under 令和四年法律第六十八号, so current texts read 拘禁刑 where older translations say imprisonment with labour. 有期拘禁刑 is a fixed term, capped at twenty years and at thirty where the term is aggravated; 無期拘禁刑 is indefinite. Across all six regimes 無期 appears exactly twice, at 麻薬及び向精神薬取締法第六十四条第二項 and at 覚醒剤取締法第四十一条第二項, and both are for profit motivated import, export or manufacture. Neither is available here, and the psychotropic regime is the lightest of the listed ones. Importing, exporting, manufacturing, preparing or subdividing a 向精神薬 is 麻薬及び向精神薬取締法第六十六条の三第一項, 「向精神薬を、みだりに、本邦若しくは外国に輸入し、本邦若しくは外国から輸出し、製造し、製剤し、又は小分けした者」, punishable by up to five years, rising to seven with a fine of up to two million yen where it is done for profit. Transferring one, or possessing it for the purpose of transferring it, is 第六十六条の四第一項: 「向精神薬を、みだりに、譲り渡し、又は譲り渡す目的で所持した者」, punishable by up to three years, rising to five with a fine of up to one million yen for profit. Read the second of those carefully. It reaches possession only where the purpose is transfer, so possessing zolpidem for your own use is not an offence under the Narcotics and Psychotropics Control Act at all. That is a real and unusual gap and it is the single most important thing to understand about this regime.
If prescribed / medical
The route is lighter than for a narcotic and it is not a permit. 麻薬及び向精神薬取締法第五十条の八 lists who may import a 向精神薬 and its 第二号 covers 「本邦に入国する者のうち、自己の疾病の治療の目的で向精神薬を携帯して輸入する者であつて厚生労働省令で定めるもの」, a person entering Japan carrying a psychotropic for treatment of their own illness who meets the conditions the ministerial ordinance sets. No advance permission is needed within those conditions, which turn on quantity; beyond them an import permit is. The equivalent on the way out is 第五十条の十一第二号. Note what this route does not cover. It runs to a person carrying the medicine, so ordering zolpidem from an overseas pharmacy and having it posted is an import outside the exemption even where carrying the same quantity would have been inside it. Carry the prescription and keep the medicine in the dispensing packaging.
Documentation
Carry the prescription and the dispensing label, and keep the medicine in the packaging it was dispensed in. No permit is needed within the quantity conditions the ministerial ordinance sets, and beyond them an import permit is. Carry a doctor's letter if the quantity is large enough to look like a supply rather than a course. The instrument behind that is 麻薬、麻薬原料植物、向精神薬、麻薬向精神薬原料等を指定する政令, 平成二年政令第二百三十八号, last amended by 令和八年政令第二百五十八号, promulgated 2026-08-07 and in force 2026-09-06. The entry is at 政令第四条第六十号, in a Cabinet Order rather than in the Act. The empowering words are 「前各号に掲げる物と同種の濫用のおそれがあり、かつ、同種の有害作用がある物であつて、政令で定めるもの」, and the article opens 「法別表第三第十一号の規定に基づき、次に掲げる物を向精神薬に指定する。」 Two further things travel with the entry. 別表第一第七十八号 extends the narcotics table to 「前各号に掲げる物又は大麻のいずれかを含有する物であつて、あへん以外のもの。」, anything containing a listed substance other than opium, which is what reaches a tablet, a solution or a mixture rather than the pure compound. And its ニ takes 「麻薬原料植物又は大麻草以外の植物（その一部分を含む。）」 back out again, so a plant that is neither a 麻薬原料植物 nor cannabis is outside that extension however much of a listed alkaloid it contains. Read as at 2026-09-17.
Japan, read from the e-Gov law data API operated by the Digital Agency, which is the official publisher · the e-Gov web pages are JavaScript shells and return no statute text, so the API was used and the XML cached · read as at 2026-09-17 · Zolpidem found as 「Ｎ・Ｎ・六―トリメチル―二―パラ―トリルイミダゾ［一・二―ａ］ピリジン―三―アセタミド（別名ゾルピデム）及びその塩類」 at 政令第四条第六十号 of 麻薬、麻薬原料植物、向精神薬、麻薬向精神薬原料等を指定する政令, 平成二年政令第二百三十八号, last amended by 令和八年政令第二百五十八号, promulgated 2026-08-07 and in force 2026-09-06, https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/402CO0000000238 · empowered by 麻薬及び向精神薬取締法, 昭和二十八年法律第十四号, last amended by 令和七年法律第三十七号, promulgated 2025-05-21 and in force 2025-11-20, https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/328AC0000000014 · carriage articles read at 第十三条 第十七条 第五十条の八 第五十条の十一 and penalty articles at 第六十四条 第六十四条の二 第六十四条の三 第六十五条 第六十六条 第六十六条の三 第六十六条の四 of the same Act · 麻薬及び向精神薬取締法施行令, 昭和二十八年政令第五十七号, read and found to carry no travellers provision, https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/328CO0000000057 · Updated September 20, 2026
Singapore
Legal status
Not a controlled drug under this Act. Zolpidem is in no Part of the First Schedule. Zolpidem is an imidazopyridine, not a benzodiazepine. The Fifth Schedule, Part 1 excludes "Any medicinal product" at item 10, "Any health product" at item 6 and "Any poison" at item 11 from the Part 2A psychoactive substance offences, and item 14 excludes "Any substance listed under any Schedule to the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, as amended by the 1972 Protocol or the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971". Control comes from the Health Products Act 2007, the Medicines Act 1975 and the Poisons Act 1938, administered by the Health Sciences Authority, not from the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Consequences if caught
Second Schedule reach: none. The Second Schedule carries 20 rows imposing "Death" and they name exactly eight terms: opium, morphine, diamorphine, cocaine, cannabis, cannabis mixture, cannabis resin and methamphetamine. Zolpidem is none of those eight and is not a controlled drug, so no capital band in this Act can reach it. Importing a prescription medicine without the required approval is dealt with under the health products legislation, not under the Misuse of Drugs Act's trafficking sections.
If prescribed / medical
Do not rely on a foreign prescription without checking with the Health Sciences Authority before travelling.
Documentation
VERIFIED against the instrument for the question asked. Instrument: Misuse of Drugs Act 1973 (Singapore). Sections: First Schedule, all three Parts, searched and absent; Fifth Schedule, Part 1, items 6, 10, 11 and 14. URL: https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/MDA1973. What is not established here: the precise Poisons Act or Health Products Act schedule placement was not read, because that was not the question. The capital determination does not depend on it.
Misuse of Drugs Act 1973 (Singapore), First Schedule, Second Schedule, Third Schedule and Fifth Schedule, on Singapore Statutes Online at https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/MDA1973, read as at the version the page marks "Current version as at 17 Sep 2026", the most recent amendment shown on its own timeline being S 321/2026 with effect from 1 June 2026 · Updated October 2, 2026
United Arab Emirates
Legal status
Zolpidem is individually controlled in Schedule 8 of Decision No. 158 of 2025, at the printed entry «زولبيديم». The dossier's finding is that it is not an ordinary unscheduled sleep medicine under the federal drug law, and that is the fact most likely to surprise a traveller: zolpidem is an imidazopyridine rather than a benzodiazepine, it is dispensed very widely, and it is nonetheless named in the same schedule as the six benzodiazepine members in this table. The entry names the substance, so the placement does not depend on any structural relationship to that class. The row runs through Articles 11, 43 and 58, with Schedule 10 carrying the quantity bands. The dossier states the content of Article 58 and does not state what Articles 11 and 43 provide. The placement was read on 20 September 2026.
Consequences if caught
Article 58 reaches Schedules 3, 6, 7 and 8, and zolpidem is in Schedule 8, so a common hypnotic is inside a capital trafficking article. The dossier records Article 58 as providing death or life imprisonment as alternatives for its stated trafficking or promotion trigger, so death is discretionary rather than mandatory, and it records that the article states no quantity. The Schedule 10 bands do not gate that route. Sleeping tablets are the medicine travellers most often carry loose, share with a companion or pack without the original box, and each of those habits removes the link between the tablet and the prescription while the schedule entry stays where it is. Article 43 carries the personal use route, with its tariff unstated.
If prescribed / medical
The dossier records at the modafinil row that a 268 entry ministry travellers list was checked and expressly not used as a schedule. Attached to this substance: zolpidem is named individually in Schedule 8, so a prescription for it evidences a substance the schedule reaches by name. No prescribing route, traveller allowance or permit procedure is recorded for the branch, so the question of what documentation suffices on arrival is deferred rather than answered.
Documentation
Carry the prescription and keep the tablets in the original labelled packaging rather than in a pill organiser, because the label is what connects this medicine to the prescription that authorises it. The dossier records no Emirati permit procedure, so those documents are evidence rather than an authorisation and the permit question belongs with the health ministry before departure. Provenance: the Schedule 8 placement and the entry «زولبيديم» were read on 20 September 2026, with the capital analysis resting on Article 58 and its death or life alternative.
United Arab Emirates, Decision No. 158 of 2025, Schedule 8, printed entry «زولبيديم» for zolpidem, an imidazopyridine named individually in the same schedule as the six benzodiazepine members in this table · Updated September 21, 2026
China
Legal status
Zolpidem is a Class II (second-category) psychotropic drug in China, transposing its 1971 Convention Schedule IV status; it is prescription-only and among the most-used Class II psychotropics clinically.
Consequences if caught
Unauthorised supply or possession of this Class II psychotropic is an offence under China's narcotic-drug and psychotropic-substance control regulations.
If prescribed / medical
Zolpidem is prescribed short-term for insomnia as a Class II psychotropic, with prescriptions generally limited to about a seven-day supply.
Documentation
A traveller should carry prescribed zolpidem with a prescription; Class II psychotropic personal-import controls apply.
Not confirmed, verify with Russian embassy / Federal Customs Service
Consequences if caught
Under Decree 681 (30 June 1998): Schedule I substances are fully banned (not available even in Russian pharmacies); Schedules II and III have limited circulation and are allowed only with a Russian prescription. This specific substance's schedule was not confirmed by a reachable source. Possession without intent to supply is criminalised, and 'large'/'extra-large' thresholds are set low, measured by the total weight of the mixture, not the pure substance. For example, more than 0.5 g of heroin, opium, or desomorphine without intent to supply can bring up to 3 years' incarceration.
If prescribed / medical
Allowed only with a Russian prescription if in Schedule II/III; fully banned if Schedule I. Verify with the Russian embassy before travel.
Documentation
Carry the original prescription/medical report stating your condition, why the drug is needed, the drug name, the quantity, and that it is for personal use, plus a sworn Russian translation. You cannot carry medication for another person. On arrival use the red corridor and declare it in box 3.6 of the Passenger Customs Declaration; failing to declare can bring administrative or criminal liability.
Zolpidem is a Category 4 psychotropic substance in Thailand. The Ministry of Public Health naming notification published in the Royal Gazette in B.E. 2565 prints วัตถุออกฤทธิ์ในประเภท 4, psychotropic substances in category 4, and names zolpidem beneath it. Zolpidem is not a benzodiazepine, and it is placed in the same Category 4 as the three this table answers there. Section 94 of the Narcotics Code B.E. 2564 is the psychotropic limb and section 149 carries the penalties. This is the criminal classification taken from the naming notification and not from a traveller permit label, and the two are different documents answering different questions.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Section 149 provides neither a death penalty nor life imprisonment, and for Zolpidem that is the end of it: the maximum stated for a Category 4 psychotropic is 5 years, with no death penalty, no life imprisonment and no quantity threshold as the trigger. The limb of this Code that can reach life or death is section 145 paragraph 3, it belongs to Category I narcotics, and a psychotropic placement does not carry a person into it. English accounts that merge the narcotic categories with the psychotropic categories produce exactly that error, and it is the reason this row states the ceiling before anything else. Zolpidem is not a benzodiazepine and is placed in the same Category 4 as the three this table answers there, so the 5 year ceiling is shared across a chemical boundary.
If prescribed / medical
Zolpidem sits in psychotropic Category 4 under the B.E. 2565 naming notification, with a 5 year section 149 maximum, and that placement is a classification rather than a permission. Thailand's country level traveller rule for personal medication was not established by this reading. The sources opened were the Narcotics Code B.E. 2564, the Thai FDA narcotics table updated 15 September 2025 and the B.E. 2565 psychotropic naming notices in the Royal Gazette, and the dossier is explicit that its findings come from those naming instruments and not from a traveller permit label, so no import permit route, no personal supply quantity ceiling and no certificate requirement can be stated here for Zolpidem. The notification read here is the criminal naming instrument and not the permit schedule, so it cannot say whether a foreign prescription, a quantity limit or an advance certificate would make a lawful entry. What is missing from this row is the permission, not the classification, and the gap is in what was read rather than a finding that no lawful route exists. The category here does not track the chemistry, which is why a class based expectation about this medicine would be wrong in both directions.
Documentation
Carry the prescription and the original dispensing packaging with a doctor's letter naming the patient, the active ingredient, the dose and the treatment period, and do not assume they settle the question: what was established for Zolpidem is a Category 4 psychotropic placement in the B.E. 2565 naming notification, not a traveller route. Check the category rather than the drug class, because this notification puts a non benzodiazepine in with the benzodiazepines. The reading was taken on 20 September 2026 from the Royal Gazette psychotropic naming notification, at https://www.ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/DATA/PDF/2565/E/182/T_0008.PDF. No express open reuse licence was located on the cited page, so only the wording needed for verification is reproduced, with attribution and a direct link. The names and categories are set by ministerial notification, and the publications do not certify that no later notification exists, so re-read before relying on this.
Indonesia
Legal status
Psikotropika Golongan IV under Indonesia's Undang-Undang Nomor 5 Tahun 1997 tentang Psikotropika: Psikotropika Golongan IV of the Lampiran to Permenkes No. 14 Tahun 2025, item 61 「ZOLPIDEM」. Zolpidem is item 61 of Psikotropika Golongan IV with the designation N,N,6-trimetil-2-p-tolilimidazo[1,2-a]piridina-3-asetamida. It was not in the 1997 annex at all and was added to Golongan IV by Ministerial regulation in February 2015, which is a clean illustration of Pasal 2(4) of UU 5/1997 in operation. The model: each Act carries its own list for the first time only, and every change since is a Ministerial regulation. Pasal 6(1) of Undang-Undang Nomor 35 Tahun 2009 tentang Narkotika divides narcotics into Golongan I, II and III. Pasal 6(2) then provides that 「Penggolongan Narkotika sebagaimana dimaksud pada ayat (1) untuk pertama kali ditetapkan sebagaimana tercantum dalam Lampiran I dan merupakan bagian yang tak terpisahkan dari Undang-Undang ini」, so the Act's own annex governs only the first classification. The empowering article is Pasal 6(3): 「Ketentuan mengenai perubahan penggolongan Narkotika sebagaimana dimaksud pada ayat (2) diatur dengan Peraturan Menteri」. The psychotropics Act is built the same way: Pasal 2(3) of Undang-Undang Nomor 5 Tahun 1997 tentang Psikotropika sets the four golongan 「untuk pertamakali」 in its annex and Pasal 2(4) provides that 「Ketentuan lebih lanjut untuk penetapan dan perubahan jenis-jenis psikotropika sebagaimana dimaksud pada ayat (3) diatur oleh Menteri」. So neither Act's annex is the operative list today. The narcotics list in force is the Lampiran to Peraturan Menteri Kesehatan Nomor 15 Tahun 2025 tentang Perubahan Penggolongan Narkotika, ditetapkan 21 November 2025, diundangkan 28 November 2025, Berita Negara Republik Indonesia Tahun 2025 Nomor 989, which revoked Permenkes Nomor 7 Tahun 2025. The psychotropics list in force is the Lampiran to Peraturan Menteri Kesehatan Nomor 14 Tahun 2025 tentang Penetapan dan Perubahan Penggolongan Psikotropika, Berita Negara Tahun 2025 Nomor 988, which revoked Permenkes Nomor 6 Tahun 2025. The Act itself was last amended by Undang-Undang Nomor 6 Tahun 2023. One part of the scheme is still in the Act and not in any regulation: the Prekursor Narkotika in Lampiran II, Tabel I and Tabel II, which neither Permenkes restates.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. [Certain] Re-derived in this pass: this substance is placed in Psikotropika Golongan IV. The entry read is «61. ZOLPIDEM: N,N,6-Trimetil-2-p-tolilimidazo[1,2-a]piridina-3-asetamida». The KUHP Pasal 610 ayat (2) huruf a capital limb reaches a Golongan I narcotic only, and this row is not one. Capital exposure: none. The psychotropics offences sit in a different Act with a different shape. Pasal 59(1) of Undang-Undang Nomor 5 Tahun 1997 covers using, producing, distributing, importing and unlawfully possessing, storing or carrying a Golongan I psychotropic, at 4 to 15 years. Pasal 60 and the articles after it cover production, distribution and supply of psychotropics generally, in terms of years. There is no quantity ladder anywhere in this Act, so weight does not change the band, and there is no purity rule either. Golongan IV carries no death penalty and no life sentence. Zolpidem is not a benzodiazepine, and it is listed by name rather than through any class clause, because there is no class clause to use. Neither reaches this substance. Golongan IV is the lowest of the four psychotropic classes and the only capital provision in the Act, Pasal 59(2), applies to Golongan I alone. Golongan IV offences are dealt with under Pasal 60 and the articles after it, in terms of years with fines, and neither death nor life imprisonment is available on any facts. The narcotics ladder does not reach it either, because it is in no Golongan of the narcotics list.
Saudi Arabia
Legal status
Zolpidem is a controlled psychotropic substance in Saudi Arabia, placed at Schedule II Category D of the schedules attached to the Law of Combating Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances, Royal Decree M/39 of 1426 AH, in the version of those schedules issued on 4 September 2026. The schedule prints «زولبيديم» under the heading «فئة (د):... المؤثرات العقلية», Category D psychotropic substances. Zolpidem is an imidazopyridine rather than a benzodiazepine, and the Kingdom has placed it in the same category as the benzodiazepines by its own entry rather than by treating it as one. It is one of the most commonly prescribed sleep medicines in the world, and its Category D placement means an ordinary insomnia prescription is a controlled substance on arrival. M/39 Articles 1 and 70 to 71 are cited for identification and for keeping the attached schedules current.
Consequences if caught
Article 37(I) reaches a Schedule II Category D substance, and it states no quantity at all. The penalty articles do not sort by category letter or by how ordinary the medicine is: the conduct named is smuggling, receipt from a smuggler, and import, export, manufacture, production, extraction or cultivation with intent to promote, together with the repeat promotion histories the article sets out, with no weight threshold anywhere in it. Death under Article 37(I) is a statutory ta'zir penalty and it is not mandatory, because Article 37(II) gives the court the power to reduce it; where the court does reduce, the substitute is a prison term of not less than fifteen years with the lashes and the fine the article states. No express life imprisonment wording was found anywhere in M/39. Articles 38 to 41 are cited as the tiers below Article 37, and a traveller with a strip of sleeping tablets and no clearance belongs in that lower band rather than in the capital article.
If prescribed / medical
The Saudi traveller rule is a permit rule rather than a prescription rule, and a sleep medicine taken for a long haul flight is exactly the case people forget to arrange. A controlled medicine may be brought in only under a clearance obtained from the SFDA before travel through its Controlled Drugs System, and that advance electronic clearance is required rather than optional. A prescription written abroad is not a Saudi clearance and does not become one on arrival. Zolpidem sits inside that regime as a Schedule II Category D substance, so the clearance question governs it.
Documentation
Apply through the SFDA Controlled Drugs System before travelling rather than on arrival, and carry the clearance itself and not the prescription alone. Bring the medicine in its original dispensing packaging with the prescription and a medical report naming the patient, the active ingredient, the dose and the treatment period, translated into Arabic and dated less than six months before travel, keep the quantity to a one month supply or the length of the stay, whichever is shorter, and declare it at customs; advance electronic clearance has been required since 1 November 2025. Loose tablets in a pill organiser are the shape of this problem that customs sees most often, so keep them in the dispensed box. The permit mechanics stated here are the SFDA traveller rules recorded on the current live cell and were not re-derived from the instrument in this pass. The Schedule II Category D placement was read in the 4 September 2026 schedules on 17 September 2026.
Malaysia
Legal status
Zolpidem is a psychotropic substance under the Poisons Act 1952, named in the Third Schedule with «Zopiclone» and «Zolazepam» beside it, and in the Poisons List as «Zolpidem; its salt». It is NOT in the First Schedule to the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, so section 39B and the death penalty cannot reach it. Flunitrazepam and nimetazepam, the two hypnotics that ARE dangerous drugs, are a different matter entirely.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Zolpidem is not in the First Schedule to the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. The two hypnotics that are, «Flunitrazepam» and «Nimetazepam», are both in Part III, and zolpidem is an imidazopyridine and neither of them. Section 39B is the only capital provision in Malaysian drug law, and section 39B(1) prohibits trafficking in «a dangerous drug», which section 2 defines as «any drug or substance which is for the time being comprised in the First Schedule». A substance outside that Schedule cannot be trafficked within the meaning of section 39B however much of it there is, the section 37(da) presumption weights do not reach it, and neither do the section 39A enhanced penalties. What applies instead is section 30 of the Poisons Act 1952, which provides at subsection (3) that «no person shall import, export, manufacture, compound, mix, dispense, sell, supply, administer, possess or use any psychotropic substance otherwise than in accordance with any regulations applicable thereto», and at subsection (5) that a contravention is punishable «to a fine not exceeding ten thousand ringgit or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding four years or both». Section 30(4) carries a possession presumption of its own: a person found with the substance in his custody or control «shall be deemed to have been in possession of the substance and to have known the nature of the substance, until he proves to the contrary». Four years and ten thousand ringgit against death. That is the single largest cliff in Malaysian drug law and it turns entirely on which of two schedules a substance sits in. And the ground can move under it: section 45A of the Dangerous Drugs Act lets the Minister add a substance to the First Schedule by order, and section 30(2) of the Poisons Act lets him amend the Third Schedule the same way.
If prescribed / medical
This is a prescription-supply question and not a trafficking one. Zolpidem is a psychotropic substance under the Poisons Act 1952, named in terms, appearing in the Third Schedule as «Zolpidem» and in the Poisons List as «Zolpidem; its salt». Section 30(1) provides that «In this section, “psychotropic substance” means any of the substances specified in the Third Schedule», and section 30(3) then prohibits importing, exporting, manufacturing, compounding, mixing, dispensing, selling, supplying, administering, possessing or using such a substance «otherwise than in accordance with any regulations applicable thereto made under this Act». Those regulations are the Poisons (Psychotropic Substances) Regulations 1989, and regulation 3 is the one a patient stands on: possession is prohibited unless «he is authorised to be in possession of such psychotropic substance under these Regulations» and the substance is for a lawful purpose and obtained under them. Regulation 3(2)(l) places a person lawfully supplied «in accordance with a prescription lawfully given by a registered medical practitioner, registered dentist Division I of a veterinary surgeon» inside that authority, the wording of that paragraph being the publisher's. «Zopiclone» and «Zolazepam» are named beside it in the same Third Schedule.
South Korea
Legal status
Zolpidem is a controlled psychotropic medicine under South Korea's Act on the Control of Narcotics, transposing its 1971 Convention Schedule IV status; it is one of the country's most prescribed hypnotics and is dispensed only on prescription.
Consequences if caught
Unauthorised supply of this scheduled psychotropic is an offence under the narcotics-control law; a prescribed personal supply is lawful.
If prescribed / medical
Zolpidem is prescribed short-term for insomnia as a controlled psychotropic hypnotic subject to prescription monitoring.
Documentation
A traveller carries prescribed zolpidem with the prescription; personal-import controls apply to psychotropics.
Zolpidem is a controlled drug: Class C under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and Schedule 4 Part I of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 (named-substance control transposing the 1971 Convention Schedule IV listing of zolpidem).
Consequences if caught
Unlawful supply or production of this Class C hypnotic carries up to 14 years and a fine; simple possession of Schedule 4 Part I zolpidem held without a prescription is not itself an offence, but diversion and supply are prosecuted.
If prescribed / medical
Zolpidem is prescribed for short-term insomnia; as a Schedule 4 Part I drug it is subject to record-keeping but not the safe-custody or CD-register rules that apply to Schedules 2 and 3.
Documentation
Patients may carry their own prescribed zolpidem; a Schedule 4 Part I drug does not require a personal Home Office export/import licence for a traveller carrying under three months' supply, though a covering prescription letter is advised.
Zolpidem is a controlled targeted substance in Canada, listed as a Class 1 targeted substance under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and the Benzodiazepines and Other Targeted Substances Regulations, consistent with its 1971 Convention Schedule IV status.
Consequences if caught
Unauthorised trafficking, export or production of this targeted-substance hypnotic is an offence under the CDSA; possession of a lawfully prescribed personal supply is permitted.
If prescribed / medical
Zolpidem is prescribed short-term for insomnia as a targeted substance subject to pharmacy record-keeping controls.
Documentation
A resident or visitor may carry up to a 90-day supply of prescribed zolpidem when travelling into Canada with a prescription or covering label.
Zolpidem is a Schedule 4 (Prescription Only Medicine) substance in the Poisons Standard (SUSMP), consistent with its 1971 Convention Schedule IV psychotropic status; a boxed warning was added over sleep-related behaviours rather than up-scheduling it to Schedule 8.
Consequences if caught
Supplying this prescription-only hypnotic without authority is an offence under state/territory poisons and therapeutic-goods laws; a lawfully prescribed personal supply is lawful.
If prescribed / medical
Zolpidem is prescribed short-term for insomnia as a Schedule 4 prescription medicine carrying a boxed warning about sleepwalking and sleep-driving.
Documentation
A traveller may carry prescribed zolpidem for personal use with a prescription; standard three-months personal-import allowances apply.
Zolpidem is a named narcotic in the prescribable tier of the German schedules, which is worth stating because it is not a benzodiazepine and is often assumed to be outside the narcotics regime for that reason. The dossier records the Anlage III row of the Betäubungsmittelgesetz as „Zolpidem | - | N,N-Dimethyl-2-[6-methyl-2-(p-toly)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-3-yl]acetamid“, and the third column shows an imidazopyridine, a different ring system entirely from the benzodiazepines listed alongside it. Germany has given it a line of its own rather than reaching it by analogy. Placement is under BtMG § 1 Abs. 1 and the tier is Anlage III, the marketable and prescribable one, so the substance is controlled through its supply route.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. The dossier's penalty column records that no death-penalty regime applies. The penal provisions are BtMG §§ 29 bis 30a and the dossier gives the ceiling only: not less than five years under § 30a Abs. 1, with a determinate sentence capped at fifteen years by StGB § 38 Abs. 2. No ordinary band is recorded and none is stated. Because the medicine is widely dispensed, the offence in practice is about provenance rather than identity: tablets held or passed on outside the dispensing route are inside the offence even though the same product is lawful in a pharmacy.
If prescribed / medical
Anlage III is the marketable and prescribable tier of the three, read at gesetze-im-internet.de on 21 September 2026, so a German prescribing route exists and lawful possession runs through it. The traveller rule is not in the dossier: no column records what a visitor carrying this medicine must hold at the German border or how a prescription written abroad is treated. This cell attaches the tier to the traveller question and defers explicitly on the certificate.
Documentation
Carry the medicine in its dispensing packaging with the prescription, and do not assume it is treated as an ordinary sleeping tablet in Germany, because the schedule places it with the narcotics. No border certificate is described here because the dossier records none for this country. The entry was read on 20 September 2026.
Germany, Betäubungsmittelgesetz, Anlage III, the table row „Zolpidem | - | N,N-Dimethyl-2-[6-methyl-2-(p-toly)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-3-yl]acetamid“, placed by § 1 Abs. 1 with penal provisions at §§ 29 bis 30a · read at https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/btmg_1981/anlage_iii.html on 20 September 2026 · Updated September 21, 2026
France
Legal status
Zolpidem is on the French psychotropics list rather than the narcotics list. The consolidated order of 22 February 1990 fixing the list of psychotropic substances carries the entry « zolpidem », and the dossier keeps the two 1990 orders apart because the consequences they open are not the same. The entry is a single designation, zolpidem, with nothing bracketed and no alternative spelling offered beside it. The list prints zolpidem exactly as the substance is commonly named, so no alias step is needed to reach the entry. This row stands alone rather than as a member of any class label in the same table, so nothing else in the table has to be read with it. The express clauses for salts, stereoisomers and preparations follow the psychotropics order's own wording, and no narcotics clause is borrowed to widen it. France's lists are closed, so the position for zolpidem is settled by the psychotropics entry existing and not by any resemblance argument.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. France abolished the death penalty and no French drug provision carries one. What this row does not establish is the narcotics specific life route: Penal Code article 222-34 carries life imprisonment for directing or organising a group formed for illicit narcotics activity, and the dossier records that a place on the psychotropics order of 22 February 1990 does not by itself prove it. The psychotropics entry is « zolpidem ». The entry is a single designation with nothing bracketed beside it, and the order prints it exactly as the substance is commonly named, so no alias step stands between a seizure and the article. This row stands alone rather than as a member of any class label in this table, so nothing else here has to be read with it. Article L. 3421-1 of the Code de la santé publique addresses illicit use and stands apart from organised trafficking. The dossier prints no tariff for the psychotropics route, so no figure is stated here.
If prescribed / medical
France's country level rule, taken from the dossier rather than from any prescribing summary, is that a Schengen traveller certificate or a medicines carriage list is evidential and administrative and is not the criminal schedule. Attached to this substance: zolpidem sits on the psychotropics order of 22 February 1990 at the entry « zolpidem », so a certificate can evidence lawful carriage of a prescribed psychotropic while the listing itself is untouched by it. No per substance prescribing route for zolpidem appears in the dossier and none is supplied here.
Documentation
Carry the Schengen traveller certificate and the prescribing document for zolpidem with the medicine in its original dispensing packaging, and expect the certificate to be read as evidence rather than as an authorisation that changes the list. Provenance: the placement relied on is the entry « zolpidem » in the Arrêté du 22 février 1990 fixant la liste des substances psychotropes, reached through the Légifrance consolidated search at https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/search/all?query=arr%C3%AAt%C3%A9+22+f%C3%A9vrier+1990+psychotropes and checked on 18 September 2026. The psychotropics order was followed through its terminal list material and its amendment links alongside the narcotics order.
Netherlands
Legal status
Zolpidem is a prescription-only medicine (UR-geneesmiddel) and a controlled hypnotic transposing the 1971 Convention Schedule IV listing of zolpidem; it is dispensed only against a valid prescription.
Consequences if caught
Unauthorised supply of this prescription hypnotic is a medicines-law offence; possession of a prescribed personal supply is lawful.
If prescribed / medical
Zolpidem is prescribed for short-term insomnia (typically under three weeks) as a controlled sleep medicine.
Documentation
A traveller carrying prescribed zolpidem is advised to carry a medicine declaration (medicijnverklaring) for cross-border travel.
Controlled in Spain as a sustancia psicotrópica. Zolpidem is named in Anexo 1, Lista IV, of Real Decreto 2829/1977, the annex headed «Sustancias enumeradas en las listas al Convenio sobre Sustancias Psicotrópicas, hecho en Viena el 21 de febrero de 1971». Its row reads, in the Spanish of the instrument: «ZOLPIDEM / [N,N,6-trimetil-2-p-tolilimidazol (1,2-α)piridina-3-acetamida]».
Consequences if caught
Trafficking offences sit in the Código Penal articles 368 to 378. Article 368 distinguishes substances that cause grave harm to health from those that do not, and that classification is applied by the court to the substance rather than read off a list. No custodial figure is asserted in this cell: the instruments read here establish what is controlled, not the sentencing range.
If prescribed / medical
Spain runs two medicine regimes side by side. A narcotic medicine is handled under Ley 17/1967 and its implementing rules, and a psychotropic medicine under Real Decreto 2829/1977, which requires a special prescription and a pharmacy register for the stricter lists.
Documentation
Carry any prescribed medicine in its dispensed packaging with the prescription. Spain's personal import allowance for a traveller was not read for this cell, so no quantity is stated.
Spain, Real Decreto 2829/1977, de 6 de octubre, Anexo 1, read as the BOE consolidated text whose own note reads «Última actualización publicada el 21/04/2026» · empowering provision quoted: «Artículo primero. Uno. Las sustancias psicotrópicas a que se refieren las Listas I, II, III y IV del anexo uno y la «Relación de sustancias no incluidas en dichas Listas» del anexo dos, a que se refiere el artículo quinto, o bien que en futuro puedan ser incorporadas a las Listas o la Relación, así como los preparados (especialidades farmacéuticas o fórmulas magistrales) que las contengan, quedan sometidos a cuanto se previene en la presente disposición.» · boe.es · offences in the Código Penal (Ley Orgánica 10/1995) articles 368 to 378 · boe.es · Updated September 16, 2026
Italy
Legal status
Controlled as a medicinal substance. The Ministry of Health compilation carries «zolpidem» and routes it through Table IV and the table of medicinal products, which is the part of the DPR 309/1990 scheme built for substances that have a lawful prescribed form. Article 14 creates those tables by enumeration and extends them to the salts, stereoisomers and preparations the table text itself names, so the reach of the entry for zolpidem is set by its own wording. Sitting in the medicinal group does not put zolpidem outside the criminal articles; it means that supply inside the dispensing rules is lawful and supply outside them is what article 73 reaches. The compilation and its amendment index were read on 18 September 2026, and a later ministerial decree can move the placement.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Italy has no death penalty and DPR 309/1990 carries no life term, so the top of the range is a term of years. The ceiling is 30 years, and three provisions build it: article 73 of DPR 309/1990 creates the trafficking offence, article 80 supplies the aggravations, and article 78 of the Penal Code caps a combined temporary imprisonment calculation at 30 years. That figure belongs to the most aggravated trafficking calculation and not to a personal quantity. What puts zolpidem inside article 73 at all is the table entry «zolpidem», and the compilation routes that entry through Table IV and the table of medicinal products. The placement is what decides the band: a pharmacy supply of zolpidem inside the dispensing rules is lawful, and it is supply outside those rules that the criminal article reaches. Acquisition or possession for personal use is handled administratively under article 75, a different track from article 73 and not a milder version of it.
If prescribed / medical
Italy's country level rule, in the dossier's own terms, is that a traveller certificate list or a prescribing summary is not a substitute for the statutory tables, and that acquisition or possession for personal use runs under article 75 of DPR 309/1990 as an administrative matter rather than under the trafficking article. Attached to zolpidem, that rule meets a placement in Table IV and the table of medicinal products, entered as «zolpidem», which is the group that does have a lawful prescribed and dispensed form in Italy. The documents that matter for this substance are therefore the prescription and the dispensing record for the actual product, while the table placement and not the paperwork is what decides the legal question if it is asked. The dossier sets out no Italian certificate scheme for travellers carrying zolpidem and this cell does not invent one.
Documentation
Carry the prescription and the original dispensing packaging for any zolpidem product, and keep them together, because the entry «zolpidem» routes through Table IV and the table of medicinal products where a lawful dispensed form exists. The instrument is DPR 309/1990, its enumerating provision is article 14, and the placement was read in the Ministry of Health compilation of the tables and its ministerial amendment index on 18 September 2026. Classification changes by decree published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale rather than by a travel or prescribing summary, and the amendment horizon checked includes the 2026 update that added the nitazene class. The criminal articles remain articles 73 and 80 for supply outside the dispensing rules, with the cap of 30 years in article 78 of the Penal Code.
Mexico
Legal status
Zolpidem is not a controlled substance by name in Mexico. It is not named in article 234 of the Ley General de Salud, which prints the estupefacientes, and it is not named in any of the five groups of article 245, which prints the psychotropics. The dossier and the previous version of this cell both asserted a named entry for this row, and the group list does not contain one. Article 246 lets the Secretaria de Salud add further psychotropic substances by lists published in the Diario Oficial de la Federacion, and the consolidated text records one such addition with the note «Sustancia adicionada por Acuerdo DOF 24-12-2018», so the printed lists are open. Every note the Diario Oficial published between 1 January 2019 and 21 September 2026 was checked for a later such acuerdo and none adds anything to article 245. That absence is stated against the Ley General de Salud as it stands after the decree published in the Diario Oficial de la Federacion on 15 January 2026, which reforms article 234 whole and article 245 fracciones I segundo parrafo, II and IV, read together with the Orden Juridico Nacional consolidated text to 7 June 2024 for the articles that decree does not touch, read as at 21 September 2026.
Consequences if caught
Where this row sits is settled by the fact that no printed entry carries it. The entry that closes the benzodiazepine run alphabetically is zopiclona, a cyclopyrrolone, and it is the only non-benzodiazepine hypnotic the Act prints. Article 479 gives this row no line: the table names eight narcotics and this is not one of them. Articles 475, 476, 477 and 478 all run on the narcotics listed in that table, and article 474 puts a narcotic outside it with the federal authorities, «El narcótico no esté contemplado en la tabla». The eight amounts recited below therefore belong to the eight narcotics the table names and not to this row. The two Ley General de Salud penalty articles that follow are printed here because the live cell printed them for every Mexican row. They run on the narcotics the table names, and this row is not one of them. Article 477 sets ten months to three years of prison, «Se aplicará pena de diez meses a tres años de prisión y hasta ochenta días multa al que posea alguno de los narcóticos señalados en la tabla». It applies to possession below one thousand times a table amount where the circumstances do not make it possession for supply. Its fine is up to eighty dias multa. Article 475 of the Ley General de Salud sets four to eight years of prison, in the words «Se impondrá prisión de cuatro a ocho años y de doscientos a cuatrocientos días multa». It applies to commerce or supply, even free of charge, below one thousand times a table amount. Its fine is two hundred to four hundred dias multa. Its second paragraph raises the prison term to seven to fifteen years where the person supplied is a minor or cannot resist, «se aplicará una pena de siete a quince años de prisión y de doscientos a cuatrocientos días multa», and the previous version of this cell called eight years the small-scale ceiling, so that figure is carried forward and corrected here rather than dropped. The federal code articles below are printed on the same carried-forward footing. Article 193 of that code names articles 237, 245 fracciones I, II and III and 248, and this row is in none of them. Article 194 of the Codigo Penal Federal sets ten to twenty five years of prison, «Se impondrá prisión de diez a veinticinco años y de cien hasta quinientos días multa». It applies to production, transport, traffic, commerce, supply or prescription of a narcotic without the authorisation the Ley General de Salud requires. Its fine is one hundred to five hundred dias multa. Article 195 sets five to fifteen years of prison. It applies to possession with one of those purposes. Its fine is one hundred to three hundred fifty dias multa. Article 195 bis sets four years to seven years six months of prison. It applies where possession cannot be so considered. Its fine is fifty to one hundred fifty dias multa. Article 196 raises the article 194 penalties by one half in the listed cases. Article 193 of the same code defines narcoticos in its first paragraph as those the Ley General de Salud determines, and in its second names a narrower set, «son punibles las conductas que se relacionan con los estupefacientes, psicotrópicos y demás sustancias previstos en los artículos 237, 245, fracciones I, II, y III y 248 de la Ley General de Salud, que constituyen un problema grave para la salud pública». This row is outside the set that second paragraph names, and no reading of the first paragraph was adopted here to put it back inside. Article 479 is not the controlled-substance list and is routinely misreported as one. It is a short table of eight maximum amounts used by articles 477 and 478 for strict, immediate personal consumption: opium two grams, heroin fifty milligrams, cannabis five grams, cocaine five hundred milligrams, LSD fifteen thousandths of a milligram, and MDA, MDMA and methamphetamine at forty milligrams or one tablet or capsule of not more than two hundred milligrams. Mexico has no death penalty for any offence, which article 22 of the Constitucion Politica de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos settles in the words «Quedan prohibidas las penas de muerte». Those figures are set out here because this row is placed outside that regime, so they are recorded as Mexico's published drug penalties and not as this substance's exposure.
Brazil
Legal status
Controlled in Brazil. The entry read is item 94 of lista B1, psychotropic substances, and it reads in full: "Zolpidem". The instrument is Portaria SVS/MS 344 de 12 de maio de 1998, whose Anexo I is the list that places a substance, and article 1 sole paragraph of Lei 11.343/2006 defines drugs for the purposes of that law as substances capable of causing dependence so specified in law or listed in lists periodically updated by the federal executive, which is the hinge between the two instruments. [Certain], the entry was read this pass in Anexo I as published with Resolucao 1.036 de 9 de julho de 2026, Atualizacao n. 101.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Article 5, XLVII, a of the 1988 Constitution provides that there shall be no penalty of death, save in the case of declared war under article 84, XIX, and article 5, XLVII, b bars any penalty of a perpetual character, so neither a death sentence nor a whole life sentence is available under the drug law. [Certain], the constitutional text was read this pass. Personal use is article 28 of Lei 11.343/2006, the statute the live Brazilian cells name in English as the Drug Law, and it carries no prison. The three penalties are a warning about the effects of drugs, provision of services to the community, and an educational measure of attendance at a programme or course. Paragraph 3 caps the second and third at five months, paragraph 4 at ten months on a repeat, and paragraph 2 leaves the personal use question to the judge on the nature and quantity seized, the place and conditions of the act, the social and personal circumstances, and the conduct and record of the agent. The statute itself fixes no quantity figure. The Supremo Tribunal Federal decided Tema 506, leading case RE 635659, on 26 June 2024, and how far it reaches beyond cannabis is genuinely contested. Read the narrow way, item 1 of the thesis says that no criminal offence is committed by a person who acquires, keeps, has in deposit, transports or carries for personal consumption the substance cannabis sativa, naming that substance and no other, and the andamento of 24 August 2023 records the relator adjusting his vote to restrict the declaration of unconstitutionality to seizures of the narcotic substance dealt with in that appeal, cannabis sativa. Read the wide way, items 2 and 3 are not limited to cannabis on their face: item 2 says the article 28 I and III sanctions are applied by the judge in a procedure of non penal nature with no criminal repercussion for the conduct, and item 3 gives the Juizados Especiais Criminais competence over the conduct of article 28 with any penal effect of the sentence forbidden. Nor is the operative order limited on its face: the plenary declared the unconstitutionality, without reduction of text, of article 28 of Lei 11.343/2006, so as to remove from that provision each and every effect of a penal nature, keeping the measures it provides until specific legislation arrives. Which reading governs a substance other than cannabis was not settled by the documents read this pass, and nothing here decides it. [Guessing] as to the reach. What does not turn on it, and is [Certain] either way, is that article 28 has carried no custodial penalty since 2006. Supply is article 33: reclusao of 5 to 15 years and payment of 500 to 1,500 dias-multa. Article 33 paragraph 4 allows a reduction of one sixth to two thirds for a primary agent of good record who is not dedicated to criminal activity and does not belong to a criminal organisation. Article 34 puts equipment at 3 to 10 years, article 35 association at 3 to 10 years, article 36 financing at 8 to 20 years and article 37 informing at 2 to 6 years. Article 40 increases articles 33 to 37 by one sixth to two thirds on its seven listed grounds, transnationality and proximity to schools, prisons and hospitals among them. Article 40-A, inserted by Lei 15.358 de 2026, applies articles 33 to 37 in double where the agent is a member of an ultraviolent criminal organisation, a paramilitary group or a private militia. Doubling article 36 gives 16 to 40 years, and 40 years is the highest figure the statute produces on its own face. That is my derivation from the two articles as read, tagged [Certain] for each figure and [Guessing] for whether the article 40 increase then stacks on top of the doubled figure, which the text read here does not settle.
India
Legal status
Controlled in India. The matched entry reads «109 Zolpidem (INN)», at serial 109 of the Act's Schedule, the list of psychotropic substances.
Consequences if caught
Section 22 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985, the NDPS Act, punishes a contravention in relation to psychotropic substances in three quantity bands. A small quantity carries rigorous imprisonment which may extend to 1 year. A quantity greater than small but less than commercial carries rigorous imprisonment which may extend to 10 years. A commercial quantity carries rigorous imprisonment of 10 to 20 years, and that lower figure is a statutory minimum rather than a starting point. The fine runs with the band: up to 10,000 rupees at small quantity, up to 1 lakh rupees in the middle band, and 1 lakh to 2 lakh rupees at commercial quantity, and the court may record reasons for a higher fine. Section 27 punishes consumption, with rigorous imprisonment up to 1 year and a fine up to 20,000 rupees for cocaine, morphine, diacetylmorphine and any substance notified in that behalf, and imprisonment up to 6 months and a fine up to 10,000 rupees for anything else. Every offence under the Act is cognizable, but the section 37 bail bar reaches only sections 19, 24 and 27A and offences involving a commercial quantity. Section 31 raises the ceiling to one and one half times after a previous conviction, and section 64A gives an addict charged under section 27 or with a small quantity immunity on completing recognised de-addiction treatment. The band for this row is set by the small and commercial quantity notification at serial 238: a small quantity is 10 g and a commercial quantity is 250 g. Note 4 of that notification applies the figure to the entire mixture or solution in dosage form and not to the pure drug content, so packaging weight and cutting agents count toward the band. Section 31A does not reach this row: its table names only opium, morphine, heroin, codeine, thebaine, cocaine, hashish, LSD, the listed THC isomers, methamphetamine, methaqualone and amphetamine, with their salts and preparations, and this row is not among them. A 250 g commercial quantity is roughly 25,000 tablets of 10 mg, so an ordinary supply is far below it, but the figure is measured on the whole tablet. It is also a Schedule H1 drug under the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, so an Indian retail sale must be entered in a separate register. Those figures are given because they describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical
It is an ordinary Indian prescription hypnotic; carry the prescription and the original packaging, and bring only the supply the trip needs.
Documentation
The Schedule prints it as Zolpidem (INN) in the chemical name column, with both name columns left blank. Its placement is consistent with the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, where zolpidem sits in Schedule IV; that Schedule IV marker is a Convention division and is not printed in the quoted extract from the Indian Schedule. India's essential narcotic drugs for medical and scientific use, notified under section 2(viiia) by S.O. 1181(E) of 5 May 2015, are codeine, fentanyl, hydrocodone, methadone, morphine and oxycodone; a traveller carrying one should carry the prescription with the original packaging, bring only a reasonable personal quantity and declare it at customs. Tramadol was added to the Act's psychotropic Schedule in 2018 and its commercial quantity is 250 g.
Turkey
Legal status
Zolpidem is not confirmed as a controlled substance in Turkey and this row is a deferral rather than a finding. The dossier searched the Turkish term «zolpidem» and the transliteration zolpidem against the classification decisions made under article 19 of Law No. 2313 on the Control of Narcotic Substances, and confirmed no current entry. It rejected the near match «benzodiazepinler», because zolpidem is a non-benzodiazepine hypnotic and needs an exact decision. That rejection is well made and it also explains why the benzodiazepines class row in this corpus, which names five members, is of no assistance here: an imidazopyridine is not a member of that class however similar its clinical use, and a class entry cannot carry it. Whether one of the ten decisions footnoted to article 19 names zolpidem directly could not be established, because the consolidated statute reproduces the decisions' dates and numbers and not their annexed substance lists.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. No article in this chain carries a capital or whole life route, and no per-substance threshold was verified for this row. If a classification decision names zolpidem, the ceiling is 30 years under article 188(1) of Penal Code No. 5237, article 188(3) sets not less than ten years for selling, giving to another, dispatching, transporting, storing, purchasing, accepting and possessing, and article 191(1) sets two to five years for possession for use with the five year deferral of 191(2). If no decision names it, the route would instead be article 188(6), which applies those paragraphs to substances whose sale depends on a prescription written by an authorised physician and which produce a narcotic or stimulant effect, allowing the sentence to be reduced by up to half. The conduct that most often raises the question is giving a tablet to a travelling companion, which is giving to another within article 188(3) on the scheduled branch.
If prescribed / medical
Zolpidem is a prescription medicine and Turkey controls hypnotics through dispensing rules rather than through quantity limits in the statute. Article 24 of Law No. 2313 punishes a pharmacy owner or responsible manager who sells a narcotic substance without a physician's prescription under the relevant articles of the Penal Code, and article 188(6) of the Penal Code carries the same logic into the trafficking chapter for prescription bound substances producing a narcotic or stimulant effect. The dossier carried no prescription instrument for this row, so the Turkish dispensing category and any limit on the quantity dispensed at one time is for the TİTCK to state and is deferred here. A foreign prescription is not a Turkish authorisation.
Documentation
Carry zolpidem in its original dispensing packaging with the prescription and a prescriber's letter naming the patient, the active ingredient, the dose and the treatment period, and bring only what the trip requires, since a hypnotic prescribed for short term use and carried in a large quantity invites a question the letter should pre-empt. Confirm the position with the TİTCK before travelling. A tablet taken from a friend's prescription is undocumentable and puts the holder on the wrong side of every branch of this row. The search log was read in the dossier on 18 September 2026 and articles 24 and 188(6) were read from the consolidated texts on 20 September 2026.
Egypt
Legal status
Not confirmed, verify with Egypt's authorities (Anti-Narcotics Law No. 182/1960) / your embassy
Consequences if caught
EGYPT IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for drug trafficking. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Egyptian statute (Anti-Narcotics Law No. 182/1960, Arts 33-38, as amended), do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Note: synthetic cannabinoids (e.g. 'Voodoo' 2014; 'Strox'/AB-FUBINACA by Act 440/2018) have been added to Schedule 1 by amendment. Art 33: DEATH PENALTY plus a fine of 100,000-500,000 LE for unlicensed import/export, manufacture with intent to traffic, or cultivating/trading Schedule 5 plants (including cannabis). Art 34: death OR life hard labour plus a fine for possession/purchase/sale with intent to traffic. Art 38(1): possession/acquisition WITHOUT trafficking or personal-use intent = 3-10 years hard labour plus a fine of 50,000-200,000 LE. The law applies equally to foreigners, with no minimum-quantity threshold, mere presence of the substance triggers prosecution.
If prescribed / medical
Schedule 1 and Schedule 3(a,b,d) medicines (e.g. amphetamine/Adderall, methylphenidate/Ritalin, methadone) cannot be imported even with a foreign prescription; verify any controlled medicine before travel (see documentation).
Documentation
Schedule 1 and Schedule 3(a,b,d) medicines CANNOT be imported even with a foreign prescription, explicitly banned: amphetamine/dexamphetamine (Adderall), methylphenidate (Ritalin/Concerta) and methadone; tramadol is banned for recreational use and tightly controlled. Codeine, diazepam and some sleep aids may be carried WITH a doctor's letter, original packaging, a 2-3 month maximum supply, and a customs declaration. (Reference: a 2017 traveller received a 3-year sentence for carrying 290 tramadol tablets.)
Anti-Narcotics Law No. 182 of 1960 (as amended by Law No. 122 of 1989), Arts 33-38 · Pharmacy Law 127/1955 · (UNODC-hosted statute text) · unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Greece
Legal status
Controlled narcotic under Law 4139/2013. Zolpidem is entry 77 of ΠΙΝΑΚΑΣ Δ, the fourth table, an entry that opens «ΖΟΛΠΙΔΕΜΗ» and was placed by gazette 103 A of 25 May 2006. Zopiclone follows at serial 78 and zaleplon precedes it at 76, the three non-benzodiazepine hypnotics sitting together. The version read is the Ministry of Health consolidated edition of June 2026, and it does not rule out a later joint ministerial decision.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Greece abolished the death penalty for all crimes and no offence in the narcotics code carries it, which is carried forward from the published Greece entry and was not re-derived in this pass. Zolpidem is entry 77 of ΠΙΝΑΚΑΣ Δ, the fourth table, an entry that opens «ΖΟΛΠΙΔΕΜΗ» and was placed by gazette 103 A of 25 May 2006, so every conduct below is available against it in Greece. Article 1 paragraph 1 of Law 4139/2013 defines «ναρκωτικά» by what a substance does, by its action on the central nervous system and its capacity to cause dependence, and article 1 paragraph 2 then says those substances «περιλαμβάνονται ιδίως στους πίνακες», are included in particular in the tables. Conduct, not the table a substance sits in, is what sorts the Greek drug offences. Article 29 paragraph 1 punishes obtaining, holding, using or growing for the offender's own exclusive use with «φυλάκιση μέχρι πέντε (5) μηνών», imprisonment of up to five months. There is no fixed gram threshold anywhere in the law. The court weighs instead the type, the purity, the quantity, the frequency and duration of use, the daily dose and the particular needs of the user. Article 29 paragraph 2 allows the court to leave the offender «ατιμώρητος», unpunished, where the act was entirely occasional and unlikely to be repeated, and paragraph 3 keeps such a conviction off the copies of the criminal record that are issued. Article 20 paragraph 1 punishes trafficking with «κάθειρξη τουλάχιστον οκτώ (8) ετών», at least eight years. The fine that goes with that article runs up to three hundred thousand euro. Article 22 raises the custodial minimum to ten years where the offence is committed by an official, inside a school, barracks, police cell, prison or sports ground, within a criminal organisation, or by a repeat offender. The fine under article 22 is fifty thousand to five hundred thousand euro. Article 21 drops the exposure to up to three years for a dependent person trafficking small amounts to cover their own use, or for supplying a relative without profit. Article 30 paragraph 4 treats dependence as a separate track: an article 29 offence goes unpunished, an article 20 offence falls to at least one year, and an article 22 offence falls to at most ten years. The ceiling in the code is life imprisonment, and it is article 23 that carries it. Article 23 paragraph 1 opens «Με ισόβια κάθειρξη ή με πρόσκαιρη κάθειρξη τουλάχιστον δέκα ετών», life imprisonment or a determinate sentence of at least ten years. The fine under that paragraph is fifty thousand to six hundred thousand euro. It applies where the substance can cause grievous bodily harm and did cause grievous harm or death to another or endangered the health of many, or where an adult acts professionally to bring a minor into use. Article 23 paragraph 2 opens «Με ισόβια κάθειρξη, καθώς και με χρηματική ποινή από πενήντα χιλιάδες ευρώ μέχρι ένα εκατομμύριο ευρώ τιμωρείται». That paragraph states no lesser alternative, so life imprisonment is the only sentence it offers. The fine it names runs from fifty thousand euro to one million euro. It applies to professional financing or professional trafficking where the expected gain exceeds seventy five thousand euro, and to using weapons during the offence or to escape. Every article number, Greek phrase and euro figure in this recital is carried forward from the published Greece entry and was not re-derived in this pass. Those articles describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
Portugal
Legal status
Zolpidem is a controlled psychotropic prescription medicine in Portugal, listed in Tabela IV of Decreto-Lei 15/93, transposing the 1971 Convention Schedule IV inclusion of zolpidem.
Consequences if caught
Unlawful trafficking of this listed hypnotic is prosecuted under Decreto-Lei 15/93; personal use/possession is decriminalised and handled administratively, while a prescribed supply is lawful.
If prescribed / medical
Zolpidem is prescribed for short-term insomnia as a scheduled psychotropic medicine.
Documentation
A traveller carries prescribed zolpidem with the prescription; personal-use import for treatment is permitted within schedule limits.
Controlled. Zolpidem is printed in List III of the danh mục annexed to Nghị định 28/2026/NĐ-CP, in force 19 January 2026, which is the list the Criminal Code's own definition of chất ma túy points at, and the entry reads “Zolpidem”. Zolpidem is expressly listed in List III and therefore maps to the general narcotic quantity bands for illegal trafficking conduct.
Consequences if caught
Death is available for two of the five conducts on this row, producing under Điều 248 khoản 5 and trading under Điều 251 khoản 5, and this row takes the general narcotic ceiling rather than the lower one the Criminal Code reserves for eight substances it names by name, because zolpidem is expressly listed in List III and therefore maps to the general narcotic quantity bands for illegal trafficking conduct. That general ceiling is 9 kg of solid or 22 L of liquid, and the transport top band is 300 g of solid or 750 mL of liquid. Vietnam sorts drug offences by conduct and the five conducts do not carry the same consequences, so they are set out one at a time here, on the Criminal Code as it stands after 1 July 2025. Producing, Điều 248, Tội sản xuất trái phép chất ma túy, is available at any amount, and khoản 5 reads thì bị phạt tù chung thân hoặc tử hình, life imprisonment or death, at the band Các chất ma túy khác ở thể rắn có khối lượng 09 kilôgam trở lên, that is 9 kg or more, or Các chất ma túy khác ở thể lỏng có thể tích 22 lít trở lên, that is 22 L or more in liquid form. Possessing, Điều 249, Tội tàng trữ trái phép chất ma túy, has khoản 4 at thì bị phạt tù từ 15 năm đến 20 năm hoặc tù chung thân, fifteen to twenty years or life, and this article never carried the death penalty, before the amendment or after it. Transporting, Điều 250, Tội vận chuyển trái phép chất ma túy, is the conduct the 2025 amendment changed. Khoản 4 now reads thì bị phạt tù 20 năm hoặc tù chung thân, twenty years or life. Before 1 July 2025 the same khoản read thì bị phạt tù 20 năm, tù chung thân hoặc tử hình, and the words hoặc tử hình are gone, so transporting no longer carries the death penalty in Vietnam at any quantity. Its ordinary quantity limb for Zolpidem begins at 1 g of solid or 10 mL of liquid, and its top band is fifteen to twenty years or life from 300 g of solid or 750 mL of liquid. The life band shared by possessing, transporting and appropriating is Các chất ma túy khác ở thể rắn có khối lượng 300 gam trở lên. Trading, Điều 251, Tội mua bán trái phép chất ma túy, is available at any amount, and khoản 5 keeps life imprisonment or death at 9 kg of solid or 22 L of liquid. Appropriating, Điều 252, Tội chiếm đoạt chất ma túy, has khoản 4 at fifteen to twenty years or life and carries no death penalty. The five conducts named here are producing under article 248, possessing under article 249, transporting under article 250, trading under article 251 and appropriating under article 252, and they are articles of the Criminal Code. Death is discretionary and not mandatory in both articles that keep it, because each khoản offers thì bị phạt tù chung thân hoặc tử hình, life imprisonment or death, and the court chooses between them. No Vietnamese judgment was read for this cell, and it states no figure for how often a sentence is carried out.
Philippines
Legal status
Zolpidem is a regulated dangerous-drug preparation under Philippine Dangerous Drugs Board rules (a listed psychotropic transposing its 1971 Convention Schedule IV status); it requires an S2-licensed prescriber and is dispensed on a special prescription.
Consequences if caught
Unauthorised supply or possession of this dangerous-drug hypnotic is an offence under RA 9165, enforced by PDEA, with heavy penalties.
If prescribed / medical
Zolpidem is prescribed short-term for insomnia via an S2 (PDEA-licensed) prescription, partial filling allowed and no refill.
Documentation
A traveller should carry prescribed zolpidem with the special prescription; dangerous-drug personal-import controls apply.
Controlled. The federal schedule ordinance BetmVV-EDI carries zolpidem in list b, where the entry reads „Zolpidem“. Article 1 of the ordinance defines the controlled set as narcotics, psychotropic substances, raw materials and products with a presumed narcotic like effect, precursors and auxiliary chemicals, and article 1(2) then extends each named entry to its salts, esters, ethers, carbamates and stereoisomers and to preparations containing it. The model is closed but extended, so a chemical resemblance to the list b entry is not by itself enough to bring a compound inside it. Article 2 assigns lists a to d to Annexes 1 to 5 and list e to Annex 6. The German consolidation read for this row is dated 13 March 2026, and the German, French and Italian texts are equally authoritative.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Switzerland has no death penalty and the Betäubungsmittelgesetz authorises no life term either, so the ceiling is 20 years: BetmG article 19(2) defines the aggravated forms of the offence and StGB article 40 supplies that maximum precisely because the drug act does not reach beyond it. What brings street conduct inside article 19 at all is the list b placement of the entry „Zolpidem“ rather than the weight carried; quantity then separates the ordinary case from the aggravated serious case. Switzerland fits none of the three threshold models cleanly, because it combines one federal statutory cannabis figure, substance specific Federal Supreme Court thresholds for the aggravated serious case, and conduct based offences for which quantity is not the sole determinant, so no settled weight can be quoted here. Unauthorised consumption is a separate offence under BetmG article 19a and is not silently treated as trafficking.
If prescribed / medical
Zolpidem sits in list b of BetmVV-EDI, entered as „Zolpidem“, and the only country level rule this dossier establishes for a person carrying a drug in Switzerland is the personal use regime: BetmG article 19a keeps unauthorised intentional consumption punishable in its own right, article 19b makes the preparation of a negligible quantity for one's own consumption nonpunishable, together with qualifying free sharing for simultaneous joint consumption, and article 19b(2) fixes that negligible quantity at 10 g of cannabis and at nothing else. The figure is federal law rather than a cantonal tolerance, so it gives no margin to a list b substance such as zolpidem, and cantonal police and prosecutors administer the rule without being able to replace it. No prescription, import certificate or traveller exemption specific to zolpidem was established in this dossier, so nothing here authorises a foreign prescription at the Swiss border.
Documentation
Carry no zolpidem into Switzerland on the strength of this row, and keep any medicine you are lawfully entitled to in its original dispensing packaging with the prescription and a prescriber's letter naming the patient, the active ingredient and the dose. The provenance is the EDI ordinance BetmVV-EDI in its German consolidation dated 13 March 2026, read at the Fedlex classified compilation on 18 September 2026, where the list b entry reads „Zolpidem“; the penalty articles are BetmG article 19 with StGB article 40 supplying the 20 year maximum, and the 94 page consolidation was read through its final page, so no further drug schedule follows it.
Czechia
Legal status
Zolpidem is a psychotropní látka, a psychotropic substance, in Czechia. Nařízení vlády č. 463/2013 Sb. o seznamech návykových látek carries it at příloha č. 7, seznam č. 7 psychotropních látek, and the printed entry is „Zolpidem“, in the international non proprietary name column. It is the last row of seznam č. 7, printed immediately after „Vinylbital“, and an N-ethyl analogue is a separate row in the zařazené psychoaktivní látky list. The IUPAC column reads „N,N,6-trimethyl-2-(4-methylfenyl)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-3-acetamid“, the imidazopyridine, so the medicinal parent is the seznam č. 7 row and the designer analogue is in the other instrument. The placement rests on that printed entry read in place together with the rows on either side of it, and not on a substring match or on family resemblance. This placement is read as those lists stand after nařízení vlády č. 107/2026 Sb. which is consolidated version 17 of the nařízení, in force from 25 June 2026, read at https://www.zakonyprolidi.cz/cs/2013-463 on 21 September 2026.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Article 6(3) of the Listina základních práv a svobod, ústavní zákon č. 2/1993 Sb. reads „Trest smrti se nepřipouští“, the death penalty is not permitted, so no Czech drug provision carries one. The ceiling that does run on this row is eight to eighteen years under § 283 odst. 4 of the Criminal Code, zákon č. 40/2009 Sb. which reaches unlawful production of or other dealing in an omamná or psychotropní látka where the act causes grievous bodily harm to at least two people or a death, or is done for profit of large extent, or is done in connection with an organised group operating in several states. In the instrument the entry this row turns on is identified by the chemical name N,N,6-trimethyl-2-(4-methylfenyl)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-3-acetamid, and it is that printed chemical name rather than the English common name that a Czech charge is built from. On quantity, no greater than small figure was published for this row in the sources reachable for it, and none is invented here. The fine is separate from every custodial band above. Holding no more than a small amount for personal use is an administrative misdemeanour rather than a crime, and the live cell records the penalty for that misdemeanour as a fine of up to CZK 15,000. Read in the consolidated Criminal Code, § 283 odst. 1 sets one to five years for unlawful production, import, offer, sale or holding for another, § 283 odst. 2 sets two to ten years for the first aggravated tier and § 283 odst. 4 sets eight to eighteen years for the gravest. Possession above a small amount for one's own use is § 284, up to two years at odst. 1, six months to five years at odst. 2 and two to eight years at odst. 3. Growing or processing a plant or fungus for one's own use, and other dealing with it for one's own use, is § 285, whose odst. 2 is cannabis possession at more than 200 g in the dwelling or more than 50 g away from it, and whose bands are up to six months at odst. 1 and odst. 2, up to three years at odst. 4 and six months to five years at odst. 5. Making, obtaining or holding a precursor or other object intended for unlawful manufacture is § 286, up to five years at odst. 1 and two to ten years at odst. 2. The live cell stated these as up to one year for cannabis and up to two years for other drugs under § 284, six months to five years under § 285, and one to ten years under § 283 rising to eighteen in aggravated cases, and those live figures are carried forward here beside the bands re-derived from the consolidated text. Those bands and that fine are set out here because the live cell carried them, and they describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
Uruguay
Legal status
Controlled. The national list is the Anexo I enacted by article 6 of Decreto 198/025 of 25 September 2025, which substitutes the whole consolidated list rather than adding to it, published in the Diario Oficial of 3 October 2025 and carried there only as page images, which have now been read: 526 entries across its three annexes, made under article 15 of Decreto-Ley 14.294. The annex entry read for this row is "zolpidem" in the Sicofármacos section at Lista Verde, Lista IV of the 1971 Vienna Convention. The annex prints entry names in capitals; they are given here in lower case. Zopiclona and eszopiclona are controlled nationally only and sit in the annex with an empty list column. Article 1 of Decreto-Ley 14.294 names Listas I and II of the 1961 Convention and Lista I of the 1971 Vienna Convention, which this entry is outside, so article 35 is the specific provision for it. That does not by itself exclude article 31, see the street note. The version horizon, stated outright because an absence without one expires silently and says nothing about having expired: the annexes were read as at 25 September 2025, the date of the decreto that enacts them, from the Diario Oficial page images of 3 October 2025, and the power that moves it is article 15 of Decreto-Ley 14.294 in the wording given to it by article 2 of Ley 17.016. The replacement of the whole annex that the earlier cell could not rule out has happened and has been read, and so have the three generic groups made under article 8. This does not rule out a later individual entry or a later decreto. The annex this row rests on is the current one and it was read from the source, not inferred. Article 6 of Decreto 198/025 does not add to the 2020 annex, it substitutes its own Anexo I for the whole consolidated list, and article 8 adds a control with no counterpart in Decreto 265/020: "Quedan sujetas a control todas aquellas sustancias que se encuadren dentro de los grupos genericos incluidos en el ANEXO II", all substances falling within the generic groups of its Anexo II. The official site carries those annexes only as Diario Oficial page images, 174 carillas of the edition of 3 October 2025, number 31.766, and they have been read: Anexo I Estupefacientes at carillas 7 to 12, Anexo II Sicotropicos at 12 to 21 ending in the three generic groups, Anexo III Tablas I and II at 22 to 24, 526 entries in all. The optical character recognition of those pages is not sound enough to search: it carries only about 400 of the 526 entry names and none of the fourteen on carilla 24, so the entries were read off the page images by eye and every statement here about what the annex prints rests on that reading [Certain as to what the annexes print].
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Article 26 of the Constitution provides that "A nadie se le aplicará la pena de muerte", no one shall have the death penalty applied to them, and no limb of Decreto-Ley 14.294 provides a capital sentence [Certain]. Two offence routes are in play on this row and I could not settle which governs. Article 35 punishes breach of the law in matters of import, export, production, elaboration, commercialisation or supply of the preparations in Lista III of the 1961 Convention and the substances in Listas II, III and IV of the Vienna Convention with two to six years of penitenciaría, and possession is not among its verbs [Certain]. Article 31 punishes import, export, transit, distribution, transport, possession not for one’s own consumption, storage and offering for sale of the substances article 30 names, with two to twelve years of penitenciaría and three to twelve where an organised criminal group is involved. Article 30 names, besides the article 1 lists and the precursor tables, "los que determine el Poder Ejecutivo según la facultad contenida en el artículo 15", those the Executive determines under article 15, which is the power to modify or widen the lists and tables [Certain]. The 1971 lists annexed to the 1974 text itself are short and complete, and all four were checked, not just the top two: Lista I carries ten entries, Lista II six, Lista III five and Lista IV eleven, thirty two in all. This row’s entry is in none of the four, so it reached Uruguayan law by an Executive decreto made under article 15, which is exactly what that limb of article 30 names [Certain]. Checking only Listas I and II would be the wrong test here, because article 35 is precisely about Listas II, III and IV. Whether article 31 therefore reaches this row alongside article 35, or whether article 35 is the only provision for these lists, the official text does not say and I could not settle it [Likely that both are available to a prosecutor]. The two to twelve year range is the country’s published penalty under article 31 and it is not this row’s proven exposure. Article 32 punishes organising or financing any offence in the law with four to twenty years, article 34 punishes supply or facilitating consumption with two to ten years [Certain]. Article 31 also exempts the person who transports, holds, is depositary of, stores or possesses "una cantidad destinada a su consumo personal", a quantity destined for personal consumption, assessed by the judge under the rules of "sana crítica", and the only figure it fixes is forty grams of marijuana [Certain]. Article 36 has to be read with its own scope rather than recited flatly. Its numeral 1, supply to a person under twenty one, and its numeral 6, using a home as a place of sale or storage, are limited in terms to "las sustancias a que se refiere el artículo 1° de la presente ley", and this row is outside article 1, so on the face of the text those two numerals do not reach it. Numerals 4 and 5 speak of "el delito" generically and are not so limited, so the four to fifteen year band and the five to twenty year band where the victim dies may still apply through them [Certain as to the wording]. The two amending Laws matter to this row and are named here because the articles quoted above are theirs. Ley 17.016 of 22 October 1998 article 2 gave article 15 of Decreto-Ley 14.294 the wording under which the list that places this row was made, and its article 3 gave articles 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 and 35 the wording those articles descend from; article 5 of the same Ley added the chapters that carry the precursor and chemical tables [Certain, read from the amendment notes on the consolidated text and from Ley 17.016 itself]. Ley 19.172 of 20 December 2013 does not touch article 35, and saying so is part of the answer rather than a silence: article 35 descends from article 3 of Ley 17.016 and was last rewritten by article 72 of Ley 19.889 of 9 July 2020. Ley 19.172 reaches this row only through the other route, because its article 6 rewrote article 30 and its article 7 rewrote article 31 and wrote the personal consumption exemption into it [Certain].
Argentina
Legal status
Controlled. Named individually in Anexo I, Fila 886 of Decreto 560/2019 as substituted by Decreto 122/2026, and so an estupefaciente for article 77 of the Penal Code and for every offence in Ley 23.737.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. [Certain] Re-derived in this pass from the consolidated text of Ley 23.737 published by InfoLEG: the words muerte and perpetua each return zero hits across the whole Act, so it carries neither a capital route nor a life route, and the heaviest term anywhere in it is the eight to twenty years of article 7. The scope of that measurement is this Act. It is not a statement about any other body of Argentine law. [Certain] Argentina places substances by delegated executive list. Article 40 of Ley 23.737 rewrote the last paragraph of article 77 of the Penal Code to read that el término estupefacientes comprende los estupefacientes, psicotrópicos y demás sustancias susceptibles de producir dependencia física o psíquica que se incluyan en las listas que se elaboren y actualicen periódicamente por decreto del Poder Ejecutivo nacional. Article 2 of Decreto 560/2019 then makes that a dual list: it considers estupefacientes las sustancias incluidas en la lista del Anexo I y las sustancias que queden incluidas en los grupos químicos de la lista del Anexo II. Anexo I was substituted by Decreto 122/2026, published 02/03/2026, and now runs to 886 numbered rows. Anexo II carries seventeen chemical groups and has not been substituted. A search of Ley 23.737 for a substance name is therefore not a scheduling result. [Certain] Placement read in this pass at Anexo I, Fila 886. The entry reads: Sustancia "Zolpidem", Denominación Química "N,N,6-trimetil-2-p-tolilimidazol[1,2-a]piridina-3-acetamida". [Certain] This is the last numbered row of the current Anexo I, which confirms the total of 886 substances that the decree recital states. [Certain] The list read for this row is the complete Anexo I, all 886 numbered rows, taken from the text-layer PDF that the Boletín Oficial publishes and that the decree's own NOTA names as the place its annexes appear. Its sha256 is 197fce006cd7388d4eb06adae573487d2fe820976f55f242d0623e3215deca62 and a copy is kept at research/instruments/argentina/. The low resolution image served on the two normativa pages omits one page of that annex, Fila 614 to 651; the Boletín Oficial PDF does not, and every figure here was read from the PDF. [Certain] Every statement above about what the list does and does not contain was read as at the Anexo I substituted by Decreto 122/2026, published 02/03/2026, read together with Anexo II of Decreto 560/2019, which was the current text when this cell was written. This does not rule out a later decree substituting or amending either annex, and it does not rule out a placement under some instrument other than these two. [Certain] Re-derived in this pass from the articles themselves. Article 14 first paragraph sets prisión de uno a seis años, one to six years, and a fine for anyone who holds estupefacientes. Article 14 second paragraph reduces that to un mes a dos años, one month to two years, when, por su escasa cantidad y demás circunstancias, surgiere inequívocamente que la tenencia es para uso personal. Article 5 sets prisión de cuatro (4) a quince (15) años, four to fifteen years, y multa de cuarenta y cinco (45) a novecientas (900) unidades fijas, for anyone acting sin autorización o con destino ilegítimo who sows or cultivates, produces, manufactures, extracts or prepares, trades or holds for the purposes of trade, distributes, gives in payment, stores or transports, or delivers, supplies, applies or facilitates to others for payment. A delivery free of charge is tres (3) a doce (12) años, three to twelve years. Article 5 drops to un mes a dos años, one month to two years, where the escasa cantidad sown or cultivated shows unequivocally it was to obtain estupefacientes for the person's own consumption, and to seis (6) meses a tres (3) años, six months to three years, where a free and occasional supply was plainly for the recipient's own use. Article 6 sets the same four to fifteen years for importing and then illegitimately altering the declared destination, dropping to three to twelve years where the quantity shows unequivocally the goods were not for trade. Article 7 sets prisión de ocho (8) a veinte (20) años, eight to twenty years, y multa de noventa (90) a mil ochocientas (1.800) unidades fijas for organising or financing any of the article 5 or article 6 activities. Article 11 raises the penalties in the preceding articles en un tercio del máximo a la mitad del mínimo for its six listed aggravations, among them use of a person under eighteen, violence or deceit, three or more organised participants, and commission near a school, a health centre, a place of detention or a sporting or cultural institution, and the same sentence caps the increase in its own words, sin que las mismas puedan exceder el máximo legal de la especie de pena de que se trate. Arithmetic on article 7 plus article 11 gives twenty six years and eight months, which is a derivation and not a figure the Act states, and the species cap governs it. Article 17 lets the court suspend the sentence in an article 14 second paragraph case where personal use and dependence are proved and order a curative measure instead, and a satisfactory result exempts the person from the penalty. Article 16 adds a curative measure to the sentence of any dependent person convicted of any offence. [Likely] Carried from the live cell rather than re-derived here, because the ruling is not on the instrument pages read in this pass: the 2009 Corte Suprema decision in Arriola held the article 14 second paragraph penalty unconstitutional for consumption in private that harms nobody else, under article 19 of the Constitution. That ruling binds its own case. Lower courts vary, police still arrest, and the statute fixes no gram threshold, so decriminalised is not legalised and sale and purchase remain criminal.
Colombia
Legal status
Controlled. Anexo Técnico 1 of Resolución 116 de 2026, the Ministry of Health resolution of 27 January 2026 that replaced article 4 and the four technical annexes of Resolución 315 de 2020, lists it at entry 467, Zolpidem, chemical name N,N,6-trimetil-2-p-tolilimidazol[1,2-a]piridina-3-acetamida, Lista Verde, Lista IV. The entry carries the Lista Verde, which the source note to Anexo Técnico 4 identifies as the list of psychotropic substances under international control, so Penal Code article 376 reaches it on the article's own words. [Certain]
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Article 11 of the Constitución Política reads, in its own words, that el derecho a la vida es inviolable and that no habrá pena de muerte, so no Colombian drug offence carries a capital penalty. [Certain] The entry read for this row is entry 467, Zolpidem, chemical name N,N,6-trimetil-2-p-tolilimidazol[1,2-a]piridina-3-acetamida, Lista Verde, Lista IV. Penal Code article 376, as replaced by article 11 of Ley 1453 de 2011, punishes unauthorised import, transit, export, transport, carrying, storage, keeping, manufacture, sale, offer, acquisition, financing or supply of a narcotic, psychotropic or synthetic drug contemplated in schedules one, two, three and four of the 1971 United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances, with 128 to 360 months of imprisonment and a fine of 1,334 to 50,000 monthly legal minimum wages. Its second and third paragraphs graduate that by quantity, to 64 to 108 months up to 200 g of droga sintética and to 96 to 144 months up to 4,000 g. Article 384 doubles the minimum of those figures in its listed aggravations, among them use of a minor and commission in or near a school. [Certain] Ley 30 de 1986 article 2(j) fixes the dosis para uso personal at not more than 20 g of marihuana, 5 g of marihuana hachís, 1 g of cocaine or any cocaine-based substance and 2 g of metacualona, and adds that it is not a personal dose, whatever the quantity, where the purpose is distribution or sale. Sentencia C-221 de 1994 declared article 2(j) exequible and articles 51 and 87 of Ley 30 inexequibles, resting on article 16 of the Constitution, the right to the free development of personality. The protection is judicial rather than statutory: article 11 of Ley 1453 de 2011 rewrote article 376 without the words salvo lo dispuesto sobre dosis para uso personal that the earlier text carried, and Sentencia C-491 de 2012 then upheld the rewritten article only on the understanding that it does not criminalise carrying or keeping a dose exclusively destined for personal consumption. Decriminalised is not the same as lawful: sale and supply stay criminal at any quantity. No printed figure covers this substance. [Certain]
If prescribed / medical
Colombia's traveller rule runs through the medicamentos de control especial regime. This substance is listed at entry 467, Zolpidem, chemical name N,N,6-trimetil-2-p-tolilimidazol[1,2-a]piridina-3-acetamida, Lista Verde, Lista IV. Anexo Técnico 3 of Resolución 116 de 2026 names Zolpidem Tartrato, Hemitartrato on its human list, and article 1 of that resolution extends the control to every medicine with two or more active principles containing it and to every pharmaceutical form, concentration and presentation authorised by INVIMA or by ICA, without the list being updated. Ley 30 de 1986 article 3 limits the use and possession of estupefacientes to medical and scientific ends under Ministry of Health regulation, and article 20(a) routes import and sale through the Fondo. Penal Code article 379 punishes a doctor, dentist, nurse or pharmacist who illegally prescribes, supplies or applies a dependence-producing drug with 48 to 144 months and 80 to 180 months of professional disqualification. The specific traveller certificate requirements were not established in this pass, because Resolución 1478 de 2006 could not be retrieved from an official source. [Certain] as to the listing.
Costa Rica
Legal status
Controlled. Article 1 of Ley 7786, as integrally reformed by Ley 8204, fixes the scope by reference to the substances included in the 1961 and 1971 Conventions and the 1988 Convention, and the Ministerio de Salud reproduces those listas in Spanish in its national fiscalizacion list and adds a short Otros agregados section of national additions. This row was read as a named entry in Lista IV of the 1971 Convention. The offence articles are 58 and 77. [Certain] for the placement, with the entry text recorded in the documentation.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Article 21 of the Constitution provides "La vida humana es inviolable", the human life is inviolable, and the word "muerte" appears zero times across the 81 pages of the consolidated Act. Both of those were measured in this pass and together they are what carries the heading. Costa Rica is an abolitionist state of long standing, [Likely] on the nineteenth century date, which was not re-derived here. Unauthorised trafficking conduct carries eight to fifteen years. Article 58 provides "Se impondra pena de prision de ocho a quince anos a quien, sin autorizacion legal, distribuya, comercie, suministre, fabrique, elabore, refine, transforme, extraiga, prepare, cultive, produzca, transporte, almacene o venda las drogas". That is eight to fifteen years for unauthorised distribution, commerce, supply, manufacture, processing, extraction, preparation, cultivation, production, transport, storage or sale. Article 77 raises the range to eight to twenty years where one of its eight enumerated aggravating circumstances is present, and twenty years is the ceiling this Act identifies. No article states a weight threshold, so the trigger is the unauthorised act and never a quantity. The second paragraph of article 58 reaches possession only "para cualquiera de los fines expresados", that is possession for one of those trafficking purposes. Ley 7786 creates no offence of consumption and no offence of simple possession for personal use. Article 79 answers a person consuming in a public place with voluntary and free treatment in a public or private health centre, not with a penalty.
If prescribed / medical
A lawful medical route exists only through the authorisation the Act itself demands. Article 58 opens with the words "sin autorizacion legal", so conduct carried out under a Costa Rican authorisation falls outside the offence and conduct without one falls inside it whatever the amount. Article 2 confines handling to the quantities needed for medical treatment, toxicological and chemical analysis and research, and requires authorised prescribers to use the official forms supplied by the Ministerio de Salud, whose entries carry the character of a sworn declaration. The Direccion de Drogas y Estupefacientes administers that control under Decreto 45161-S of 17 June 2025 and publishes the fiscalizacion list. The national list files this row among the psicotropicos rather than the estupefacientes, which is the less strict of the two prescription regimes it operates.
Dominican Republic
Legal status
Not listed. Zolpidem has no entry. It is an imidazopyridine and not a benzodiazepine, and the non benzodiazepine hypnotics the law does list, «Glutetimida» under code 2550, «Metiprilón» under 2575, «Etclorovinol» under 2540 and the chloral compounds, are the older generation and not this one. It is not named in the five Categorías of article 8 of Ley 50-88, which are the only substance schedules the law prints and which no statute has amended since 7 June 1990, nor in the article 2 definitions, nor in the precursor table of Capítulo V of the Reglamento as that chapter was replaced by article 5 of Decreto 275-21 on 26 April 2021, as at 21 September 2026.
Consequences if caught
The law lists hypnotics by individual name across three Categorías, and none of those names is this substance. Article 75 sets the prison band by the role the case is classified into: six months to two years for simple possession, three to ten years for a distributor, a seller or an intermediary, five to twenty years for a trafficker, and thirty years for a patrocinador. The quantity scales that decide which of those roles a case falls into are printed for cocaine in article 5 and for marihuana and hashish in article 6, and Ley 50-88 prints no quantity scale for any other substance. The fines run with the same roles: RD$1,500 to RD$2,500 for simple possession, RD$10,000 to RD$50,000 for a distributor or an intermediary, not less than the value of the drugs seized and never less than RD$50,000 for a trafficker, and not less than RD$1,000,000 for a patrocinador. Article 59 adds five to twenty years with a fine of not less than RD$250,000 for taking a controlled drug into or out of the national territory in international traffic, and thirty years with a fine of not less than RD$1,000,000 where the Dominican Republic is the final destination. Article 58 classifies illicit trafficking, the manufacture, distribution or possession of equipment for producing controlled drugs, and the acquisition or laundering of the proceeds, as delitos graves to be punished with the maximum of the penalties and the fines, and its párrafo calls illicit trafficking an international offence. Article 85 doubles the penalty for a reincident trafficker or patrocinador and caps the resulting prison term at thirty years, and article 87 withdraws provisional liberty on bail, conditional liberty and the conditional pardon of the sentence from every offence in this law. Those figures are set out here because this row is placed outside that regime, so they are recorded as the Dominican Republic's published drug penalties and not as this substance's exposure. Ley 50-88 provides no death penalty for any drug offence, and the highest prison term it prints anywhere is thirty years.
If prescribed / medical
Zolpidem is a prescription hypnotic. Because it carries no entry in the Categorías of Ley 50-88, its prescription position is governed by the general medicines regime under Ley 42-01 rather than by the drug law. Carry any prescribed supply in its original packaging with the prescription and the dispensing label, and confirm the requirement with your embassy before travel.
Jamaica
Legal status
No current named entry for Zolpidem was proved in the Dangerous Drugs Act. The searches recorded for this row ran «zolpidem», «zolpidem», spelling variants and the chemical name across the consolidated text and returned no named entry and no closed group rule. Section 10(1) is the operative list of drugs to which Part IV applies and it names only medicinal opium, any extract or tincture of the plant cannabis sativa, morphine and its salts, diacetylmorphine and the other esters of morphine, cocaine and ecgonine with their salts and esters, the dihydrocodeinone and morphine N oxide group, and thebaine with the ethers of morphine; Part IIIA reaches ganja alone, defined in section 2 by reference to the plant and its resin. The row checks the imidazopyridine hypnotic as its own psychotropic medicine entry. There is no First Schedule of substances in this Act to consult: the Schedule it carries is the set of licence Forms A, B and D. Section 11(2) and 11(3) let the Minister extend Part IV by order, and orders of that kind are published as separate Legal Notices which this consolidation does not reproduce, so absence from section 10 is not a finding that this substance is uncontrolled in Jamaica.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. The words death, capital and hanging appear nowhere in the 43 page consolidated Dangerous Drugs Act, and every penalty limb in it stops at imprisonment: thirty five years on conviction before a Circuit Court under sections 7B, 8A and 8B, and five years or less on summary conviction before a Resident Magistrate. No penalty limb is assigned to this row, because no placement was proved and a ceiling copied across from a neighbouring row would be an invention. The searches recorded were «zolpidem», «zolpidem», spelling variants and the chemical name, and the row checks the imidazopyridine hypnotic as its own psychotropic medicine entry. If an identification or a Ministerial order under section 11 were to bring the material within Part IV, sections 8A and 8B would carry the thirty five year Circuit Court ceiling and the summary alternative of a fine not exceeding five hundred thousand dollars or five years. If it were identified as ganja or its resin, the ounce based scale in sections 7B and 7C would apply instead. Neither of those is asserted here.
If prescribed / medical
Where this substance is carried as a prescribed medicine, the question Jamaican law asks is not the quantity but the authorisation. Section 8B(1) prohibits possession of a Part IV drug save as authorized by a licence or under regulations made under the Act, section 9(1)(c) provides for regulations «for regulating the issue by medical practitioners of prescriptions containing any such drug and the dispensing of any such prescription», and section 19 provides that licences, permits and authorities «issued or granted by the Chief Medical Officer» carry whatever terms the Minister prescribes. A foreign prescription is not a Jamaican authorisation and does not become one on arrival. No schedule placement attaches to this row on the face of this instrument, so nothing in the Act tells a traveller which authorisation, if any, would be the right one to hold. The term recorded for this row in the compilation is «zolpidem», and the identification question that has to be settled before any authorisation answer is given is the one this row was drawn around, which checks the imidazopyridine hypnotic as its own psychotropic medicine entry.
Ireland
Legal status
Zolpidem is a controlled drug in Ireland. The placement recorded for this row is: Schedule 4, Part 1; S.I. 210/2022, Sch. 4 Part 1. The entry relied on prints “Zolpidem”, and that is the wording this placement rests on. Zolpidem is expressly listed in Schedule 4, Part 1. Section 2 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 is what turns a scheduled substance into a controlled drug for that Act's offences, and the schedules themselves are set by the Regulations named above rather than by the Act, so a placement moves when an amending instrument moves it. This row is in Schedule 4, Part 1, the same part that carries the six benzodiazepine member rows in this table, although zolpidem is not a benzodiazepine and is not one of the six the benzodiazepines row resolves.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Ireland has no death penalty, so nothing on this row can reach one. The exposure that does run is imprisonment, and it runs because of where this row sits: Schedule 4, Part 1; S.I. 210/2022, Sch. 4 Part 1. The entry that puts it there prints “Zolpidem”, so what follows runs from that entry and not from the substance's reputation. Section 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 makes simple possession an offence and section 27(1)(b) permits up to 7 years on indictment for it. Section 15 reaches possession for unlawful sale or supply and section 27(3) permits life imprisonment for that. Section 15A is the presumptive offence and the source read here records it applying at €13,000, which is a market value of the drugs and is not a weight, a dose count or a quantity threshold of any kind. Sections 27(3C) and 27(3D) then carry the ten year presumptive minimum and the narrow grounds on which a court may go below it. The 2010 Act does not run alongside any of this, because section 2(1)(f) of that Act puts a controlled drug outside it. The source's own ceiling line for this row reads: For zolpidem, 1977 Act s. 27(1)(b) permits up to 7 years for possession on indictment; s. 27(3) permits life for s. 15 supply; s. 15A applies at €13,000 with the s. 27(3C)-(3D) ten-year rule; 2010 Act excluded by s. 2(1)(f). Read as at 20 September 2026. These are the statutory ceilings the source records and they are not a prediction of what any court would impose.
If prescribed / medical
Not established for Ireland in the source read here, and deferred rather than guessed. The dossier this cell was authored from carries no prescription column and no traveller column, and no source for one, so nothing is asserted about whether a visitor may bring zolpidem into Ireland, what a foreign prescription is worth at an Irish border, or what licence, certificate or authorisation Ireland requires for it. That was not researched and it is not inferred here. What the row does establish is its placement, which reads: Schedule 4, Part 1; S.I. 210/2022, Sch. 4 Part 1. Attached to this substance, the wording read for it is “Zolpidem”, and that is a scheduling record rather than anything about medicine. This row's own words record no medical limb, no exemption and no prescribing route of any kind, so there is nothing in it to attach to even conditionally. A scheduling fact is not a prescribing route, and the silence in this field is an absence of research rather than a permission.
Austria
Legal status
Austria controls this under the Psychotropenverordnung as a psychotropic substance. In the Psychotropenverordnung, Annex 1 point 2 carries Zolpidem. The dossier is explicit that zolpidem has its own entry and is not classified as a benzodiazepine, so the benzodiazepine class row does not answer for it. Nothing operative is written into that line. It is a listing, and the words that create liability are the authorized purpose rule in SMG §5(1) and the §30 offence that follows it. SMG §3(1) defines a psychotropic substance as one subjected to the §2(1) restrictions by the United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances, contained in Schedules III and IV of that convention, and designated as a psychotrope by ministerial regulation; §3(2) permits further national designations, and the Psychotropenverordnung is the regulation that carries the list. The Psychotropenverordnung extends its Annex 1 names to salts and preparations, and it carries no equivalent blanket derivative or isomer clause, which is a narrower reach than the narcotics instrument has. Its analogous preparation exemption runs at 0.01 per cent.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. This substance tops out at ten years, under SMG §31(3) and §31a(3). The life ceiling in SMG §28a(5) belongs to the narcotics instrument, which this is not in, and Austrian law carries no death penalty. Zolpidem is a point 2 psychotrope in its own right, so the benzodiazepine class label neither raises nor lowers where it sits. The middle tiers are §31(1) at two years and §31(2) at five years for preparation, and §31a(1) at three years and §31a(2) at five years for trafficking, with the subsection (4) reductions of one, three and five years under the §27(5) conditions. SMG §31b requires the psychotrope threshold to be set on the pure active substance, exactly as §28b does for narcotics. Separately from that, and carried forward from this site's published Austria entry rather than re-derived from the Suchtmittelgesetz in this pass, the published penalties are these. Austrian practice is depenalised and not legalised, and the published entry says so in those terms. There is no legal minimum quantity, and possession of any amount for personal use is punishable under section 27, up to six months in prison or a fine. Under Therapie statt Strafe at section 35, small quantity personal use is typically provisionally suspended from prosecution on one to two years of probation where the person accepts counselling or treatment. Consumption itself is not criminalised, but the possession that precedes it is. Above the Grenzmenge, the threshold quantity, the offence becomes dealing or trafficking under sections 28 and 28a, up to one to three years, escalating to ten to fifteen years for commercial or organised cases. Every figure in this paragraph is a penalty range or a fine and none of them is a quantity threshold. They describe the offences that this row's placement in the Austrian Suchtgift and psychotrope lists brings into play.
If prescribed / medical
Poland
Legal status
Controlled. Poland names this substance in its own national list. «ZOLPIDEM» is entry lp. 71 in group IV-P of Załącznik nr 1, the psychotropic annex, with an imidazopyridine designation, so an imidazopyridine hypnotic sits in the group that otherwise holds the benzodiazepines. Article 33(1) of the 2005 Act allows group IV-P to be used for medical, industrial or research purposes.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Poland has no death penalty, and the exposure on this row is a term of years at most, reached only where the holding is outside the prescription. Possession is an offence under article 62(1) of the 2005 Act and the band there is up to three years. Where the quantity is considerable, article 62(2) sets a band of one year to ten years. In a case of lesser gravity article 62(3) provides instead for a fine, a restriction of liberty or up to one year. Article 62a lets proceedings be discontinued, even before the decision to open an investigation, where the quantity is insignificant and intended for the holder's own use and a penalty would be inexpedient. That is a power of the prosecutor and not an entitlement of the holder, so it is not decriminalisation. A dispensed supply is lawful to hold, and the band reaches a holding outside the prescription. Supply offences sit apart from possession. Article 56 punishes putting such a substance on the market with a fine and six months to eight years, and article 56(3) raises that to a fine and two years to twelve years where the quantity is considerable. Article 59(1) punishes supply for gain with one year to ten years. The published Poland entry links the group IV-P placement to the 1971 Convention Schedule IV inclusion of zolpidem, and that link is carried forward from the published Poland entry and was not re-derived in this pass.
If prescribed / medical
Prescribed short term for insomnia as a group IV-P psychotropic medicine on the controlled prescription form.
Documentation
For a prescribed controlled medicine on Schengen travel, carry the certificate issued under article 75 of the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement, together with the original packaging and the prescription.
Rozporządzenie Ministra Zdrowia z dnia 17 sierpnia 2018 r. w sprawie wykazu substancji psychotropowych, środków odurzających oraz nowych substancji psychoaktywnych, tekst jednolity Dz.U. 2024 poz. 1139 · api.sejm.gov.pl · Rozporządzenie Ministra Zdrowia z dnia 30 kwietnia 2025 r. zmieniające to rozporządzenie, Dz.U. 2025 poz. 598, w mocy od 22 maja 2025 r. · Updated September 21, 2026
Croatia
Legal status
Zolpidem is a psihotropna tvar, a psychotropic substance, in Croatia. The Popis droga, psihotropnih tvari i biljaka iz kojih se može dobiti droga te tvari koje se mogu uporabiti za izradu droga, NN 19/2023, carries it at Odjeljak 4. of the psychotropic list, the section for substances under Schedule 4 of the 1971 Convention, and the printed entry is »zolpidem«, with »Zolpidem« in the column of English names and »N,N,6-trimetil-2-p-tolilimidazo[1,2-a]piridin-3-acetamid« as its description or chemical name. It closes the section, immediately below »vinilbital«, and that placement was taken from the rows read around it rather than from a substring match. Zolpidem is the last row of the Schedule 4 psychotropic section, after vinilbital, and it is a listed substance in Croatia notwithstanding that it is an ordinary hypnotic prescription. This placement is read in the Popis as published at NN 19/2023 of 17 February 2023, in force 18 February 2023, together with its only amendment, NN 154/2024 of 30 December 2024, read at https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2023_02_19_331.html on 21 September 2026.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Article 21 of the Ustav Republike Hrvatske reads »U Republici Hrvatskoj nema smrtne kazne«, there is no death penalty in the Republic of Croatia, and Article 41 of the Kazneni zakon lists the only punishments as a fine, imprisonment and long term imprisonment. A charge on this row is built from the printed entry »zolpidem« at the psychotropic list, Odjeljak 4. and it is that Croatian entry rather than an English common name that identifies the substance for Croatian purposes. Article 190 of the Kazneni zakon supplies the criminal bands, and its subject is »tvari koje su propisom proglašene drogom«, substances declared a drug by regulation, so a Popis entry is what brings a row within it. Article 190(1) sets six months to five years for unauthorised production or processing. Article 190(2) sets three to twelve years for producing, processing, transporting, exporting, importing, acquiring or possessing such substances intended for unauthorised sale, and for offering, selling or brokering them. Article 190(3) sets three to fifteen years where the sale is to a person with severe mental disturbance or to a child, or takes place at or near a school or another place serving the education, upbringing, sport or social activity of children, or in a penal institution, or where an official commits it in the course of duty. Article 190(4) sets not less than three years for organising a network of resellers or intermediaries, and Article 190(5) not less than five years where the act causes considerable damage to the health of a larger number of people or the death of the person sold to. Article 190(8) requires confiscation of the substances, the plants and fungi they come from, and the means of production, transport and consumption. Article 190(2) read one to twelve years until Article 10 of the Zakon o izmjenama i dopunama Kaznenog zakona, NN 136/2025, replaced the word »jedne« with »tri«, and it has read three to twelve years since that Act came into force on the eighth day after its publication on 5 November 2025. Article 44(1) of the Kazneni zakon caps a term of imprisonment at twenty years, which is what bounds the open ended minima in Article 190(4) and Article 190(5), and Article 46 puts long term imprisonment of twenty one to forty years outside the reach of Article 190. It closes the fourth psychotropic section, and its presence there means an ordinary sleeping tablet is a listed substance for carriage purposes. The live cell recorded that since 1 January 2013 personal use possession of any drug has been reclassified from a kazneno djelo, a criminal offence, to a prekršaj, a misdemeanour, and that is carried forward here. It recorded the misdemeanour fine as roughly 660 to 2,650 euro. It recorded possible short misdemeanour detention of up to 90 days, confiscation, and no arrest for possession alone. On quantity it recorded that there is no statutory personal use quantity and that courts decide case by case, and that hedge is carried forward as it stood. It recorded cultivation or production without intent to sell as six months to five years. It recorded sale, import, export or possession for sale as three to twelve years. It recorded aggravated cases, near schools, to children or organised, as up to fifteen to twenty years. It recorded that medical cannabis has been legal since October 2015 on prescription, capped at 0,75 g of THC per month and limited to residents. It recorded that claims of a 2026 reform introducing a five gram cannabis threshold are not supported by any primary source and should be disregarded. Read against the control Act, the misdemeanour the live fine belongs to is Article 54(1) point 1 of the Zakon o suzbijanju zlouporabe droga read with Article 54(3), which makes possession contrary to Article 3(1) a misdemeanour for a natural person. The fine that provision prints is 5.000,00 to 20.000,00 kuna or imprisonment of up to 90 days, because the Act's consolidation still carries the pre euro figures, and at the fixed conversion rate that range is about 663 to 2,654 euro, which reconciles with the live figure rather than replacing it. Article 190 as read carries no possession for own use offence at all, which is consistent with the live cell's 2013 reclassification but is not proof of it. The words without intent to sell are the live cell's gloss and not the statute's: Article 190(1) is unauthorised production or processing, and Article 190(7) deems unauthorised growing of a plant or fungus from which a drug can be obtained to be production. The 0,75 g monthly cap appears in nothing read for this cell; Article 13(6) to (9) of the control Act permits cannabis cultivation and production for medical purposes on an approval from the health ministry, and the monthly figure is carried forward from the live cell and was not re-derived. Those bands, that fine and those quantity words are set out here because the live cell carried them, and they describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
Hungary
Legal status
Controlled. Zolpidem is a named entry of the P4 jegyzék carried in the 2. melléklet to 78/2022. (XII. 28.) BM rendelet az ellenőrzött anyagokról. Column A of row 67 reads «Zolpidem (zolpidem)». Column C reads «N,N,6-trimethyl-2-p-tolylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-3-acetamide». N-ethyl zolpidem is row 314 of the table at point 6.1 of the 3. melléklet and is a different molecule. Paragraph 4.2 of the P4 jegyzék extends the entry to «a fenti anyagok sztereoizomerjei, ha azok a feltüntetett kémiai névnek megfelelnek», and to their salts where those exist. Hungary carries the list outside the Act: the Criminal Code names no substance and the delegated rendelet carries the jegyzékek, which is the outward reference model and the second of the three. Section 459(1a) of the Criminal Code, 2012. évi C. törvény, inserted by section 26 of 2025. évi XIX. törvény, reads «E törvény alkalmazásában kábítószer a 78/2022. (XII. 28.) BM rendelet 1. mellékletében a kábítószerek 1. vagy 2. jegyzékén szereplő anyag, 2. mellékletében a pszichotróp anyagok 1. vagy 2. jegyzékén szereplő anyag, valamint 3. mellékletében meghatározott anyag.», so the K1 and K2 jegyzékek of the 1. melléklet, the P1 and P2 jegyzékek of the 2. melléklet and the whole of the 3. melléklet are inside the Criminal Code definition and the P3 and P4 jegyzékek are not. The P3 and P4 jegyzékek remain controlled schedules of the rendelet, and an entry there alone does not place a substance in the ordinary section 176 trafficking lane. This is read from the consolidated text of the rendelet as in force on 29 June 2026, as those lists stand after the amendment made by 1/2026. (VI. 19.) EÜM rendelet, which is the last amendment reflected in the text that was read.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Hungary has no death penalty. It does have life imprisonment for a drug offence, and that is the ceiling here. In Hungary Zolpidem sits at row 67 of the P4 jegyzék of 78/2022, which section 459(1a) does not carry into the Criminal Code. Criminal Code section 176(1) makes offering, handing over, putting into circulation or trading in a drug a bűntett punishable by two to eight years, «Aki kábítószert kínál, átad, forgalomba hoz, vagy azzal kereskedik, bűntett miatt két évtől nyolc évig terjedő szabadságvesztéssel büntetendő.». Section 176(3) raises that to five years to twenty years or life imprisonment where the offence is committed in respect of a significant quantity, «A büntetés öt évtől húsz évig terjedő vagy életfogytig tartó szabadságvesztés, ha a bűncselekményt jelentős mennyiségű kábítószerre követik el.». The live Hungary cell recorded the life ceiling under section 176(3) and this pass re-derived the same provision from the Act and adds the five to twenty year band printed beside it. Section 178(6) makes consuming a drug, and acquiring, holding or ordering for import a small quantity for consumption, a vétség punishable by up to two years, «Aki kábítószert fogyaszt, illetve csekély mennyiségű kábítószert fogyasztás céljából megszerez, tart vagy az ország területére történő behozatal céljából megrendel, ha súlyosabb bűncselekmény nem valósul meg, vétség miatt két évig terjedő szabadságvesztéssel büntetendő.». Section 180(1) is a conditional non punishment route and not a numerical decriminalisation rule: it requires the offender to admit the offence, «a bűncselekmény elkövetését beismeri,», to prove by document before the first instance decision at least six months of continuous treatment for dependence, other care for drug use or a preventive and informative service, «az elsőfokú ügydöntő határozat meghozataláig okirattal igazolja, hogy legalább hat hónapig folyamatos, kábítószer-függőséget gyógyító kezelésben, kábítószer-használatot kezelő más ellátásban részesült, vagy megelőző-felvilágosító szolgáltatáson vett részt, és», and to disclose the circumstances and enable the seller to be identified before the indictment, «a vádemelésig az elkövetés körülményeit feltárja, illetve lehetővé teszi a kábítószert értékesítő személy kilétének a megállapítását.». The live Hungary cell recorded those three conditions and this pass re-derived them from the Act. Section 180(2) closes that route where within the preceding two years the proceedings were suspended on that ground or the offender was held liable for drug trafficking or drug possession, and section 180(2a) closes it where the offender has already taken it twice, «Az (1) bekezdés nem alkalmazható akkor sem, ha az elkövető az (1) bekezdés b) pontja szerinti lehetőséget már két alkalommal igénybe vette.». Section 461 supplies the quantity definitions that grade the offence, so a quantity figure in Hungary selects the band rather than creating a lawful allowance. No section 461 small quantity value follows from this row. Section 459(1a) carries the K1 and K2 jegyzékek, the P1 and P2 jegyzékek and the 3. melléklet into the Criminal Code and does not carry the P3 or the P4 jegyzék, so the graduated quantity scheme in section 461 has nothing to attach to here. The live Hungary cell recorded the same result for a P3 or P4 entry, and this pass re-derived it from the text of section 459(1a). No fine figure attaches to any of those provisions in the text read: the Criminal Code states them as custodial bands and the rendelet states no penalty of its own. Those are Criminal Code provisions rather than rendelet provisions, and this row is placed outside that regime, so they are recorded as Hungary's published drug penalties and not as this substance's exposure.
Cambodia
Legal status
Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Cambodia's authorities (Law on the Control of Drugs) / your embassy
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not named in the cited Cambodian source (Law on the Control of Drugs 1996, as amended), do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Cambodia ABOLISHED the death penalty in 1989 (constitutional), there is NO death penalty for any drug offence; the maximum is LIFE imprisonment. ENFORCEMENT: a 2017 anti-drug campaign sharply increased arrests and post-2019 tourist-area enforcement tightened, foreigners are routinely jailed, and the old 'smokers' paradise' reputation is OUTDATED.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
Cambodia ABOLISHED the death penalty in 1989 (constitutional); the maximum penalty for any drug offence is LIFE imprisonment. There is no medical, recreational, or industrial cannabis provision. Enforcement tightened sharply after a 2017 anti-drug campaign and post-2019 in tourist areas, foreigners are routinely jailed and the old 'smokers' paradise' reputation is OUTDATED. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Law on the Control of Drugs (1996, amended 2005, 2011/2012), Arts 40/45 · UNODC and Amnesty International (corroborative) · cdc.gov.kh · unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Sri Lanka
Legal status
Dangerous drug under Sri Lanka's Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (Chapter 218): Group B Section 2 item 161, 「Zolpidem N,N,6-trimethyl-2-p-tolylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-3-acetamide」. Zolpidem is the last numbered entry in Section 2, immediately before the six generic clauses. It is a named entry and not a member of any class clause. The model: the list is inside the Ordinance and the power to change it is delegated, with a parliamentary lock on the delegation. Section 48 provides that 「the drugs, substances, articles or preparations, specified for the time being in Groups A, B, C, D and E in Part I of the Third Schedule, shall be deemed to be dangerous drugs」. Section 2(1) then provides that 「regulation」 means a regulation made under this Ordinance and published in the Gazette, 「and includes the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Schedules」, so the Third Schedule is itself a regulation. The empowering section is section 80. Section 80(2)(b) lets the Minister make regulations 「for adding any item to or deleting any item from, or altering, varying or amending in any other way, any of the lists or Groups of poisons and dangerous drugs set out in the First and Third Schedules」, and section 80(3) then provides that 「No regulation so made shall have effect unless it has been approved by Parliament and notification of such approval has been published in the Gazette」. So the delegation is real but it is locked to an affirmative vote, and in practice the 2022 changes were made by primary legislation rather than by regulation. The Act was last amended by the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act, No. 7 of 2026, certified 6 March 2026. The Third Schedule was last amended by section 6 of the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act, No. 41 of 2022, certified 23 November 2022 and published as a supplement to Part II of the Gazette of 25 November 2022, which substituted Group B of Part I and the whole of Part III. Act No. 7 of 2026 does not touch the Third Schedule.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Section 54A(1) has four limbs and they do not carry the same exposure. Limb (a) punishes any person who 「manufactures any of the following dangerous drugs, namely heroin or cocaine or morphine or opium」 with 「a sentence of death or life imprisonment」, with no quantity stated. Limbs (b), (c) and (d) punish trafficking, importing or exporting, and possession, of 「any dangerous drug set out in Column II of Part III of the Third Schedule in excess of the amount set out in the said Column II」, with the penalty in Column III. Part III Column II is headed 「Pure Quantities」, and Column I is headed 「Traffics, possess, imports or exports」, so possession is inside the same ladder as trafficking. Section 54B extends the same punishment to abetting, attempting and acts preparatory to or in furtherance of a section 54A offence. Since Act No. 7 of 2026 a parallel section 54AA applies the same two structures on the high seas, aboard a ship registered in Sri Lanka or a stateless ship. For a dangerous drug that is not in Part III, section 54A never engages, because limbs (b), (c) and (d) operate only on a drug 「set out in Column II of Part III」. The charge is the general penalty in section 78(5): on summary conviction by a Magistrate a fine of one thousand to ten thousand rupees or up to five years or both, and on conviction before the High Court a fine of ten thousand to twenty five thousand rupees or six months to seven years or both. Section 78(6) requires the written consent of the Attorney-General before non-summary proceedings. Zopiclone and zaleplon, the other Z drugs, are not named in the parts of the schedule read for this cell, so zolpidem's listing does not carry across to them. Neither reaches this substance, at any quantity, and the reason is structural rather than a matter of degree. The death and life penalties in this Ordinance live in exactly two places. Section 54A(1)(a) attaches them to the manufacture of 「heroin or cocaine or morphine or opium」 and names no other drug. Limbs (b), (c) and (d) attach the Column III penalties to 「any dangerous drug set out in Column II of Part III of the Third Schedule」, and Column II names only opium, 「Morphine, Cocaine, Heroin and Methamphetamine」, and cannabis. This substance is in none of those, so section 54A cannot engage however much of it is involved, and section 54AA cannot either, because it is built on the same two structures. Being a dangerous drug under section 48 is not the same thing as being in Part III, and the corpus this cell replaces repeatedly ran the two together.
Morocco
Legal status
Not confirmed. This substance is in no entry of tableaux A, B or C annexed to the dahir of 2 December 1922 as annexed in 1922, read complete from the page image on 22 September 2026, and in no entry of tableaux I to IV of the 1971 Convention as printed at Bulletin officiel 3590 on 19 August 1981, thirty two entries read complete from the page image. That pair of absences does not make it lawful. Article 1 of the 1922 dahir provides that substances are inscribed in tableaux A, B and C by arrêté, and the operative arrêté was not read, so the list that would decide this row was not in front of the author. Zolpidem is an imidazopyridine, a non-benzodiazepine hypnotic first marketed in 1988, seven years after the latest schedule among the instruments held. The dossier's claim that « Zolpidem. » is printed in tableau IV is anachronistic: that annex was printed in 1981 and its eleven entries are barbiturates, carbamates and older sedatives.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. No article of dahir portant loi 1-73-282 of 21 May 1974 provides death or life imprisonment. The ceiling in that dahir is article 2, five to ten years. Conduct distinction. Article 2 of dahir portant loi 1-73-282 of 21 May 1974 punishes whoever imports, produces, manufactures, transports, exports or unlawfully holds « les substances ou plantes classées comme stupéfiants » with five to ten years and a fine of 5.000 to 500.000 dirhams. Article 8 punishes unlawful use of one of those substances or plants with two months to one year and a fine of 500 to 5.000 dirhams, or one of those two penalties only, and suspends prosecution where the person consents to a cure de désintoxication after medical examination on the requisition of the procureur du Roi. Both articles operate only once classification as a narcotic is established, and for this row it is not: the substance is in no printed entry that was read, and the arrêté that populates tableau B was not among the instruments held. So no penalty range can be attached to this substance with confidence, and the ranges above are stated to show the ceiling that would apply if it were classified, not to assert that it is. Article 13 lets the sentencing court ban a foreign national from the territory for five to ten years, without prejudice to administrative expulsion. Article 11 requires confiscation of substances seized in the cases the dahir covers.
If prescribed / medical
The country level rule is the 1922 dahir's: substances intended for human or veterinary medicine are inscribed in section II of tableaux A, B and C by arrêté of the health administration, and each tableau carries its own dispensing chapter, with tableau B the strictest. A prescribing rule is not a criminal schedule and neither settles the other. Zolpidem is a prescription hypnotic. No domestic schedule placing it was read for this cell. Carry the prescription and declare it.
Documentation
The chain has three links and the enumerated list sits in the middle one. Dahir portant loi 1-73-282 of 28 rebia II 1394 (21 May 1974), published at Bulletin officiel 3214 of 5 June 1974, pages 928 and 929, enumerates no substance at all. Its article 1 punishes contravention of the dahir of 12 rebia II 1341 (2 December 1922) on the importation, trade, holding and use of substances vénéneuses, or of the regulatory texts made for its application, concerning « les substances classées comme stupéfiants et inscrites au tableau B », and its articles 2, 3, 4 and 8 attach to « les substances ou plantes classées comme stupéfiants ». Classification therefore happens under the 1922 dahir. Article 1 of that dahir, as modified by the dahir of 17 March 1953, divides substances into « Tableau A: produits toxiques », « Tableau B: produits stupéfiants » and « Tableau C: produits dangereux », and provides that they are inscribed in section I and section II of each tableau by arrêté. The operative arrete was not read for this cell. The table annexed to the 1922 dahir and printed in the ONSSA consolidated text read on 22 September 2026 is the original annex as annexed in 1922; it carries no sections, so it predates the structure article 1 now describes. Dahir 1-80-140 of 17 December 1980, at Bulletin officiel 3590 of 19 August 1981, page 404, is a publication dahir: it publishes the 1971 Vienna Convention on psychotropic substances as annexed, and it creates no offence and inscribes nothing in tableau B. Its tableaux I to IV are the treaty's own schedules as printed in 1981, thirty two entries in total, and they were read complete from the page image. Placement for zolpidem: in no entry of any tableau read, and the operative arrêté was not read. Search record. Zolpidem, Stilnox, Ambien and the imidazopyridine stem were each searched and each returns zero in all four instruments. All searching was done with word boundaries enforced and with plural tolerance, after a search for tetrahydrocannabinol returned a false zero on the gazette's own plural. The dossier for this jurisdiction was treated as A term list and its printed Entry claims were not accepted. It presents English substance names inside a French quotation frame, attributes them to the 1981 Bulletin officiel, and names substances that postdate that printing by decades. Every entry quoted in this cell was read from the rendered page image of the gazette at 150 dpi, because the text layer of the 1974 and 1981 scans carries optical character recognition damage.
Qatar
Legal status
Controlled as a psychotropic medicine in Qatar under Law No. 19 of 1993, named at entry 74 of the Ministry of Public Health list of controlled psychotropic medicines in the State of Qatar, and it is not named in Table 1 or Table 2 of Law No. 9 of 1987. Ministerial Decision 22 of 2015 is the instrument that put it there: its article 2 adds zolpidem and GHB to the second schedule of Law No. 19 of 1993, and Ministerial Decision 2 of 2025 later removed GHB from that schedule and added it to the criminal tables, leaving zolpidem. Article 1 of Law No. 19 of 1993 makes the substances, medicines, drugs and pharmaceutical preparations set out in its attached schedules psychoactive substances for that Law, and article 14 gives the Minister of Public Health the parallel power to amend those schedules. The distinction between the two Laws is the whole of this row: a controlled-medicine listing is not a placement in the criminal tables. The current substance schedule of Law No. 19 of 1993 is not published on the Al Meezan portal, whose schedule note for that Law returns only the 1993 preparations schedule as two images, so the Ministry's own list is the best published evidence located for this placement. Article 1 of Law No. 9 of 1987 provides «تعتبر مواد مخدرة أو مؤثرات عقلية خطرة في تطبيق أحكام هذا القانون المواد والمؤثرات العقلية المبينة في الجدولين رقمي (1) و(2) الملحقين به. ويستثنى منها المستحضرات المبينة بالجدول رقم (3).», making the narcotic drugs and dangerous psychotropic substances for this Law those set out in attached Tables 1 and 2, and excepting from them the preparations set out in Table 3. The power to move a substance in or out is article 33, «يجوز بقرار من وزير الصحة العامة تعديل الجداول الملحقة بهذا القانون بالحذف أو الإضافة أو تغيير النسب الواردة فيها.», which lets the Minister of Public Health amend the attached tables by deletion, addition or change of the stated percentages. This reading is stated as at the Ministry list and the ministerial decisions read at the publisher on 22 September 2026.
Consequences if caught
The exposure here is not capital and not life, and saying so precisely is the point of this row. Law No. 19 of 1993 carries its own penalties and they are nothing like Law No. 9's. Article 15 provides at most three years, or a fine of at most ten thousand riyals, or either of them alone, for a breach of its article 3, doubles that on recidivism, and orders confiscation of the substance and of the apparatus and vessels used in every case. Article 16 provides at most two years or a fine of at most ten thousand riyals for a doctor who issues a prescription without medical justification, and adds closure of the clinic and revocation of the licence on recidivism. Article 17 provides at most one year or a fine of at most five thousand riyals for supplying for consumption or facilitating it, and for a licensee who uses the substance outside the permitted purpose. There is no capital or life term in that Law and no quantity threshold anywhere in it. For completeness, the figures Law No. 9 of 1987 carries are these. Article 34 opens «يعاقب بالإعدام أو الحبس المؤبد وبغرامة لا تزيد على خمسمائة ألف ريال ولا تقل عن ثلاثمائة ألف ريال», punishment by death or life imprisonment, and the word or is what leaves death discretionary at the base tier. The same article then provides «وتكون العقوبة الإعدام وبغرامة لا تزيد على خمسمائة ألف ريال ولا تقل عن ثلاثمائة ألف ريال في حالة العود.», making death the punishment on recidivism, and extends that same result to an offender who is a public official charged with drug control and to one who involves a person under eighteen, an ascendant, a descendant, a spouse or a person in his charge. Article 35 opens «يُعاقب بالحبس مدة لا تزيد على عشرين سنة ولا تقل عن عشر سنوات وبغرامة لا تزيد على أربعمائة ألف ريال ولا تقل عن مائتي ألف ريال», ten to twenty years for possession, acquisition, purchase, sale, delivery, receipt, transport, cession, exchange, dispensing or brokering with intent to traffic, for supplying for consumption for consideration and for keeping a place for consumption for consideration. Article 35 then provides «وتكون العقوبة الحبس المؤبد وبغرامة لا تزيد على أربعمائة ألف ريال ولا تقل عن مائتي ألف ريال في حالة العود.», life imprisonment on recidivism, and attaches life to its stated aggravations as well. Article 37 sets six months to three years for personal use, possession for use or consumption, lets the court order treatment instead for a proved addict for not less than three months and not more than a year, and article 38 bars prosecution altogether for a user who presents for treatment of his own accord. No quantity threshold appears anywhere in articles 34, 35, 37 or 41. Weight does not select the tier and a foreign threshold table has no work to do here. The fines are stated in the same articles and are separate from the custodial terms: article 34 adds a fine of not more than five hundred thousand riyals and not less than three hundred thousand, article 35 not more than four hundred thousand and not less than two hundred thousand, its no-consideration limb and article 41 not more than two hundred thousand and not less than one hundred thousand, and article 37 not more than twenty thousand and not less than ten thousand. This row is placed outside that regime, so they are recorded as Qatar's published drug penalties and not as this substance's exposure.
Kuwait
Legal status
Controlled substance under Decree Law 159 of 2025. Zolpidem is listed at Group 2, table 4, serial P4-86, and on the Group 4 list.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: not established. Articles 42 and 43 of Decree Law 159 of 2025 are the articles that carry death or life imprisonment, and both take «المواد أو المستحضرات المخدرة أو المؤثرة عقلياً» as their object, which article 1 defines by reference to the decree's tables. Three routes were tried for those tables in this pass and none produced them: the full-text page for the decree returned 404, a Kuwaiti practitioner guide states that the schedules are not reproduced, and a search of the Official Gazette located the 84 articles but not the annexes. So whether this substance sits in a table that articles 42 or 43 reach was not established, no capital provision is asserted for this row, and none is ruled out. Conduct distinction. Article 49 punishes taking or possessing Zolpidem for personal use with imprisonment not exceeding five years and a fine not exceeding five thousand dinars, rising to ten years where the offence happens in a prison, police station, rehabilitation or addiction treatment centre, place of worship, educational place or sports club. Article 48 punishes possession, import, smuggling, purchase, production or manufacture without any of the statutory intents with up to ten years, rising to fifteen in those same places. Article 50 punishes running a place for consumption with up to ten years, or fifteen years and a fine of fifty thousand to one hundred thousand dinars if done for money. Intent to traffic is what moves the conduct into the capital articles. Zolpidem is on the Group 4 list, so article 52 limb 2 reduces the article 49 personal use offence, and only that offence, to imprisonment not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding five thousand dinars. It does not reduce articles 42 and 43. Article 42 of Decree Law 159 of 2025 reaches bringing in or smuggling with intent to traffic, producing or manufacturing with intent to traffic, and cultivating a plant listed in table 5 with intent to traffic. It opens يعاقب بالإعدام أو الحبس المؤبد, death or life imprisonment, with a fine of one hundred thousand to two million dinars, so death is discretionary on the article's own wording. Article 43 reaches possessing, buying or selling with intent to traffic, promoting, and bartering or supplying for money for consumption, and opens the same way, with a fine of fifty thousand to five hundred thousand dinars. Neither article sets a quantity threshold. The trigger is بقصد الإتجار, the purpose of trafficking, and it is the fine, not the penalty, that scales to the value of the goods. Article 44 makes death mandatory where an article 42 or 43 offence carries an aggravating circumstance. It reads تكون العقوبة الإعدام في الجرائم المنصوص عليها في المادتين السابقتين إذا توفر فيها ظرف من الظروف المشددة and states no alternative penalty. The circumstances are recidivism, using a minor or a person of unsound mind or anyone under the offender's authority, giving the substance to a minor to consume, commission in a prison, police station, rehabilitation or addiction treatment centre, place of worship, educational place or sports club, and abuse of official position. Article 45 makes death mandatory for founding or running a gang organisation, even abroad, for article 42 or 43 offences, reading يعاقب بالإعدام alone.
Peru
Legal status
This substance is carried by Peru's controlling schedule. Anexo N. 2 of the Reglamento approved by Decreto Supremo 023-2001-SA carries it at Lista IV B item 89, which prints Zolpidem, and what the list prints is the operative text rather than any chemical resemblance to it. The search was run over Anexo N. 2 under zolpidem. The substance sits on a list the Reglamento allows to be prescribed and dispensed under control rather than on the prohibited Lista I A or Lista I B. The listing read is Anexo N. 2 of the Reglamento approved by Decreto Supremo 023-2001-SA, in the Catalogo de Sustancias Controladas published by the Direccion General de Medicamentos, Insumos y Drogas and marked NOVIEMBRE_2024_V1, which is the version this row was settled against as at 21 September 2026. Article 86 of Decreto Ley 22095 and the closing provisions of that Decreto Ley let the annexed lists be altered by Resolucion Suprema, so reading that version does not rule out a later list. Placement decides only that the substance is controlled; the criminal classification still turns on the conduct and on whether it was authorised. The convention limb of article 2 reaches it as well: the 1971 Convention Schedule IV carries this substance at code PZ 002, printed ZOLPIDEM, read in the INCB list this pass, so the placement does not stand on the domestic catalogue alone.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. This is not a flat abolition. Article 140 of the 1993 Constitution, read in the official text in this pass rather than carried, provides that la pena de muerte solo puede aplicarse por el delito de traicion a la patria en caso de guerra, y el de terrorismo, conforme a las leyes y a los tratados de los que el Peru es parte obligada. The penalty therefore exists in Peruvian constitutional law and reaches two offences, neither of which is a drug offence. Read against the offence articles themselves, every one of Codigo Penal articles 296 to 303 states pena privativa de libertad with a numeric range and none of them states death. The ceiling that does run is 25 to 35 years under the final paragraph of article 297, which reaches the agent who acts as jefe, dirigente o cabecilla of an organisation dedicated to illicit drug trafficking or to the inputs for its elaboration, and applies the same range where a person uses illicit drug trafficking to finance terrorist activity. That ceiling is available on this row because Anexo N. 2 carries the substance at Lista IV B item 89, which prints Zolpidem. Article 296 first paragraph sets 8 to 15 years and 180 to 365 dias-multa for promoting, favouring or facilitating illegal consumption by acts of manufacture or trafficking; its second paragraph sets 6 to 12 years for possession for illicit trafficking; its third paragraph sets 5 to 10 years for supplying raw materials or chemical substances, controlled or not controlled, destined for illegal drug elaboration; and its fourth paragraph sets 5 to 10 years for a conspiracy of two or more persons. Article 297 raises the range to 15 to 25 years for its listed aggravations. Article 298 sets 3 to 7 years for microcomercializacion and microproduccion within its own quantity bands, rising to 6 to 10 years where the conduct also answers aggravations 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 of article 297. Article 298 sets its own quantity bands, which are the figures that keep conduct inside the lesser offence: 50 g of pasta basica de cocaina and its illicit derivatives, 25 g of clorhidrato de cocaina, 5 g of latex de opio or 1 g of its derivatives, 100 g of marihuana or 10 g of its derivatives, and 2 g of extasis. Article 297 numeral 7 sets the ceilings at the other end: 20 kg of pasta basica, 10 kg of clorhidrato, 5 kg of latex de opio or 500 g of its derivatives, 100 kg of marihuana or 2 kg of its derivatives, and 15 g of extasis. The 2003 amendment the previous cell cited, Ley 28002 of 17 June 2003, is part of this lineage and derogated article 296-D, but it is not the current wording of these articles: articles 296, 297, 298 and 299 were replaced again by Decreto Legislativo 982 of 22 July 2007, and articles 296 and 297 again by Decreto Legislativo 1237 of 26 September 2015, which is the text read here. Article 299, in the wording given it by article 2 of Decreto Legislativo 982 of 22 July 2007, makes possession for the holder's own and immediate consumption not punishable in a quantity not exceeding five grams of pasta basica de cocaina, two grams of clorhidrato de cocaina, eight grams of marihuana or two grams of its derivatives, one gram of latex de opio or two hundred milligrams of its derivatives, or two hundred and fifty milligrams of extasis containing Metilendioxianfetamina, Metilendioximetanfetamina, Metanfetamina or sustancias analogas. Its second paragraph excludes the possession of two or more kinds of drug from that protection, so two substances each under their own figure is an offence where either alone would not have been. Article 299 prints no figure for this substance. Its five limbs name cocaine paste, cocaine hydrochloride, marihuana and its derivatives, latex de opio and its derivatives, and extasis, and nothing else, so the non-punishable quantity rule has no stated figure to offer this row. Article 303, as replaced by the second complementary modifying provision of Ley 30219 of 8 July 2014, provides that a foreign national who has served the custodial sentence imposed, or who is granted a penitentiary benefit, is expelled from the country and barred from returning. Carried from the previous cell and not re-derived in this pass: about 60 per cent of drug detentions in Peru are for use or possession, police frequently treat a possessor as a trafficker, and up to 15 days of preventive detention can apply. Article 89 numeral 13 of Decreto Ley 22095, defining droga, closes by providing that para los efectos de la represion penal se considera unicamente las listas I y II A, so the Decreto Ley's own definition limits criminal repression under it to Lista I and Lista II A. The Codigo Penal articles set out here speak instead of drogas toxicas, estupefacientes o sustancias psicotropicas without naming a list, and which of the two framings governs a prosecution is not settled by anything read in this pass. This entry sits outside Lista I and Lista II A.
Chile
Legal status
Controlled. Decreto 867 artículo 2, the lista of substances that do not produce those grave effects.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Chile abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes by Ley 19.734 of 2001 [Likely, carried from a secondary source], and the escala general de penas in artículo 21 of the Código Penal, re-derived in this pass from the consolidated text of 20 November 2018, opens at presidio perpetuo calificado and names no death penalty [Certain]. No provision of Ley 20.000 carries a death penalty [Certain]. Ley 20.000 splits substances in two. Artículo 1 inciso primero reaches those capable of grave toxic effects or considerable harm to health, and inciso segundo reaches other drugs of the same kind that do not produce those effects. Decreto 867 puts the first group in its artículo 1 and the second in its artículo 2, so which artículo an entry sits in is what fixes the penalty range [Certain]. Placement: Decreto 867 artículo 2. The entry read in full is "Zolpidem". It is the last entry of the original alphabetical run in artículo 2, printed after "Vinilbital", and everything following it in that artículo is a later addition given by chemical name: the bupropion, fenazepam, carfentanilo and etizolam entries [Certain]. Zolpidem is an imidazopyridine rather than a benzodiazepine, and Chile schedules it in the same lista as the benzodiazepines rather than separately [Certain]. Artículo 1 inciso primero of Ley 20.000 sets presidio mayor en sus grados mínimo a medio, five years and one day to fifteen years, with a fine of forty to four hundred unidades tributarias mensuales, for unauthorised elaboration, manufacture, transformation, preparation or extraction. Artículo 3 applies the same penalties to trafficking, and its second inciso treats importing, exporting, transporting, acquiring, transferring, abstracting, possessing, supplying, keeping or carrying as trafficking [Certain]. Artículo 1 inciso segundo allows the penalty to be reduced by up to one degree for substances in this group, which takes the floor to presidio menor en su grado máximo, three years and one day to five years. The reduction is discretionary on the wording podrá rebajarse, so the inciso primero band stays available to the court [Certain]. Artículo 4 punishes possessing, transporting, keeping or carrying small quantities with presidio menor en sus grados medio a máximo, five hundred and forty one days to five years, and a fine of ten to forty unidades tributarias mensuales, unless the holder justifies a medical treatment or exclusive personal use proximate in time [Certain]. Artículo 19 raises the penalty by one degree where any of its twelve listed aggravations applies, and permits two degrees where two or more concur. One degree above the artículo 1 band is presidio mayor en sus grados medio a máximo, ten years and one day to twenty years [Certain]. The two degree ceiling turns on Código Penal degree arithmetic that I did not settle in this pass, so it is not established here. Artículo 50 makes consuming in a public place, and holding or carrying in such a place for exclusive personal use proximate in time, a falta punished by a fine of one to ten unidades tributarias mensuales, attendance at a prevention programme for up to sixty days or treatment for up to one hundred and eighty days, or community work of up to thirty hours, with an accessory driving licence suspension of up to six months. The same penalties reach consumption in a private place where those present agreed beforehand to consume [Certain]. Artículo 50 refers to the drugs mentioned in artículo 1 of the law, which covers both incisos and so both listas [Certain]. A falta is not a prison sentence, but it can become one and this cell previously said it could not. Artículo 52 provides that where the fine under artículo 50 letter a) is not paid, the court may substitute the prevention, treatment or community service penalty, that any such substitution requires the agreement of the convicted person, and that in the absence of that agreement the court shall impose reclusion by way of substitution and enforcement of the fine, at one day for each third of a unidad tributaria mensual, never exceeding six months [Certain]. The same reclusion follows revocation where an imposed treatment or prevention penalty is not complied with [Certain]. Because the artículo 50 fine runs from one to ten unidades tributarias mensuales, one day per third of a unidad puts the ceiling reachable from that fine at thirty days, and the six month figure is the statutory cap rather than an outcome this route can reach [Certain]. Artículo 52 also lets the court waive the fine or set it below the legal minimum in duly qualified cases [Certain]. Artículo 51 requires the pecuniary sanction to be applied at its maximum where the falta is committed in a place of detention, a military or police precinct by an outsider, or in an educational or health establishment by someone who works there [Certain]. Decreto 867 states no numerical quantity for any substance and artículo 4 works from the open phrase pequeñas cantidades, so the line between artículo 4 and artículo 3 is judicial and not arithmetic [Certain]. The artículo transitorio of Ley 21.817 orders the Ministerio de Seguridad Pública to amend Decreto 867 within six months of publication, so by 23 November 2026, to add a new classification for substances harmful even in low quantities. The consolidated Decreto 867 read in this pass carries no list framed on quantity, so that classification is still pending [Certain].
New Zealand
Legal status
Controlled, and named rather than inferred. Schedule 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 names or describes zolpidem, an imidazopyridine hypnotic of the Z-drug group, as a Class C controlled drug, and the entry reaches the relevant salts and preparations. New Zealand's list is closed for named substances, so a named entry settles the class without recourse to the section 2 controlled-drug-analogue limb that carries sixteen other rows in this table. It is not a benzodiazepine, yet it sits in the same Schedule 3 class as the six benzodiazepines this table names. The consolidation read was the one current at 20 September 2026, with the Order of 2025 commenced on 27 November 2025 as the latest instrument actually in force.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. The death penalty was abolished and no life term reaches Class C. The section 6 dealing ceiling for zolpidem is 8 years and the section 7 possession ceiling is 3 months. The 8 year figure is subject to the Act's adult-supply distinctions. A health-centred prosecution response is directed for qualifying possession, and that is discretion rather than legality. A hypnotic handed to a friend before a flight is a supply under section 6, and the figure above is the ceiling for it.
If prescribed / medical
Not established for a traveller. This dossier carries no country-level rule for entering New Zealand with a prescribed medicine: it records that medicines status has to be checked alongside the analogue exclusions and the Psychoactive Substances Act 2013 route, and that a court-grade conclusion can turn on the medicine exclusions, but it states no declaration requirement, no permit, no quantity allowance and no carry limit at the border, and none was researched for this cell. What is established is the placement a traveller would be read against: zolpidem is a Class C controlled drug under Schedule 3, with sections 6 and 7 supplying the offences. Sleep medication is among the most commonly carried items across any border, and the placement is the lowest class. Do not read that placement as a ruling on a lawfully prescribed and lawfully carried supply, which is a different question this cell does not answer. Settle the border question with the Ministry of Health, whose classification order implementation page this dossier cites, and with the New Zealand border authority, before travelling.
Documentation
Carry the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 consolidation current at 20 September 2026, which is the official New Zealand Legislation text rather than a secondary summary. Read the Schedule 3 zolpidem entry, and do not treat the benzodiazepines row in this table as covering it. Carry the class and the ceiling as two separate readings, because Schedule 3 supplies the class for zolpidem while sections 6 and 7 supply the maximum. Carry the classification chain this finding was read against as well: the 2022 and 2025 Classification and Presumption of Supply Orders with their commencement orders, the 2024 pseudoephedrine amendment, and the 2026 Order, which was made but is not treated as law in this dossier because its own section 2 leaves commencement to the Governor-General and no commencement instrument was located by the horizon. Carry the date as well, 20 September 2026, because in New Zealand a classification order can move a substance between classes without a word of the Act changing.
South Africa
Legal status
Not confirmed. This substance is not printed in Schedule 1 or Schedule 2 of the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act 140 of 1992, and its position under the Medicines Act schedules is not established from what this cell holds.
Consequences if caught
The single printed sedative of this receptor family is "Flunitrazepam." in Schedule 2 Part I. This substance is an imidazopyridine and not a benzodiazepine, so it has no diazepine ring and shares no more than a fused bicyclic nitrogen heterocycle with the printed entry. It does act at the same receptor. That leaves the row resting entirely on the second half of the homologue definition, with the first half unsatisfied, which is the same shape as the etizolam row but further away structurally. The limb in question is Part III paragraph 2 (e), which reads "(e) all homologues of the listed substances (being any chemically related substances that incorporate a structural fragment into their structures that is similar to the structure of a listed substance or exhibit pharmacodynamic properties similar to the listed substances in this Part of the Schedule), unless listed separately in any Part of Schedule 2." The equivalent limb in Part I is paragraph 2 (c) and is worded identically for that Part. If the limb does reach this substance the consequences are the ordinary ones for the Part the listed relative sits in: section 4 (b) with section 17 (d) at up to 15 years for use or possession, and section 5 (b) with section 17 (e) at up to 25 years for dealing. If it does not, the Act does not reach the substance at all. This cell does not choose between those two outcomes. The two routes that could close this question are not available from what this cell holds. The Act supplies no test for deciding a homologue case, and the Medicines and Related Substances Control Act 101 of 1965 schedules, which are the other place a South African answer could come from, are not held in this repository and were not read for this cell. Capital exposure: none, and life exposure: none. Section 17 sets out the whole penalty scale of this Act and its highest figure is 25 years for dealing; no provision of the Act carries a death sentence or a sentence of life imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical
No prescription route can be stated for this substance, because the instrument that would answer that question is the Medicines and Related Substances Control Act 101 of 1965 and its consolidated schedules, which are not held in this repository. The Drugs Act's own exceptions in section 4, paragraphs (i) to (vi), run through a practitioner and through that Act, so they cannot be applied to this substance without it. The dossier assigns this row a medicine schedule number from a consolidated document not held in this repository, and that number is not repeated here.
Documentation
Search record. The terms searched were zolpidem, Stilnox, imidazopyridine, zopiclone and zaleplon. All five return zero occurrences, so the whole non-benzodiazepine hypnotic group is absent from the Act and not only this member of it. The text read for this cell is the Juta consolidation of the Act downloaded on 29 May 2025, taken from the Department of Justice copy at justice.gov.za whose sha256 begins bc1216a3. It carries the substitution of Schedules 1 and 2 by section 2 of Act 14 of 2022 with effect from 14 December 2022, and it marks section 7 of the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act 7 of 2024, the provision that would amend Schedule 2 again, as not yet put into operation by proclamation. The schedules are stated as at that consolidation and this does not rule out a later amendment made or commenced since.
Kenya
Legal status
Not a controlled drug under Cap. 245 on the text read: it is not named in the First Schedule of narcotic drugs, the Second Schedule of psychotropic substances, the Third Schedule of prohibited plants or the Fourth Schedule of precursor chemicals, as at 31 December 2022. The nearest entry read and rejected is "MIDAZOLAM" in the Second Schedule, which names a different substance.
Consequences if caught
The nearest entry read and rejected is "MIDAZOLAM", printed in the Second Schedule list of psychotropic substances. That entry is the nearest imidazole-bearing sedative printed and it is an imidazo-benzodiazepine. Zolpidem is an imidazopyridine, a different ring system, and is not printed in any of the four schedules. This is stated as at the Kenya Law revised edition of Cap. 245, being the text as at 31 December 2022 as revised by the 24th Annual Supplement (Legal Notice 221 of 2023), read on 22 September 2026, which the publisher marks as the latest version of the Act. Section 3(2)(b) sets imprisonment of not less than 5 years for possession of a narcotic drug or psychotropic substance other than cannabis, and section 4, which reaches trafficking and possession alike, sets a term of 30 years on its lower band and of 50 years on its upper one. The quantity bands are possession of less than 1 gram under section 3(2)(b), between 1 and 100 grams under section 4(a)(i), and more than 100 grams under section 4(a)(ii). The fines are not less than 5,000,000 shillings under section 3(2)(b), not less than 30,000,000 shillings under section 4(a)(i), and not less than 50,000,000 shillings or three times the market value, whichever is greater, under section 4(a)(ii), each expressed as an alternative to imprisonment or in addition to it. Cap. 245 carries no death penalty, and imprisonment for life appears only at section 4(b)(i), for precursor chemicals and for substances held out to be narcotic or psychotropic, and at section 4B(5), for conspiracy. Those figures are carried across every Kenyan row because Cap. 245 sets them country wide rather than substance by substance, and this row is placed outside that regime, so they are recorded as Kenya's published drug penalties and not as this substance's exposure.
If prescribed / medical
Cap. 245 does not reach this substance on the text read, so the section 3(3) exemption for a licence or a prescription is not the provision that governs it. Kenya's medicines, pharmacy and poisons legislation, its customs rules and any import permit requirement sit in other instruments, and none of them was read for this cell, so nothing here settles whether a traveller may bring this substance into Kenya. Carry any prescription you hold and put the question to a Kenyan mission before you travel.
Documentation
This row rests on an absence, so it carries the version of the list it was read against. Cap. 245 is the controlling instrument. It carries four schedules, the First for narcotic drugs, the Second for psychotropic substances, the Third for prohibited plants and the Fourth for precursor chemicals, and none of the four uses entry numbers, so no numbered placement is asserted anywhere in this batch. The text read incorporates the Narcotics, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) (Amendment) Act, 2022 (No. 4 of 2022), assented on 24 February 2022 and commenced on 21 March 2022, which replaced the whole of section 3(2), replaced section 4 outright, inserted sections 4A and 4B, inserted the word tramadol in the First Schedule, inserted the word ketamine in the Second Schedule and added the Fourth Schedule, and which carries no transitional or savings provision. This is stated as at the Kenya Law revised edition of Cap. 245, being the text as at 31 December 2022 as revised by the 24th Annual Supplement (Legal Notice 221 of 2023), read on 22 September 2026, which the publisher marks as the latest version of the Act. Section 87 lets the Cabinet Secretary by order add a substance or plant to the First, Second or Third Schedule or delete one from it, and no order made after 31 December 2022 was found by the routes tried, which does not rule out a later one.
Belgium
Legal status
Zolpidem is a controlled substance in Belgium because it is listed. The Royal Decree of 6 September 2017 prints it at Annex III, where the entry is the name zolpidem and no further text. That entry proves listing and does nothing more. It carries no article number and no operative provision of its own, and every operative provision comes from the instrument named for this row, the Royal Decree of 6 September 2017, where article 2 defines the controlled substances through Annexes I to V and article 61 routes a breach back to the Law of 24 February 1921. Belgium works a delegated model: article 2bis §1 of the Law of 24 February 1921 punishes breaches concerning substances whose list is settled by the King, and the Royal Decree of 6 September 2017 supplies that list. The named lists are closed, so pharmacological resemblance, a similar spelling or a substring match cannot enlarge them. The dossier notes it separately as a non benzodiazepine hypnotic that nonetheless has its own printed Annex III entry, so it is not reached through any benzodiazepine description.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Belgium's drug law carries no death penalty and no life sentence. What does attach to zolpidem is the article 2bis ladder in the Law of 24 February 1921, which article 61 of the decree routes a breach to once the substance is listed, and here the non benzodiazepine hypnotic is named in the third annex in its own right. Article 2bis §1 sets the ordinary band at three months to five years of imprisonment with a fine of EUR 1,000 to 100,000. Article 2bis §3 raises that to ten to fifteen years for its stated aggravations, including where use following the offence causes death. Article 2bis §4 carries the ceiling, fifteen to twenty years, where the offence concerns a child under twelve or participation as a leader in an association, so twenty years is the maximum imprisonment this statute exposes. Article 2bis §5 allows a further fine of EUR 1,000 to 100,000 in the §2 to §4 cases, which makes that fine available rather than automatic. Annex III carries most of the prescribed sedatives and hypnotics, and the limb settles the traveller document question rather than the band, which article 2bis applies to any listed substance.
If prescribed / medical
The rule that applies to a traveller here is Belgium's own and it is one rule for the whole country: article 3(4)(4) of the Royal Decree of 6 September 2017. It is a document exception rather than a schedule, and it is not a prescribing right. It covers a medicine that was lawfully obtained, carried for the traveller's own personal use, and limited to no more than three months of treatment, and it expressly excludes the substances in Annex II limb A. The placement that attaches to zolpidem is Annex III, which article 3(4)(4) does not exclude, so the exception can apply on its own terms where the medicine was lawfully obtained and the personal use and three month limits are both met. Zolpidem is an ordinary prescribed hypnotic. No route specific to zolpidem was found in this dossier and none has been invented for it.
Sweden
Legal status
Controlled. Zolpidem is named in Förteckning IV of the Swedish narkotikaförteckningar, which are Läkemedelsverkets föreskrifter (LVFS 2011:10) om förteckningar över narkotika, made under 3 § förordningen (1992:1554) om kontroll av narkotika. The version read for this cell is the consolidated text, which states on its own first page that it contains amendments through HSLF-FS 2026:26. The row reads «Zolpidem N,N,6-trimetyl-2-p-tolylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-3-acetamid», and its international column reads P IV, which is Schedule IV of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Förteckning IV sits inside the II to IV band, which is the tier for substances with a medical use. Zolpidem is an imidazopyridine and not a benzodiazepine, and it is the last substance row in the table. Zopiklon, the other non benzodiazepine hypnotic, sits immediately after it in Förteckning V with no international listing.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Sweden has no death penalty for any offence, so no drug offence here carries capital exposure. The live cell recorded that unauthorised supply of this listed hypnotic is prosecuted under narkotikastrafflagen and that a prescribed personal supply is lawful.
If prescribed / medical
Prescribed short term for insomnia as a scheduled prescription hypnotic.
Documentation
A traveller carries prescribed zolpidem with the prescription. The live cell recorded that personal use import for treatment is permitted within schedule limits.
Läkemedelsverkets föreskrifter (LVFS 2011:10) om förteckningar över narkotika, konsoliderad version, as amended through HSLF-FS 2026:26, read on 21 September 2026 · 3 § förordningen (1992:1554) om kontroll av narkotika · Quotations in guillemets are the row's printed tokens in column order. Line wraps inside a name are rejoined, and a hyphen that exists only because of the wrap is dropped. Any further name printed in the row is reported in prose rather than inside the quotation, because the two column layout interleaves it into the middle of the chemical name · lakemedelsverket.se · lakemedelsverket.se · Updated September 21, 2026
Norway
Legal status
Controlled in Norway. Zolpidem is named in the narkotikaliste, the list made under section 4 of the Forskrift 14 February 2013 no. 199 on narcotics (narkotikaforskriften) and given effect by legemiddelloven section 22, where it appears as "Zolpidem". Column 2 of its row records P IV, which cross refers it to the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, schedule IV. It is listed without a reference to section 5, so it is a controlled narcotic with a lawful medical route rather than an outright prohibition.
Consequences if caught
Possession and use are forbidden by legemiddelloven section 24 first paragraph and punished under section 31 by a fine or imprisonment for up to six months, or both. Unlawful manufacture, import, export, acquisition, storage, sending or transfer is a narcotics offence under straffeloven section 231, punished by a fine or imprisonment for up to two years, and negligent commission by up to one year. An aggravated narcotics offence under section 232 carries up to ten years, a very substantial quantity carries from three to fifteen years, and under particularly aggravating circumstances up to twenty one years. The narkotikaliste read here is the Lovdata consolidation as at 16 September 2026. Its own amendment note ends with forskrift 26 August 2026 no. 1682, in force 1 September 2026, and no instrument after that was read, so this cell does not rule out a later change to the list.
If prescribed / medical
Narcotic medicines may be carried for personal medical use under narkotikaforskriften section 19 if a doctor or dentist prescribed them and the traveller can document that, for example by the package label, the prescription or a doctor's declaration. A visitor without a registered address in Norway may bring up to one month's supply at the stated dosage. A person registered as living in Norway may bring one month's supply bought in Norway, but only one week's supply bought abroad, extended to one month with a declaration from a doctor in Norway on the form set by the Directorate for Medical Products. Travellers resident in the Schengen area may present an original Schengen certificate instead, issued for Norwegian residents by a pharmacy. Customs may require the documentation at the moment of entry.
Documentation
Narcotic medicines may be carried for personal medical use under narkotikaforskriften section 19 if a doctor or dentist prescribed them and the traveller can document that, for example by the package label, the prescription or a doctor's declaration. A visitor without a registered address in Norway may bring up to one month's supply at the stated dosage. A person registered as living in Norway may bring one month's supply bought in Norway, but only one week's supply bought abroad, extended to one month with a declaration from a doctor in Norway on the form set by the Directorate for Medical Products. Travellers resident in the Schengen area may present an original Schengen certificate instead, issued for Norwegian residents by a pharmacy. Customs may require the documentation at the moment of entry.
Denmark
Legal status
Controlled under the Danish euphoriants legislation, on list E of the bekendtgoerelse om euforiserende stoffer. Lists B, D and E cover substances that may be used only for medical and scientific purposes.
Consequences if caught
This substance is named on list E of the bekendtgoerelse om euforiserende stoffer, at item 77 of list E. Lists B, D and E all cover substances that may be used only for medical and scientific purposes, and carry the same offences. Zolpidem is not a benzodiazepine but sits on the same list, which is a reminder that the lists are not organised by chemical family. The offence is in the Act rather than in the list instrument. Section 3 of the Act punishes any breach of the Act or of rules made under it with a fine or imprisonment for up to 2 years, and requires the court to weigh the harmful effects of the substance, and since 1 July 2025 its dangerousness. Where the circumstances in section 191 of the criminal code apply, that provision governs instead: transferring euphoriant substances to a larger number of people, or for significant payment, or under other particularly aggravating circumstances, carries imprisonment for up to 10 years, rising to 16 years where a significant quantity of a particularly dangerous or harmful substance is involved. Section 191(2) applies the same band to importing, exporting, buying, delivering, receiving, manufacturing, processing or possessing with intent to transfer. One thing about Denmark is widely reported the wrong way round. Section 3 of the Act says in terms that a warning cannot generally be given, and allows one only where social circumstances speak for it and the possession is an expression of strong dependence following prolonged and sustained misuse. That is a discretion narrowed by statute, not a policy of leniency, and it is the opposite of the picture most travel guidance paints. Read against the bekendtgoerelse in force on 12 December 2021, which took effect on 1 January 2022, and the Act as consolidated on 9 December 2019 and amended in June 2024 and June 2025. The minister may add a substance to the lists at any time under sections 1 and 2 of the Act, so absence from the lists as printed is not a permanent answer.
If prescribed / medical
There is a lawful medical route. Substances on lists B, D and E may be used for medical and scientific purposes, and are dispensed on prescription through pharmacies. Carry the medicine in its dispensed container with the prescription or a doctor's letter.
Documentation
Declare any controlled medicine on arrival, carry it in its original dispensed container, and carry the prescription or a doctor's letter naming the substance, the dose and the patient. Within the Schengen area a doctor's certificate under Article 75 of the Schengen Convention is the usual document for a controlled medicine. Confirm requirements with the Danish Medicines Agency and with your embassy before travel.
· Updated September 16, 2026
Finland
Legal status
Controlled. Zolpidem is a narcotic in Finland by name. Section 1 of valtioneuvoston asetus huumausaineina pidettävistä aineista, valmisteista ja kasveista 543/2008 makes the substances, preparations and plants in annexes I to V narcotics, and this row's entry sits in Liite II, the annex headed as the substances and preparations in lists I to IV of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, under list IV, which the instrument itself heads as a schedule of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, an attribution read off the annex heading and not checked against the INCB list in this pass. The entry reads «Tsolpideemi (N, N,6-trimetyyli-2- p -tolyyli-imidatso[1,2- α ]pyridiini-3-asetamidi)». The instrument italicises part of that entry and the spacing around the italicised locants is as Finlex serves it. Section 5 subsection 1 of huumausainelaki 373/2008 then forbids production, manufacture, import into Finland, export from Finland, transport, transit, distribution, trade, handling, possession and use, and allows departure from that ban only for medical, research, supervisory and industrial purposes as separately provided. The same list closes by extending itself, in the words «tämän luettelon aineiden suolat, mukaan luettuna edellä mainittujen isomeerien suolat, jos sellaisten olemassaolo on mahdollista; sekä». That annex stands as amended by 4.12.2025/1119.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. The ceiling anywhere in this regime is the ten year maximum that Criminal Code chapter 50 section 2 sets for an aggravated narcotics offence. Chapter 50 of the Criminal Code (39/1889) carries the narcotics offences. Section 1 sets a fine or up to two years for a huumausainerikos covering manufacture, cultivation, import, export, transport, sale, supply, distribution and possession. Section 2 sets one to ten years for a törkeä huumausainerikos where the object is a very dangerous narcotic or a large quantity, or substantial gain is sought, or the act is part of an organised group, or serious danger to life or health is caused to several people, or the drug is spread to minors. Section 2 a sets a fine or up to six months for a huumausaineen käyttörikos, unlawful use or possession of a small quantity for own use. Section 3 sets a fine or up to two years for preparation and section 4 the same for promotion, while section 4 a sets four months to six years for aggravated promotion. Section 7 allows the charge or the sentence to be waived where the quantity, the circumstances and the use situation make the act minor as a whole, or where the suspect has entered approved treatment. This row sits in Liite II under list IV of the decree, so those are the provisions its placement engages. The live Finland cell recorded the same three provisions and asserted no custodial term at all, and every provision it named is carried here: Criminal Code (39/1889) chapter 50, the substantive prohibitions in Narcotics Act 373/2008 section 5 with the lawful exceptions in section 3, and the consumer market conduct offence in Criminal Code chapter 44 section 5 a. The bands stated above are new to this pass and were read off the Criminal Code itself, not carried from that cell. They describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play. This row in particular. Its entry sits in Liite II, which the decree heads as the substances and preparations in the lists of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, under list IV of that annex, at printed position 67 of the 71 entries that list carries in the consolidated text read here, and the entry reads «Tsolpideemi (N,N,6-trimetyyli-2-p-tolyyli-imidatso[1,2-α]pyridiini-3-asetamidi)». In the printed order of that list the entry above it is Triatsolaami and below it comes Vinyylibitaali. The same list closes by extending itself beyond its named entries, in the words «tässä luettelossa mainittuja aineita sisältävät valmisteet.». The annex that carries this row stands as amended by 4.12.2025/1119, which is the amendment that last touched this row's annex rather than the decree as a whole. Section 5 subsection 1 of huumausainelaki 373/2008 is the prohibition that placement engages, «Huumausaineen tuotanto, valmistus, tuonti Suomen alueelle, vienti Suomen alueelta, kuljetus, kauttakuljetus, jakelu, kauppa, käsittely, hallussapito ja käyttö on kielletty.», and chapter 50 section 5 subsection 1 of the Criminal Code makes the word huumausaine in those offences mean a narcotic under huumausainelaki, so the annex entry above is what puts this row inside them. Criminal Code chapter 50 section 2 a is the small quantity limb and it opens «Joka laittomasti käyttää taikka omaa käyttöä varten pitää hallussaan tai yrittää hankkia vähäisen määrän huumausainetta, on tuomittava», so the käyttörikos reaches this row on its own terms. No quantity figure is printed anywhere in chapter 50: whether a quantity is a suuri määrä, and whether the substance is an erittäin vaarallinen huumausaine under chapter 50 section 5 subsection 2, are findings of fact and the annex position does not settle either of them. No fine figure is printed either, because a Finnish fine is a day fine set on the offender's income.
Bolivia
Legal status
Not confirmed. No individual status was established for this row. The Anexo to Ley 913 of 16 March 2017, the list article 5(c) of that Law makes operative, does not name it anywhere in Listas I to V. Lista IV carries more than thirty hypnotics and anxiolytics by name. Zolpidem, an imidazopyridine, is not among them and appears nowhere in the Anexo. The version read is the Anexo as published in Gaceta Oficial edition 947NEC on 23 March 2017, read as at 21 September 2026, and reading it does not rule out a later addition, because article 5(c) closes with las que sean incorporadas por Ley, incorporation by Law. That is an unresolved row and not a permission. [Certain] on the search, [Likely] that the substance is outside the list, because a list can be amended and a name can be printed in a form the search did not anticipate.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Article 15 I of the 2009 Constitution reads, in its own words, No existe la pena de muerte, and no limb of the Bolivian drug law carries a capital penalty. Nothing in the Anexo to Ley 913 was found to name this substance. Lista IV carries more than thirty hypnotics and anxiolytics by name. Zolpidem, an imidazopyridine, is not among them and appears nowhere in the Anexo. Ley 1008 of 19 July 1988 article 48 punishes whoever traffics in sustancias controladas with presidio de diez a veinticinco años y diez mil a veinte mil días multa, ten to twenty five years and ten thousand to twenty thousand day fines, and it makes trafficking in larger volumes an aggravating circumstance. Article 48 takes its conduct from article 33(m) of the same law, which Ley 913 left standing and which defines tráfico ilícito as producing, manufacturing, knowingly possessing, holding in deposit or storage, transporting, delivering, supplying, buying, selling, donating, bringing into the country, taking out of the country and financing. The rest of the ladder sits in the same title. Article 46, cultivating or harvesting controlled plants, one to two years and two to four on a second offence. Article 47, manufacture, five to fifteen years. Article 50, administering to another, ten to fifteen years. Article 51, supplying to another, eight to twelve years. Article 52, fifteen to twenty years where the administering or supplying gravely harms health and twenty to thirty where the conduct results in a death. Article 53, a third more where two or more people organise. Article 55, transport, eight to twelve years with definitive seizure of the vehicle. The day fine unit is the statute's own and is not converted here. Article 49 sends the dependent user and the non habitual user caught holding a minimum quantity for immediate personal consumption to a farmacodependencia institute for treatment rather than to prison. That minimum is fixed case by case on the opinion of two specialists from a public institute and no gram figure is printed anywhere in the statute. Holding more than the minimum falls into article 48. A foreign national without permanent residence who commits these acts has the residence law applied and a fine of five hundred to one thousand days, which is the sentence in the article most likely to reach a traveller and which the live cell did not carry. Those are Bolivia's published penalties. They are the country's penalties and not this row's exposure, because whether the offence reaches this substance is exactly what was not established.
Ecuador
Legal status
Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Ecuador's authorities (COIP; Constitution Art 364) / your embassy
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not named in the cited Ecuadorian sources (COIP Arts 220/228; Constitution Art 364; the repealed CONSEP table), do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Personal-use possession is non-punishable in Ecuador (Constitution Art 364 treats consumption as a public-health matter and bars criminalizing consumers; the COIP confirms personal-use possession is not punishable, and CNJ Resolution 14-2023 confirmed this remains fully in force). CRITICAL: the former CONSEP quantity table was [repealed] by Executive Decree No. 28 on 24 November 2023, the old bright-line thresholds NO LONGER EXIST, there is now NO defined personal-use quantity, and trafficking intent is assessed case-by-case (a legal grey area). Trafficking is tiered (COIP Art 220): minimum 3-5 years, medium 5-7, high 19-22, large 22-26.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
Personal-use possession is NON-PUNISHABLE: Constitution Art 364 treats consumption as a public-health matter and bars criminalizing consumers, and the COIP confirms personal-use possession is not punishable (CNJ Resolution 14-2023 confirmed this remains fully in force). CRITICAL: the former CONSEP quantity table (Resolution 001-CONSEP-CO-2013, about 10 g cannabis, 1 g cocaine, 0.1 g heroin, 0.015 g MDMA) was [repealed] by Executive Decree No. 28 on 24 November 2023; those gram thresholds NO LONGER EXIST. There is now NO defined personal-use quantity, trafficking intent is assessed case-by-case (a legal grey area). Trafficking is tiered (COIP Art 220): minimum 3-5 years, medium 5-7, high 19-22, large 22-26. Medical cannabis is legal (2019 Assembly vote; products under 1% THC via pharmacy). [contested] A REDCAN citizen cannabis-regulation initiative was pending in the National Assembly in 2025. Ecuador has NO death penalty for drugs. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Constitution (2008) Art 364 + COIP Arts 220/228 + CNJ Resolution 14-2023 + Executive Decree No. 28 (24 November 2023) · asamblea.gob.ec · defensoria.gob.ec · unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Paraguay
Legal status
Controlled. Named in Lista IV of the psicotropicos sheet of the schedule made under article 1 of Ley 1.340/1988, as the entry Zolpidem. That sheet is headed Psicotropicos incluidos al Convenio de 1971, so the list it reproduces is the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances schedule of the same number, given effect nationally through article 1.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Article 4 of the 1992 Constitucion Nacional reads Queda abolida la pena de muerte, so no capital penalty is available in Paraguay, and no article of Ley 1.340/1988 provides one. [Certain] This row is placed. The schedule made under article 1 of Ley 1.340/1988 names it in Lista IV of the psicotropicos sheet as the entry Zolpidem. Ley 1.340/1988 sets the conduct offences. Article 13 punishes supply without authorization with 6 to 15 years penitentiary, forfeiture of the goods and a fine of four times their value. Article 14 raises that to 10 to 25 years where the supply is to a minor, and article 15 applies the same range to supply in teaching, religious, welfare, sporting, cultural or social premises, at public entertainments, or in places of detention. Article 16 punishes supply made to prepare, facilitate, commit or conceal another offence with 5 to 15 years. Article 21, as replaced by Ley 1.881/2002, punishes unauthorized introduction into the country or dispatch abroad with 5 to 10 years, forfeiture and the same fine, and article 22 applies that penalty to any plant, substance or product usable in making these substances. Article 25 punishes bringing them in under temporary admission or in transit with 10 to 20 years. Article 26 punishes activity carried on from national territory aimed at sending them abroad with 10 to 25 years. Article 33 punishes sowing, cultivating, harvesting or gathering the plants that serve to make them, and financing that, with 10 to 20 years and destruction of the crop. Article 27, which punished unauthorized possession with 5 to 15 years, was repealed by article 4 of Ley 1.881/2002, so there is no longer a freestanding possession offence in this law. [Certain] The highest range stated in the statute is 10 to 25 years, but that is not the maximum it can reach, because four articles multiply a penalty rather than state one. Article 17 punishes causing a person to consume these substances by deceit, threat or violence with 10 to 20 years, and raises the penalty by one third to one half where the victim is a minor, mentally ill, a relative within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity, or the spouse, or where the author is a health professional, which reaches 30 years. Article 37 punishes instigating or persuading another, or achieving production or trafficking by deceit, threat or violence, with the same 10 to 20 years and the same uplift, where the victim is a minor, a relative within the second degree, the spouse, or a person in a relationship of obedience or dependence. Article 41 punishes committing offences to procure or force the release of someone held for an offence under this law with the maximum penalty for the offence committed, and imposes double that penalty where the release is actually achieved, which on a 25 year offence reaches 50 years. Article 42 punishes belonging to an association formed to commit these offences with 5 to 15 years on that fact alone, and doubles the penalty for its leader or promoter, which reaches 30 years. None of the four is a separate drug offence, so each applies on top of whichever article above is charged. [Certain] Article 30 exempts from penalty a person holding a substance to which the law refers that a doctor prescribed for them, or holding it for their exclusive personal use, and punishes a quantity greater than the amount prescribed or than personal use requires with 2 to 4 years penitentiary and forfeiture. Its second paragraph treats as the exclusive personal use of a farmacodependiente the holding of enough substance for daily use, the amount to be fixed case by case by the Medico Forense, a specialist doctor designated by the Ministerio de Salud Publica y Bienestar Social and another designated by the affected person at their own cost if they ask for one, and then states in its own words: En el caso de la Marihuana no sobrepasara los diez gramos y de dos gramos en el de la Cocaina, Heroina y otros opiaceos. [Certain] Article 30 states a figure only for marihuana and for cocaina, heroina y otros opiaceos. It states none for this row, so any personal use quantity for it falls to the case by case determination in the second paragraph and no gram figure can be quoted for it. [Certain]
Ghana
Legal status
Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Ghana's authorities (Act 1019 of 2020) / your embassy
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not named in the cited Ghanaian sources (Narcotics Control Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1019), Secs 37/41/45 and Second Schedule), do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Under Ghana's Narcotics Control Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1019), possession for personal use (Secs 37/41/45) is DEPENALIZED, not decriminalized: it draws a FINE of 200-500 penalty units (about GHS 2,400-6,000), with non-payment converting to roughly 15 months' imprisonment. This replaced prison with a fine, but personal use REMAINS ILLEGAL and the Act defines NO personal-use quantity thresholds. Trafficking is severe (fines plus imprisonment under the Second Schedule).
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
Ghana DEPENALIZED (not decriminalized) personal drug use: under the Narcotics Control Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1019), possession for personal use (Secs 37/41/45) draws a FINE of 200-500 penalty units (about GHS 2,400-6,000), with non-payment converting to roughly 15 months' imprisonment. This replaced the old prison terms of PNDCL 236 (1990) with a fine, but recreational and personal use REMAINS ILLEGAL, it is depenalization, NOT decriminalization or legalization, and the Act defines NO personal-use quantity thresholds. Trafficking is severe (fines plus imprisonment under the Second Schedule). [struck] Sec 43, a special provision for licensed cultivation of low-THC cannabis (0.3% THC or less) for industrial, medical and scientific use only (NOT recreational), was ruled unconstitutional by Ghana's Supreme Court in May 2023 (5-4) on procedural grounds and was struck; Parliament action to re-pass followed, confirm the current status, do NOT rely on Sec 43 as settled law. Ghana has NO death penalty for drugs. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Narcotics Control Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1019), Secs 37/41/43/45 + Second Schedule · ir.parliament.gh · ghalii.org · idpc.net · Updated July 14, 2026
Israel
Legal status
Not confirmed, not named in the First Schedule as read; confirm with Israel's authorities / your embassy
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. [Certain] Re-derived in this pass from the Ordinance itself: the words מוות, תלייה and הוצאה להורג return zero hits across the whole text, and so does עולם, so there is no life route either, and the heaviest sentence anywhere in it is the 25 years of section 21 for involving a minor. [Certain] Zolpidem is not named in the First Schedule as read, and neither zolpidem nor zopiclone nor zaleplon nor the Hebrew זולפידם appears anywhere in the Ordinance. No non-benzodiazepine hypnotic is listed; the sedatives that are listed are the barbiturates, glutethimide at חלק ב' סימן ג' פרט 3 and methaqualone at חלק ב' סימן ב' פרט 3א. Read against the consolidated First Schedule whose own amendment note at its head ends at התשע"ח and whose schedule pages carry the 1.4.2018 update stamp, with section 7 stamped 1.1.2019 and the file closing with (סוף הפקודה); a later amendment to the Schedule is not ruled out, and this reading is of that version and no other. [Certain] Section 1 defines סם מסוכן as חומר מן המפורטים בתוספת הראשונה לרבות כל מלח שלו, וכן כל תכשיר, תרכובת, תערובת או תמיסה של חומר כאמור ומלחיהם, a substance listed in the First Schedule including any salt of it, and also any preparation, compound, mixture or solution of such a substance and of their salts. That definition reaches salts and mixtures and stops there: it says nothing about isomers, analogues or structural derivatives, so those come only from the words of an individual פרט or of a סימן wide sweep clause. Section 7(c) sets up to 20 years or a fine 25 times the fine in section 61(a)(4) of the Penal Law 5737-1977 for possession or use, dropping to 3 years or the plain section 61(a)(4) fine where the drug was held or used for the person's own consumption alone. Section 6 sets the same 20 years for growing, manufacturing, producing, preparing or extracting without the Director's licence. Section 19A sets 20 years for the trade and transit offences of sections 13 to 18, which reach export, import, brokering, dealing, any other transaction and supply whether or not for payment. Section 21 raises it to 25 years on any of its three limbs, giving a dangerous drug to a minor, being responsible for a minor and allowing him to obtain or use one, or inducing a minor to obtain or use one, and section 25 bars a wholly suspended sentence or a probation order on that conviction. [Certain] Section 20 is not a penalty provision at all, it is the customs inspection power over a consignment carried in transit through Israel. No Second Schedule quantity is set for this substance, so the section 31(3) reverse onus, which presumes possession beyond personal consumption above a listed weight, has no threshold to run from here.
If prescribed / medical
Not named in the First Schedule as read, so sections 11 and 12 of the Ordinance are not engaged by name for it. Medicines are separately regulated in Israel under the Pharmacists Ordinance and the regulations made under it, and that body of law was not read in this pass. [Likely] Carry the prescription and the dispensing label, and confirm with an Israeli mission before travelling.
Panama
Legal status
Controlled. Zolpidem is reached by the Panamanian criminal definition of a drug, not by a national chemical annex. Article 324 of the Código Penal defines the criminal object for the whole drug chapter, and it does so functionally and by incorporation rather than by a closed national list: «droga es toda sustancia que produzca dependencia física o síquica, como los narcóticos, fármacos, estupefacientes y todos aquellos productos, precursores y sustancias químicas esenciales que sirven para su elaboración, transformación o preparación, de conformidad con las disposiciones legales en materia de salud, convenios y acuerdos internacionales vigentes en la República de Panamá.». The entry read for this row is «ZOLPIDEM» in Schedule IV of the 1971 Convention. The name sits in the international non-proprietary column of that schedule. Panama's own Listado Oficial carries «Zolpidem» as a substance permitted for medical and scientific use. It is the last substance printed in the internationally controlled psychotropic section of Panama's list before the forensic reference standards begin, and the national list separately carries a related non-benzodiazepine hypnotic in its national-control section, which is the section Panama fills on its own initiative.
Consequences if caught
The conduct and not the substance decides which article applies, and the placement established above is what lets these articles reach Zolpidem at all. A dispensed course is a documentation question; an unexplained bulk quantity is what article 321 tests objectively. Article 321 sets 8 to 12 years of prison for unlawful possession in circumstances objectively showing it is not for consumption, and its printed words are «Quien ilícitamente posea drogas, en circunstancias que objetivamente permitan determinar que no es para el consumo, será sancionado con ocho a doce años de prisión.». Article 312 sets the same 8 to 12 years where two or more people agree to commit a drug offence. Article 313 sets 10 to 15 years for bringing a drug into the national territory, even in transit, and raises that by a third to a half where the drug is brought in for local sale or distribution. Article 314 sets 10 to 15 years for sowing, cultivating, extracting, transforming or manufacturing, and article 318 sets 10 to 15 years for buying, selling, storing or exchanging for commercial purposes, doubled in the five aggravated cases it lists. Article 319 sets 8 to 12 years for devoting premises or a vehicle to drug activity, rising to 10 to 15 years for the owner of a commercial place open to the public. Article 322 sets 20 to 25 years where conduct under articles 312, 313 or 321 is carried out by the leaders, directors or organisers of a criminal band, and its words are «la pena será de veinte a veinticinco años de prisión.», so the ceiling this chapter carries is 25 years. The dossier for this country stated that ceiling as 20 years and that is corrected here against the article itself. Article 320 covers buying or possessing for one's own consumption in scarce quantity, and its penalty is a fine of 50 to 250 day units, weekend arrest or community work, in the words «Quien ilícitamente compre o posea drogas para su consumo en escasa cantidad será sancionado con cincuenta a doscientos cincuenta días-multa o arresto de fines de semana o trabajo comunitario.». Where the person is physically or psychically dependent and the quantity is scarce, article 320 imposes a security measure instead. The live cell attributed a band of 2 to 4 years to article 320; that band is in the third paragraph of article 313 and it applies where a drug is brought into the country and the scarce quantity and the other circumstances show unequivocally that it is for personal consumption, in the words «La sanción será de dos a cuatro años de prisión o su equivalente en días-multa o medidas curativas cuando, por su escasa cantidad y demás circunstancias, se determine inequívocamente que la droga es para el consumo personal.». Panama publishes no numerical quantity table for this corpus. Article 320 provides that scarce quantity for personal use is the measure the Instituto de Medicina Legal y Ciencias Forenses determines in each case according to the person's state of dependence, «Se entenderá por cantidad escasa destinada a su uso personal la medida que determine el Instituto de Medicina Legal y Ciencias Forenses, en cada caso, según el estado de dependencia de la persona.», so the live cell's gloss of a single dose is corrected here as not what the article says. Article 323 directs the court to weigh the dangerousness of the drug and its market value when placing a sentence inside a band. Panama provides no death penalty for any drug offence. Those figures are carried forward from the live cell and re-derived against the Penal Code itself, and they describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
Nigeria
Legal status
Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Nigeria's authorities (NDLEA Act, Cap N30, 2004) / your embassy
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not named in the cited Nigerian sources (NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation 2004, Secs 11/19), do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Controlled drugs carry 15-25 years for possession or use and up to life for trafficking under the NDLEA Act.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
Hard drugs (cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, MDMA) and cannabis are all illegal under the NDLEA Act (Cap N30, Laws of the Federation 2004). Possession or use of hard drugs (Secs 11/19) draws 15-25 years and trafficking up to life. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act (NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation 2004), Secs 11/19 + Indian Hemp Act lineage · lawsofnigeria.placng.org · unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Bangladesh
Legal status
Zolpidem is named last in Class 'ga' at serial 3 of the First Schedule, after Vinylbital, which is also named in Class 'kha' serial 4.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Section 9(1) prohibits, for every narcotic except alcohol, cultivation, production or processing, carrying, transport or transfer, import and export at limb (a); supply, marketing, buying, selling, transfer, receipt, sending, dealing, auction, holding, possession, storage, warehousing and display at limb (b); consumption, application or use at limb (c); and any attempt, investment of money, establishing, running or patronising an operation, or a false declaration, at limb (d). Section 36 then sets the penalty from a 34 row table whose second column names a First Schedule class and serial number, not a substance, so what a substance is punished by depends entirely on which serial it sits in. Zolpidem sits in Class 'ga', the lightest class, at serial 3 of the First Schedule. Section 36 row 33 covers Class 'ga' serial 3 under either limb of section 9(1): up to 1 kilogramme or litre is 1 to 3 years, above 1 and up to 5 kilogrammes or litres is 3 to 5 years, above 5 kilogrammes or litres is 5 to 7 years, with a fine at every tier. Seven years is the ceiling for this class. The death penalty under the section 36 table reaches only three entries in the whole First Schedule, Class 'ka' serials 4, 5 and 6, and zolpidem is not in any of them, so the table's capital tier does not reach it. Nor does imprisonment for life: the ceiling for this serial is a term of years. Consumption is not capital and neither is financing. Section 9(1)(c) consumption of a Class 'ka' narcotic is table row 16 at 3 months to 2 years, and section 9(1)(d), which covers «কোনো প্রচেষ্টা অথবা উদ্যোগ গ্রহণ, অর্থ বিনিয়োগ, কোনো প্রতিষ্ঠান স্থাপন অথবা পরিচালনা কিংবা উহার পৃষ্ঠপোষকতা», any attempt or initiative, investment of money, establishing or running an operation or patronising one, is table row 17 at the same 3 months to 2 years. Section 36(2) doubles the maximum for a second offence after a sentence has been served, and section 36(3) sets a floor of 20 years for a third, in each case only «উক্ত অপরাধের দণ্ড মৃত্যুদণ্ড অথবা যাবজ্জীবন কারাদণ্ড না হইলে», where the penalty for that offence is not already death or life. Section 36A, inserted by the Narcotics Control (Amendment) Act 2026 on 16 July 2026 and in force at once, adds a capital route that has no quantity threshold and no class restriction at all. Buying, selling, supplying, offering, advertising, brokering or communicating about a narcotic or a psychoactive substance through cyberspace, a digital device, a website, social media, a mobile application, an online platform or any other digital medium, or using a digital payment system, an e-wallet, a virtual asset or a cryptocurrency for those purposes, is punishable under section 36A(2) by «যে কোনো মেয়াদের কারাদণ্ডে অথবা সর্বোচ্চ মৃত্যুদণ্ডে», imprisonment for any term or at the maximum death, with a fine of up to 20 lakh taka. Its proviso states that recovery of the drug from the offender is not required. This reaches any substance that is a narcotic under section 2(29), which is anything in the First Schedule, and the schedule's own Explanation at clause (ক) defines a psychoactive substance as anything in Class 'ka' serials 4, 5 and 6, Class 'kha' serials 4 and 5, or Class 'ga' serials 3 and 4.
Pakistan
Legal status
Not confirmed for Pakistan. Zolpidem is named in no schedule of the Control of Narcotic Substances Act, 1997. Searched 'zolpidem' and 'imidazopyridine' across both schedules of the Act and all six of the Rules 2001. Zero hits. Zolpidem was placed in Schedule IV of the 1971 Convention in 2001, after Pakistan's 1997 schedule was enacted, and the schedule has not been amended for substance content since.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Nothing in the Act attaches a band to zolpidem, so what follows is the shape of the regime it sits outside rather than a penalty for it. What the Act would do if it did reach this substance is settled, and is stated here so the gap is visible rather than blank. A psychotropic substance runs the section 9(2) bands, a controlled substance the section 9(3) tables, and one of the seven named narcotics its own row in section 9(1). A substance outside all three, but caught by the Rules 2001, falls to section 16 at three years and fine. Whichever of those routes were to apply, death is not among them. Death is not available. Act No. XXXVIII of 2023, section 2, assented on 2 August 2023 and published in the Gazette of Pakistan, Extraordinary, on 5 August 2023, removed every death reference from section 9. The words at the heroin and morphine band of 6000 grams or more and at the cocaine band of 5000 grams or more were omitted, and the Pakistan Code now prints a bracketed omission mark where they stood. In the fourth proviso to section 9(2) the words 'may be death or' were replaced by 'shall be'. The word death survives twice in the whole fifty page Act and both are procedural. Because death is unavailable, the question whether it is mandatory does not arise. The ceiling is life, and section 9A(3) says what that means: 'Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for time being in force, imprisonment for life under this Act means imprisonment in jail for the period of twenty-five years.' Section 9A(2) bars probation and parole, and section 9A(1) bars remission except for a juvenile or a female convict.
If prescribed / medical
Zolpidem is outside the Rules 2001 licence system, since rule 2(1)(xiii) confines a drug of abuse to a prohibited drug, a high-risk drug or a risk drug, each defined by a Schedule to those Rules. Section 6 permits medical, scientific and industrial use subject to conditions specified by or under the Act, and the Rules 2001 supply those conditions for a drug of abuse. An unscheduled substance is outside that permit system, which cuts both ways: no licence is required and none is available. Rule 14 provides for permits in relation to first-aid kits and rule 15 for programmes for medical and scientific purposes, and rule 11 governs import, export and transit permits. A traveller carrying a prescribed medicine should hold the prescription and the dispensing label, in the prescriber's name, and should expect the quantity to be measured against the section 9 bands if the substance is scheduled.
Documentation
Taiwan
Legal status
Category 4 narcotic (第四級毒品) under Taiwan's Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例), named at 附表四第65項「佐沛眠（Zolpidem）」. Zolpidem is Category 4 by name. Its fellow Z drugs are graded with it, 第63項「唑匹可隆（Zopiclone）」 and 第70項「札來普隆（Zaleplon）」, so the non benzodiazepine hypnotics sit in the same tier as the benzodiazepines they replaced. The model: the four grades and their anchor substances are in the Act itself, article 2(2) reading 「毒品依其成癮性、濫用性及對社會危害性，分為四級，其品項如下」, and the full item lists are the Act's own four schedules, 附表一 to 附表四. The power to change them is delegated. Article 2(3) reads 「前項毒品之分級及品項，由法務部會同衛生福利部組成審議委員會，每三個月定期檢討，審議委員會並得將具有成癮性、濫用性、對社會危害性之虞之麻醉藥品與其製品、影響精神物質與其製品及與該等藥品、物質或製品具有類似化學結構之物質進行審議，並經審議通過後，報由行政院公告調整、增減之，並送請立法院查照」, a review committee of the justice and health ministries reviewing every three months, adjustment by Executive Yuan announcement, reported to the Legislative Yuan. The Act was last amended 4 May 2022. The list was last amended by the Executive Yuan announcement of 25 June 2026, in force 27 June 2026, which moved etomidate and eight related compounds from Category 2 up to Category 1.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Article 4(4) punishes manufacture, transport or sale of a Category 4 narcotic by five to twelve years, with a fine of up to NT$5 million. Article 5(4) punishes possession with intent to sell by one to seven years. Use and simple possession are not crimes at this tier: article 11-1(2) makes holding or using a Category 4 narcotic without proper reason an administrative fine of NT$10,000 to NT$50,000 plus four to eight hours of drug hazard education. Article 11(6) turns possession criminal at 5 grammes pure weight, up to one year. Article 9(1) increases the penalty by up to one half where an adult sells to a minor, and article 9(2) does the same where the buyer is known to be pregnant. Article 19 confiscates the property used in an article 4 offence and, for an article 4 offence specifically, the vehicle, vessel or aircraft used. Simple possession without a proper reason is article 11-1(2), an administrative fine of NT$10,000 to NT$50,000 plus four to eight hours of drug hazard education, and article 11(6) makes it criminal at 5 grammes pure weight, which for a 10 milligramme tablet is 500 tablets. Neither reaches this substance, at any quantity, and the Category 4 tier is the furthest from them. Article 4(4) reads 「製造、運輸、販賣第四級毒品者，處五年以上十二年以下有期徒刑，得併科新臺幣五百萬元以下罰金」, five to twelve years, a fixed term with a ceiling. The public official aggravation in article 15(1) attaches death or life only to article 4(2) and article 6(1); for an article 4(4) offence its second sentence gives only 「加重其刑至二分之一」, an increase of up to one half, which cannot reach life from a twelve year ceiling. The one qualification is about the charge and not about this substance. Article 9(3) reads 「犯前五條之罪而混合二種以上之毒品者，適用其中最高級別毒品之法定刑，並加重其刑至二分之一」: where the offence involves a mixture of two or more graded narcotics, the statutory penalty of the highest grade among them governs the whole offence, with up to one half added. Holding this substance mixed with a Category 1 narcotic is therefore charged at the article 4(1) rate, but the capital exposure there is supplied by the Category 1 component and not by this one.
Hong Kong
Legal status
Not a dangerous drug under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (Cap. 134). Controlled as a medicine under the Pharmacy and Poisons Regulations (Cap. 138A), listed as Zolpidem; its salts in Schedule 1, Schedule 3 and the Poisons List.
Consequences if caught
This substance is not named in the First Schedule to the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance and is not caught by any of its generic limbs, so the dangerous drugs penalties do not apply to it. It is controlled instead as a medicine under the Pharmacy and Poisons Regulations, listed as Zolpidem; its salts in Schedule 1, Schedule 3 and the Poisons List. Schedule 3 substances may be sold by retail only on a prescription from a registered medical practitioner, dentist or veterinary surgeon. The offences and penalties are those of the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance and its regulations, not the life imprisonment maximum that applies to a dangerous drug. Read against the consolidation as in force on 2026-06-12 for the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance and as in force on 2026-07-03 for the Pharmacy and Poisons Regulations. Hong Kong amends the First Schedule by order of the Chief Executive published in the Gazette under section 50(1), so a substance can be added between consolidations.
If prescribed / medical
This is a medicine rather than a dangerous drug in Hong Kong, so the prescription route is the ordinary one under the Pharmacy and Poisons Regulations. Carry it in its dispensed container with the prescription or a doctor's letter.
Documentation
Hong Kong Customs and Excise enforces the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance at the border. Declare any controlled medicine, carry it in its original dispensed container, and carry the prescription or a doctor's letter naming the drug, the dose and the patient. Confirm requirements with the Department of Health and with your embassy before travel.
Controlled. Ley Orgánica de Drogas article 3 identifies estupefacientes as the substances figuring in lista I or lista II of the 1961 Single Convention, “Enmendada por el Protocolo de 1972”, and sustancias psicotrópicas as those figuring in listas I to IV of the 1971 Convention, which carries no amendment wording at all. This substance was read as a named entry in Schedule IV of the 1971 Convention, as the INCB Green List prints it. The offence articles are 149, 150, 151 and 153. [Certain] for the placement, with the entry text recorded in the documentation.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. The Constitution forbids it at article 43, read here in the Contraloría General de la República text: “El derecho a la vida es inviolable. Ninguna ley podrá establecer la pena de muerte, ni autoridad alguna aplicarla.” [Certain], re derived from that text in this pass. The abolition itself is usually dated to the Decreto de Garantías of 1863. [Likely] and carried, not re derived: that decree was not read here, and the year 1863 appears nowhere in the Constitution or in the Ley Orgánica de Drogas. This substance is a named entry in Schedule IV of the 1971 Convention, as the INCB Green List prints it, which article 3 of the Law incorporates, so the offence articles reach it. Consumption is a separate route and it is not in the offences title. Article 141 provides that a person found consuming, or who declares themselves a consumer, or who holds a quantity not above the personal dose for consumption of article 131 numeral 2, is put at the disposal of the Ministerio Público, which has toxicological tests run on urine, blood or other organic fluids and a chemical and botanical examination made of the substance seized, and then asks the control judge for the person's liberty subject to attending a specialised rehabilitation centre. Where consumption is confirmed the outcome is obligatory treatment and a social reinsertion programme. Article 130 has the judge order obligatory rehabilitation in a specialised centre and allows reinserción social, seguimiento and servicio comunitario alongside it. Article 142 has the judge also suspend the driving licence and any firearms carry licence. Article 139 separately suspends a driving licence for not less than six months for driving under the effects of these substances, with obligatory treatment. Those provisions sit in Título V, Del Consumo y el Procedimiento, not in the offences and penalties title that carries articles 149 to 153, and the route turns on the quantity being at or below the personal dose. Article 153 punishes illicit possession of estupefacientes, sustancias psicotrópicas, their mixtures, salts or pharmaceutical specialities, or controlled chemicals, for purposes other than the licit activities the Law declares or the personal consumption of article 131, with one to two years. Article 149 punishes trafficking, commerce, supply, distribution, concealment, transport by any means, storage or brokerage with fifteen to twenty five years. That falls to twelve to eighteen years where the quantity does not exceed 5,000 g of marihuana, 1,000 g of genetically modified marihuana, 1,000 g of cocaine or cocaine based narcotic substances, 60 g of poppy derivatives or 500 units of synthetic drugs, and to eight to twelve years where it exceeds the article 153 maxima but does not pass 500 g of marihuana, 200 g of genetically modified marihuana, 50 g of cocaine, 10 g of poppy derivatives or 100 units of synthetic drugs. Directing or financing those operations carries twenty five to thirty years, and thirty years is the ceiling of this Law, not the twenty five of the first paragraph. Article 150 punishes illicit manufacture, elaboration, refining, transformation, extraction, preparation, mixing or production with fifteen to twenty years, and directing or financing those operations with twenty five to thirty years; that, not article 149, is the governing article for a clandestine producer. Article 151 punishes sowing, cultivating, harvesting, storing, trafficking, transporting, concealing or distributing seeds, resins and plants containing these substances with twelve to eighteen years, six to ten years where the seed or resin does not exceed 300 g or the plants do not exceed 10 units, and twenty five to thirty years for directing or financing, and where the plants are genetically modified marihuana it increases the penalty by half. Article 163 lists fourteen aggravating circumstances for trafficking in all its forms, for illicit manufacture and production and for trafficking in seeds, resins and plants, among them using children, people with disabilities, people living on the street, older adults or indigenous people, commission by public officials or by someone simulating that condition, commission in a home, an educational, cultural, sporting or religious institution, a prison, a public transport vehicle, a public office or a treatment and rehabilitation centre, and commission within 500 m of such places. For numerals 2, 7, 9, 10 and 13 the penalty rises by one third to one half, and in the remaining cases by one half. Applied to the twenty five to thirty year limb that uplift would pass thirty years, while Constitution article 44 numeral 3 provides that there shall be no perpetual or infamous sentences and that custodial penalties “no excederán de treinta años”. The Law does not say how the two are reconciled. Article 153 prints its possession figures only for cocaine and its derivatives, compounds or mixtures at up to 2 g, marihuana at up to 20 g, genetically modified marihuana at up to 5 g and poppy derivatives at up to 1 g, and article 149 prints its band figures only for those families and for units of synthetic drugs. No figure is printed for this substance. Where the offence reaches it, the amount that counts as a personal dose falls to the court: article 131 defines the personal dose by tolerance, degree of dependence, individual pattern of consumption, the psychophysical characteristics of the person and the nature of the substance, and states that the judge shall appreciate it rationally and scientifically on the report of the forensic experts, while the third paragraph of article 153 has the judge determine, using the maximum experience of experts as a reference, what may constitute a personal dose of the substance concerned for an average person. Those figures are not in article 131, which prints no gram amount at all.
Guatemala
Legal status
Illegal under the Ley contra la Narcoactividad (Decreto 48-92), articles 38 and 39.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. This is established rather than assumed, because Decreto 48-92 as enacted did carry a death penalty: article 12 lists "De muerte" first among the principal penalties for natural persons, and article 52, "Delitos calificados por el resultado", provided that "Si como consecuencia de los delitos tipificados en esta ley, resultare la muerte de una o más personas, se aplicará la pena de muerte o treinta años de prisión, según las circunstancias del hecho". Two things remove it. First, the Corte de Constitucionalidad expelled article 12 literal a) and the words "muerte o" from article 52 by judgment of 24 October 2017, expediente 5986-2016 [Likely, taken from secondary reports; the Court's own record was not reached, and one of those reports contradicts itself on the expediente number]. Second, and independently of that judgment, article 52 was never conditioned on a substance or on a quantity but only on a resulting death, so no row of this table carried capital exposure even on the 1992 text [Certain, re-derived from the gazette this pass]. Readers should know that the government's own published text of the law, at senabed.gob.gt, still prints both capital passages intact. Decreto 48-92 annexes no list of substances. Article 1 reaches the drugs "incluidos en los convenios y tratados internacionales al respecto, ratificados por Guatemala y en cualquier otro instrumento jurídico internacional que sobre esta materia se apruebe", and article 2(b) defines "Estupefacientes y sustancias psicotrópicas" as "Cualquier droga natural o sintética, así considerada en tratados o convenios internacionales de observancia obligatoria en la República de Guatemala, el Código de Salud y demás disposiciones que se emitan para determinar las drogas de uso prohibido a que se refiere la presente ley". An anchored search of the whole 57 KB law text returned no substance name at all, which is the measurement behind that reading. The health authority says the same thing in its own words: MSPAS Normativa 22-2001, section 2, states that "Los Estupefacientes y Sicotrópicos son los enumerados en la Convención Unica de 1961 sobre Estupefacientes, en el Convenio sobre Substancias Sicotrópicas de 1971 y en la Convención de las Naciones Unidas contra el Tráfico Ilícito de Estupefacientes y Sustancias Sicotrópicas y otras Sustancias consideradas como tales por las leyes del país y por las disposiciones dictadas por la autoridad de salud". The entry read was PZ 002, "ZOLPIDEM", in 1971 Convention Schedule IV. Article 2(b) therefore reaches it, because that list is a treaty list of obligatory observance in Guatemala, and articles 38 and 39 then apply to it as a drug, estupefaciente or psicotrópico. Article 38, "Comercio, tráfico y almacenamiento ilícito", sets prison of twelve to twenty years and a fine of Q50,000 to Q1,000,000, both of those figures being money and neither of them a quantity of any substance. Article 39, "Posesión para el consumo", makes possession for one's own consumption an offence in its own right, at four months to two years and a fine of Q200 to Q10,000, consumption being made out where the seized drug "no exceda de la cantidad razonable para el consumo inmediato". No article states a gram figure for any substance, so the line between personal use and trafficking is judicial. Article 36 sets five to twenty years for sowing or cultivation and article 37 eight to twenty years for manufacture, which puts the ceiling on the conduct articles at twenty years. Article 15 names article 39 among the sentences that may be commuted where the prison term does not exceed five years, at Q5 to Q100 per day. One penalty in article 12 speaks directly to a non-Guatemalan reader. The principal penalties for natural persons are listed there, and literal f) is "Expulsión del territorio nacional de extranjeros", expulsion of foreign nationals from the national territory. It is a principal penalty in its own right and not an administrative consequence.
Nepal
Legal status
Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Nepal's authorities (Narcotic Drugs (Control) Act, 2033) / your embassy
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not named in the cited Nepali sources (Narcotic Drugs (Control) Act, 2033 (1976 AD), amended through 1998), do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Controlled drugs carry tiered penalties up to life imprisonment; Nepal has NO death penalty (the maximum is life).
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
Nepal has NO death penalty, the maximum drug penalty is life imprisonment (jiban kaidi), under the Narcotic Drugs (Control) Act, 2033 (1976 AD, amended through 1998). Historically cannabis was legal through government shops until 1973; a cannabis-legalization bill is currently tabled but NOT enacted (proposed, not law). Cannabis consumption draws up to 1 month or an NPR 2,000 fine (first-time minor offenders may be released on a bond, and there is no punishment for a person in recognized treatment, Sec 19A). Cannabis possession is tiered: 50 g or less up to 3 months; 50-500 g up to 1 year; 500 g, 2 kg up to 2 years; 2-10 kg up to 3 years; 10 kg or more 2-10 years plus a fine (a reported personal-use line is about 5 g cannabis / 2 g hashish). Heroin and cocaine: 5 g or less 2-5 years; 5-100 g 5-10 years; over 100 g or any trafficking 10 years to life plus an NPR 500,000-2,500,000 fine. Cultivation: 25 plants or fewer up to 3 months; more than 25 plants 3 months, 3 years. Other hard drugs (methamphetamine/'yaba', MDMA, LSD) are controlled, with trafficking punishable up to life. Foreigners face the same law, no bail, and deportation after sentence. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Narcotic Drugs (Control) Act, 2033 (1976 AD), amended through 1998, Secs 19/19A · lawcommission.gov.np · Updated July 14, 2026
Romania
Legal status
Zolpidem is controlled in Romania. The entry relied on reads «ZOLPIDEM = N,N,6-trimethyl-2-p-tolylimidazol [1,2=α] pyridin-3-acetamide», located at Legea 143/2000, Tabelul III; arts. 1(d), 2(1), 4(1). The Romanian schedule names Zolpidem or its exact chemical identity as a risk drug in Tabelul III. Romania uses the simplest of the three models: the schedule sits inside the Act. Article 1(a) makes Tables I to IV integral to Legea 143/2000 and supplies the mechanism for adding, deleting or moving an entry. Tables I and II are droguri de mare risc, high-risk drugs; Table III is droguri de risc. A mixture is reached through a listed constituent. Legea 194/2011 is a separate products regime and does not turn an unlisted name into a scheduled drug. This reading is stated as in force on 18 September 2026. The consolidated text identifies Legea 30/2025 as the latest schedule amendment included, effective 29 March 2025, and states that it contains all officially published amendments through that Act.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Romania has no death penalty and no life sentence for a drug offence. In Romania zolpidem sits in Tabelul III of Legea 143/2000, and which table it sits in is what selects the article below. The scale runs by table and by conduct. Article 4(1) sets 3 months to 2 years or a fine for unauthorised own-use acts involving a Table III risk drug, and article 4(2) sets 6 months to 3 years where the drug is high-risk. Article 2 sets 3 to 10 years for risk-drug circulation and 5 to 15 years for high-risk. Article 3(2) sets 10 to 20 years for unauthorised import or export of a high-risk drug. Article 9 raises the special limits by one third where the act finances drug consumption, and article 13(2) permits up to 5 further years in the specified education-related circumstance. The overall custody ceiling is 30 years, which comes from Cod penal article 60 as the general maximum rather than from any single drug article. Romania prints no statutory gram threshold and no per-substance personal-use quantity anywhere in Legea 143/2000. The table a substance sits in, not its weight, is what selects the article.
If prescribed / medical
There may be a lawful medical route for zolpidem and this row does not settle it. What is settled is the control status: zolpidem is on the Romania controlled list, so any supply runs inside the control regime rather than around it. The prescribing, dispensing and import conditions sit in the Romania medicines and pharmacy regime, which this row did not audit, and the Romanian National Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices is the body that states them. Do not read this row as a statement that zolpidem cannot be a prescribed medicine, because that is a different question and this row does not reach it. Treat the route as unread rather than as absent.
Documentation
Carry the prescription and the original dispensing packaging for zolpidem, and get the Romanian National Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices or the relevant embassy to confirm the position in writing before you travel rather than at the border. That is the carriage answer and it is short because no traveller permit scheme, declaration form or carriage allowance for zolpidem appears anywhere in what was read for this row, and an absence in what was read is not proof that no scheme exists. Provenance follows. The controlling text was read on Portal Legislativ, the official legislation portal of the Ministry of Justice, and the ANMDMR consolidated text on 18 September 2026, at Legea 143/2000, Tabelul III; arts. 1(d), 2(1), 4(1).
Slovakia
Legal status
Zolpidem is controlled in Slovakia. Annex 1 to Act No. 139/1998 names zolpidem. The entry relied on reads «Zolpidem(INN), chemicky N,N-dimetyl-2-[6-metyl-2-(4-metylfenyl)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridín-3yl]etánamid», and the source states that its Slovak spelling, synonym and printed chemistry were checked together rather than matched on an English name alone. The entry sits in Group III of Annex 1, among the psychotropic substances. Two statutes divide the work. Act No. 139/1998 decides whether a substance is in the three-group list at Annex 1, and section 3(1) classifies narcotic and psychotropic substances by their effects on health into those three groups. The Criminal Code, No. 300/2005, decides the amount category through sections 135c to 135f and supplies the offences at sections 171 to 173. This reading is stated as in force on 18 September 2026. The consolidation of Act No. 139/1998 read was effective 1 January 2026 and incorporates amendment No. 293/2025; the Criminal Code consolidation read was effective 18 August 2026 and incorporates amendments through No. 168/2026.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Slovakia has no death penalty, but it is the one country in this set whose drug ceiling is life imprisonment rather than a fixed term: Criminal Code section 173(5) reaches 10 to 25 years or life for unauthorised manufacture and trafficking, and it applies to zolpidem. The scale runs from one year to life. Section 171 covers unauthorised possession: one year for a negligible amount of cannabis or tetrahydrocannabinol, two years for another drug in a negligible amount, three years for a small amount, and six years in the aggravated form. Section 172 covers cultivation and reaches fifteen years at subsection (7). Section 173 covers unauthorised manufacture and trafficking, reaching 8 to 20 years at subsection (4) and 10 to 25 years or life imprisonment at subsection (5). Criminal Code Annex 1 prints no figure for this substance, so section 135c(2) supplies the statutory residual: a negligible amount is at most one gram of material containing the active substance. That one gram is a default that applies to every controlled drug absent from the printed table, and it is not a measurement of this substance. Section 135d then scales everything from the negligible amount by fixed multiples: five for a small amount, 250 for a larger one, 1,500 for a substantial one and 5,000 for a large one, with anything above 5,000 classed as extraordinarily large.
If prescribed / medical
Whether there is a lawful route for zolpidem is a question this row does not answer, and the source says why: it is a schedule and penalty verification, not advice about licensing, medicines, precursors, food, tobacco or other regulatory regimes. What is established is the control status under Act No. 139/1998 and the amount category under the Criminal Code. Annex 2 to the Act is the exempt preparations list and is a separate question again. The State Institute for Drug Control is the body that states the prescribing and dispensing conditions for zolpidem. Treat the route as unread rather than as absent.
Trinidad and Tobago
Legal status
Zolpidem is placed under the Dangerous Drugs Act, Chapter 11:25, on the reading recorded for Trinidad and Tobago, which was taken across the First and Second Schedules together with Legal Notice No. 345 of 2019. The dossier records «zolpidem» against this row, and that is the term the Act was searched under rather than an entry the Act prints; it is reproduced character for character as the dossier holds it. That string is an international non-proprietary name spelled identically in English and in Spanish, so the recorded form cannot show which language the reading was taken in, and identity rather than spelling is what the row turns on. The row reached that placement by the named schedule route, on a reading dated 20 September 2026. The boundary it had to settle before the entry could be assigned is that it checks the imidazopyridine hypnotic as its own psychotropic medicine entry. Placement fixes what the material is for the Act and nothing beyond that: authorisation, purpose, any preparation exception and the conduct actually charged are separate questions, and sections 3 and 5 treat them separately.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. No limb of the Dangerous Drugs Act, Chapter 11:25, carries a capital penalty, so this row's placement does not move that answer in either direction, and the ceiling the Act reaches on a settled entry is life imprisonment rather than death. Trinidad and Tobago does retain capital punishment for murder, which is a different statute and a different offence, so a flat claim that the country has no death penalty would be wrong even where it is right about this Act. No per-substance amount is printed for this row at all. Section 5 of Chapter 11:25, as amended by Act No. 24 of 2019, supplies the trafficking ceiling and section 3 carries the possession offence, so the section charged rather than a printed weight is what sets the exposure. Nothing attaches to a street name. The exposure follows the identification, and what has to be identified here is an imidazopyridine hypnotic, held as its own psychotropic entry rather than as a benzodiazepine. The conduct charged does the rest of the work. Possession, possession for the purpose of trafficking and trafficking are different sections carrying different ceilings, and the same material will support any of them depending on what else is proved.
If prescribed / medical
The dossier records no traveller import scheme, no permit route and no prescription rule for Trinidad and Tobago, so this row defers on that branch rather than inventing one. The country level position that can honestly be stated is the general one: a foreign prescription is evidence about a patient, it is not a Trinidad and Tobago authorisation, and it does not become one at the border. Attached to this row, the placement is settled, which means that any lawful carry would have to rest on an authorisation and never on the amount. It is dispensed for short term insomnia and is a very common travel carry, often a few tablets taken out of a larger supply.
Ukraine
Legal status
Controlled in Ukraine by name. Постанова № 770, таблиці I to IV, consolidated text read on 20 September 2026, prints «Золпідем» at CAS 82626-48-0 and record UKR-88 accepts that printed row; the heading is in sentence case here because the list prints in capitals. It is worth being exact about what is listed. This is an imidazopyridine and not a diazepine, so it is not one of the six members that decide the class question elsewhere in this source, and Ukraine reaches it by its own name rather than through any class clause. It is also a widely prescribed hypnotic, so the row carries a listed heading and a medicines regime under Закон України «Про лікарські засоби» at the same time.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Ukraine has no death penalty, and Кримінальний кодекс України, стаття 307, the trade article named by this source, carries a ceiling of twelve years of imprisonment at its third part with no life sentence provided. That is a trafficking ceiling and not the position of a patient holding a prescription. Because the heading at CAS 82626-48-0 is matched, наказ МОЗ № 188 keys its small, large and especially large bands to this molecule. A repeat prescription of low milligram tablets accumulates quickly, which is where a lawful supply meets a band. No figures are reproduced and no separate possession article is named. Separately from that, and carried forward from this site's published Ukraine entry rather than re-derived from the Code in this pass, the published penalties are these. Personal use of a small amount is administrative under article 44 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, a fine of 25 to 50 tax free minimum incomes, 20 to 60 hours of community service, or administrative arrest of up to 15 days. Above small, personal use under article 309 is criminal, a fine, correctional labour of up to two years, or restriction of liberty of up to five years, rising to up to three years where aggravated or large and up to eight years where a minor is involved. Trafficking or sale under article 307 draws four to twelve years with property forfeiture. Smuggling under article 305 draws five to eight years, and up to eight to ten years aggravated. The published entry records the small, large and especially large quantity thresholds as very low, and that trace amounts have triggered article 309. Drug use itself, other than in public, is not criminal there. Every figure in this paragraph is a penalty range or a fine and none of them is a quantity threshold. They describe the offences that this row's placement in the Ukrainian list brings into play.
If prescribed / medical
Ukraine allows no personal use quantity in the narcotics sense, наказ МОЗ № 188 grades criminal conduct rather than licensing carriage, and a scheduled medicine must additionally satisfy Закон України «Про лікарські засоби» on prescription, packaging, import and customs. On this row the placement is a matched heading at CAS 82626-48-0 and the usual traveller is a patient carrying a short course for insomnia or for jet lag. No import permit, no personal allowance and no rule recognising a foreign prescription was established in this source, and none was researched. The prescription is necessary on this record and cannot be called sufficient.
Bahrain
Legal status
Controlled. Zolpidem is placed in Group II Schedule 4 of the annex, in Bahrain's Law 15 of 2007 on narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, where the entry reads «ZOLPIDEM; N,N6-trimethyl-2-p-tolylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-3-acetamide». It is the last entry in the table as the annex was printed in 2007, and it is an imidazopyridine rather than a benzodiazepine.
Consequences if caught
Article 34 of Law 15 of 2007 punishes trafficking and the related commercial conduct in the psychotropic substances of Group II Schedules 2, 3 and 4 by imprisonment of not more than five years. The same article adds a fine of not more than 3,000 Bahraini dinars. Article 35 sets not more than six months for the same conduct done for personal use or without payment, with a fine of not more than 100 dinars. The Law states no quantity threshold anywhere, and no table states one for Zolpidem. Article 50 of the Penal Code, Decree-Law No. 15 of 1976, puts civil deprivation of 1 to 3 years on a misdemeanour, which is the tier Article 35 sits in, while Article 49 puts civil deprivation of 3 to 15 years on a felony. Bahrain's published drug penalties also include Article 30, which carries death or life imprisonment with a fine of 5,000 to 50,000 dinars, and Article 30(b), which makes the penalty death in five listed cases; but this row is placed outside that regime, so they are recorded as Bahrain's published drug penalties and not as this substance's exposure. Article 51 makes confiscation of the substance, the equipment and any vehicle prepared for the purpose mandatory in every case. Article 54 lets the court add permanent deportation of a foreign national to the sentence. Bahraini courts have passed drug death sentences, including in a 2019 smuggling case, and executions for drug offences have not been carried out, sentences being commonly commuted; that last point is carried forward from the cell this replaces and was not re-derived here.
If prescribed / medical
Zolpidem is dispensable in Bahrain only against a prescription on a Ministry of Health form under Article 23 of Law 15 of 2007, and that prescription is valid for seven days for a psychotropic substance rather than the three days a Group I narcotic gets. Article 24 requires a prescription covering more than a month of use to be dispensed in two instalments. A patient who has been treated abroad may bring in a treatment quantity of a Group II substance for not more than one week from the date of entry, under Article 26(c), against a prescription approved by the competent authorities in the country of treatment.
Documentation
The version read for this cell is the annex to Law 15 of 2007 as printed in Official Gazette 2804 of 16 August 2007 at pages 20 to 34, together with the publisher's amendment register for the Law, which on 22 September 2026 listed exactly three amendments and showed a site update of 17 September 2026. The register does not certify that no other instrument exists, so the consolidation is silent on that stronger point. The power that moves these tables is article 4 of the Law, which lets the Council of Ministers add to the attached schedules or change their percentages on the Minister's proposal after a committee of specialists approves, so the list can move without a new Law and all three amendments so far were made that way. The twelve tables reproduce the convention lists: the Group I Schedule 3 heading names Schedule III of the 1961 Convention in its English line and the 1971 Convention in its Arabic line, which is a mismatch inside the Gazette itself, Group II carries the four schedules of the 1971 Convention, and Group III mirrors the two tables of the 1988 Convention down to the note excluding the salts of hydrochloric and sulphuric acid. The entry for this row sits in Group II Schedule 4 of the annex and was read on the rendered Gazette page rather than taken from a text layer, because the published file is a scan with no extractable text. It is the last entry in the table as the annex was printed in 2007, and it is an imidazopyridine rather than a benzodiazepine. The group and schedule placement stated here is not printed in the quotation column of the dossier this lane was given: that column carries a bare entry name on its placement rows and a synthesised Arabic search record on its absence rows, and no group marker on any of its 88 rows, so every placement in this batch was read from the Gazette annex page instead. Bahrain's drug law carries capital exposure, and which offences reach it is set out in the street section of this cell rather than recited as a general fact about the country.
Brunei
Legal status
Not a controlled drug in Brunei. Absent from Part I, Part II, Part III and Part IIIA of the First Schedule to the Misuse of Drugs Act, Chapter 27 of the Laws of Brunei Darussalam, Revised Edition 2013 (B.L.R.O. 2/2013), from both parts of its Third Schedule, and from all four substantive schedules to the Regulations. Searched as "Zolpidem", and no entry under that name or any synonym searched for it appears in either instrument.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Zolpidem carries no penalty under the Misuse of Drugs Act in Brunei, because no offence in the Act reaches it. The Part II offences in sections 3, 3A, 4, 5 and 6 are each framed as an offence in relation to a controlled drug, and section 2 confines that to "any substance or product which is for the time being specified in Part I, II or III of the First Schedule to this Act or anything that contains any such substance or product". What decides it for zolpidem is that no entry under that name or any synonym searched for it appears in either instrument. Searching the four parts of the First Schedule, both parts of the Third Schedule and the four substantive schedules to the Regulations under "Zolpidem" returned nothing. Death is not available, and neither is any penalty under this Act. The substance is not a controlled drug, so no offence in Part II is engaged by it and no column of the Second Schedule is reached. The specified drug column, the only one in which death appears, names only opium, morphine, diamorphine, cocaine, cannabis, cannabis resin, methylamphetamine and MDMA. Where death does appear it is mandatory. Section 29(2) provides that the columns "show respectively the punishments to be imposed on a person convicted of the offence", and each death row gives death alone with no maximum, no minimum and no alternative. No provision of the Act confers a sentencing discretion on a capital conviction. The Act creates no sentence of life imprisonment. The phrase appears nowhere in its text, and the longest determinate term it reaches is 30 years.
If prescribed / medical
Neither the Misuse of Drugs Act nor its Regulations governs the prescribing or supply of zolpidem. Neither instrument names it, and no entry under that name or any synonym searched for it appears in either instrument. No register, requisition or prescription requirement in the Regulations attaches to it, since every one of those is keyed to a scheduled controlled drug. What was not checked for this cell is Brunei's medicines and poisons regime, which is a separate body of law that was not fetched. Absence from the Misuse of Drugs Act is not a statement that a substance is freely available.
Documentation
No document is required for zolpidem under the Misuse of Drugs Act, because the Act does not reach it. No entry under that name or any synonym searched for it appears in either instrument. That is a statement about one Act and no wider. A traveller carrying a prescribed medicine should still carry the prescription and keep the product in its labelled dispensed container. What was not checked for this cell is Brunei's medicines and poisons regime, which is a separate body of law that was not fetched. Absence from the Misuse of Drugs Act is not a statement that a substance is freely available.
Iran
Legal status
Zolpidem is placed at entry 62 of Schedule 4 of the four psychotropic schedules adopted 1384/09/13, printed as «زولیپدوم» beside the roman form Zolpidem. It is the last entry in the last schedule.
Consequences if caught
The Psychotropics Law of 1354/02/08 sets the penalties for its Schedules 2, 3 and 4, and they are prison terms rather than capital ones. Article 4 gives 61 days to three years plus seizure for unauthorised manufacture, import or export, Article 6 the same range for unlawful distribution, Article 7 gives 61 days to six months for supplying a consumer otherwise than by a pharmacy against a prescription, and Article 8 up to six months for unauthorised possession. No fine is stated in those articles, and no quantity threshold appears in them either. Article 9 extends the same rules to a medicinal product whose main ingredient contains a Schedule 2, 3 or 4 substance. Iran keeps the death penalty for drug offences and uses it. Article 45, added by the Act of 1396/07/12, which is 4 October 2017, and approved by the Guardian Council on 1396/07/26, which is 18 October 2017, reaches only offences that already carry death or life imprisonment under this Law, and its paragraph (t) sets the quantity limb: «کلیه جرائم موضوع ماده (4) این قانون مشروط بر اینکه بیش از پنجاه کیلوگرم باشد و مواد موضوع ماده (8) این قانون مشروط بر اینکه بیش از دو کیلوگرم باشد و در خصوص سایر جرائم موضوع ماده (8) در صورتیکه بیش از سه کیلوگرم باشد». The quantities are more than 50 kilograms for Article 4 offences, more than 2 kilograms for the Article 8 supply limb, and more than 3 kilograms for the other Article 8 offences of buying, keeping, concealing or transporting, which is how the Head of the Judiciary circular of 1396/10/16, meaning 6 January 2018, reads that paragraph at its own paragraph 7. Below those quantities the older capital wording does not lapse by itself, because Article 45 converts a former death case to grade one imprisonment of up to thirty years and a former life case to grade two imprisonment, with confiscation of drug proceeds in both. The money runs beside that conversion: a grade one fine up to twice its minimum for the former death case and a grade two fine for the former life case. Paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of Article 45 carry no quantity floor at all, and reach an offender who drew or carried a weapon, a ringleader, a financial backer or investor, an offender who used a person under eighteen or a person lacking capacity, and an offender with a final prior conviction under this Law for death, life or more than fifteen years. Advisory opinion 7/99/136 applies paragraph (c) to the transport of 80 grams of heroin and to the possession of 200 kilograms of opium, which is why a weight under two kilograms is not a safe limit. At least 503 drug related executions were recorded in 2024 and 471 in 2023, roughly half of all executions and carried out by hanging, which the US Library of Congress Global Legal Monitor reports and Harm Reduction International and Amnesty International corroborate. A second figure of 485 for 2024 also sits in this project’s earlier Iran records, unattributed there, and the two were not reconciled, so both are printed rather than one being chosen. Those figures are set out here because this row is placed outside that regime, so they are recorded as Iran’s published drug penalties and not as this substance’s exposure.
Laos
Legal status
Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on Narcotics No. 22/NA) / your embassy
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not named in the cited Lao sources (Lao Penal Code 2017, Art 146; Law on Narcotics No. 22/NA of 2012), do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. The Art 146 death thresholds are stated for heroin/morphine/cocaine (more than 500 g) and amphetamines/methamphetamine/ecstasy/psychotropics (more than 3 kg). [retained; abolitionist in practice, no executions since 1989, routine commutation] The death penalty is retained for drugs (Penal Code Art 146), and some sources describe it as MANDATORY above the thresholds [reported], but NO executions have been carried out since 1989 and commutation is routine (e.g. the Orobator case, where a pregnant defendant caught with 680 g of heroin received life, not death).
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
Laos (a Golden Triangle state where about 90% of death-row sentences are drug-related, with roughly 315 people on death row) retains the death penalty for drugs under the Lao Penal Code (2017, Art 146, consolidating the earlier Penal Law and the Law on Narcotics No. 22/NA of 2012). Death applies to producing, distributing, possessing or transporting more than 500 g of heroin, morphine or cocaine; more than 3,000 g (3 kg) of amphetamines, methamphetamine, ecstasy or other psychotropics; or more than 10,000 g of drug precursors. Some sources describe the death penalty as MANDATORY above these thresholds [reported], but it is abolitionist in practice, NO executions have been carried out since 1989, and commutation is routine (e.g. the Orobator case, where a pregnant defendant caught with 680 g of heroin received life, not death). Personal-use possession is graduated: for heroin, morphine or cocaine, less than 0.2 g is treated as a victim needing treatment and 0.2-2 g draws 2-10 years plus a fine; for methamphetamine or ecstasy, less than 0.3 g is treated as a victim and 0.3-3 g draws 1-5 years; using a marijuana-smoking service draws 3 months, 5 years. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Lao Penal Code (2017), Art 146, consolidating Penal Law Art 146 + Law on Narcotics No. 22/NA (2012) · laoofficialgazette.gov.la · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Myanmar
Legal status
Illegal in Myanmar. Zolpidem is listed at Notification 25/2025, List 4, and that listing is the whole of what controls it: section 2(b) of the Law defines a psychotropic substance as one the Ministry of Health has declared by notification, and Zolpidem has been so declared. The list entry reads "ZOLPIDEM".
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: not established. [Certain] Re-derived in this pass: the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law 1993 was read at myanmar-law-library.org on 21 September 2026. Section 20 takes «a narcotic drug or psychotropic substance» as its object, and section 2 defines both by delegation: a narcotic drug is the poppy, coca or cannabis plant and what is derived or extracted from it, or «drugs which the Ministry of Health has, by notification declared to be a narcotic drug», and a psychotropic substance is «drugs which the Ministry of Health has, by notification declared» to be one. This substance is not one of the three named plants or an extract of one, so whether section 20 reaches it turns entirely on a Ministry of Health notification, and that notification was not reached in this pass, so no capital provision is asserted for this row and none is ruled out. Conduct is what sets the band, and the Law grades it in three steps. Section 16(c) reaches possession, transportation, transmission and transfer of a narcotic drug or psychotropic substance, and carries a minimum of 5 years to a maximum of 10 years, with a fine also possible. Section 19 reaches those same acts done for the purpose of sale, and offering for sale or agreeing to sell, and carries a minimum of 10 years to a maximum of an unlimited period. Section 20 reaches production, distribution and sale, and importing and exporting, and it is the one article that can end in death. Section 21 puts an attempt, a conspiracy, organising, administering, financing or abetting on the same footing as the completed offence. Quantity works differently here, because section 26 does not name Zolpidem. Its limbs run (a) to (i) and they name heroin, morphine, the combined total of those two, crude or processed opium, cannabis or essence of cannabis, coca leaf, cocaine, amphetamine type stimulants, methamphetamine hydrochloride, and ephedrine or pseudoephedrine. Limb (i) leaves the weight, volume or quantity for any other narcotic drug or psychotropic substance to be prescribed by Ministry of Health notification, and no prescribed figure for Zolpidem was established on this record. So there is no automatic deemed sale threshold for it: a section 19 charge has to be proved on the purpose of sale rather than read off a scale. Section 20 is the only article in this Law that reaches death. It punishes production, distribution and sale of a narcotic drug or psychotropic substance, and importing and exporting one, with imprisonment from a minimum of 15 years to a maximum of an unlimited period or with death. Death is not mandatory on the section's own wording, because the section holds out imprisonment as the alternative and joins the two with the words or with death. Section 20 states no weight floor of any kind, and because section 26 does not name Zolpidem, no deemed quantity bears on it at any level. Life exposure arrives one step earlier, at section 19, which carries 10 years to an unlimited period for possessing, transporting, transmitting or transferring for the purpose of sale. Sections 22 and 23 then take an offender to the maximum punishment provided for the offence, section 22 where it was committed as part of a local or foreign criminal organisation or group, with arms or explosives, using a child who has not completed the age of 16, or through the influence or power of a public servant, and section 23 where there is a prior conviction for any offence prescribed in sections 16 to 21. What this cell states is the statute as written. It is not a description of enforcement. Policing of these provisions since February 2021 is not what the text describes, and substantial areas of the country sit outside central government control, so the law on the page and the treatment a person actually meets are two different questions.
Oman
Legal status
Not confirmed. Zolpidem is in no table read, which is surprising enough for a substance controlled in most comparable jurisdictions that this cell does not treat the absence as settled.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: not established. Conduct distinction. Articles 44, 46 and 47 punish trafficking, supply and personal use respectively, and each is written about a substance drawn from a named table. None of them reaches a substance that is in no table. That is not a finding that it is lawful in Oman. Article 4 lets the Minister of Health add a substance to any group by decision at any time, and one such decision, number 131 of 2020, has already moved the amfetamines into the table that carries the death penalty. A list read today is a snapshot of a power that is exercised. None established. Articles 43, 44, 46 and 47 are each written about مواد مخدرة أو مؤثرات عقلية drawn from named tables, and article 1 defines both terms purely by reference to those annexed tables. Zolpidem is in none of them, so there is no table entry for any of those articles to attach to, and the mandatory death paragraph of article 43 operates only on article 43 offences. That is the reason exposure is absent rather than merely the fact of it. No quantity arises, because no penalty article is engaged.
If prescribed / medical
Zolpidem is not in the annexed tables, so the licensing and prescribing chapters of the law do not govern it. A separate medicines registration rule may still apply, and a medicines rule is never a criminal schedule.
Documentation
There is no narcotics paperwork for this substance, because it is in none of the annexed tables. Carry the original container, the pharmacy label and a doctor's letter for any medicine you travel with, because an officer decides from what is in front of them and an unlabelled substance invites a laboratory test rather than a reading of the schedules. Where the rule comes from. The instrument is the Law on Combating Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, issued by Royal Decree 17/99 on 6 March 1999 and published in Official Gazette issue 643 of 15 March 1999. Seventy two articles, read here in the amended consolidation. The schedules are annexed to the law, but they do not stay there untouched. Article 4 provides يجوز بقرار من الوزير تعديل المجموعات الملحقة بهذا القانون بالحذف أو الإضافة أو تغيير النسب كلما اقتضت الظروف ذلك, the Minister may by decision amend the annexed groups by deletion, by addition or by changing the proportions whenever circumstances require, and article 1 defines that Minister as the Minister of Health. Two Royal Decrees have amended the law itself. Royal Decree 34/2015 of 5 October 2015, Gazette 1118, replaced articles 5, 6, 43, 47, 49, 56, 59 and 66. Royal Decree 24/2023 of 19 April 2023, Gazette 1490, replaced article 5, renamed the national committee and repealed article 6, and it touched no penalty and no schedule. The schedules themselves were last amended by Ministerial Decision 131 of 2020, made on 28 September 2020 and published in Gazette 1360 of 4 October 2020, which replaced Group 2 tables 1, 2 and 3. Placement for Zolpidem: in no table read, which is surprising enough for a substance controlled in most comparable jurisdictions that this cell does not treat the absence as settled.
Bulgaria
Legal status
Controlled. Zolpidem is a named entry of Списък III of the Наредба за реда за класифициране на растенията и веществата като наркотични, at «Золпидем», «N,N-Диметил-2-[6-метил-2-(p-толил)имидазо[1,2-a]пиридин-3-ил]ацетамид». The row was already in the 2011 appendix, and Постановление № 246 of 2015 quotes it as the anchor for the zopiclone row that follows it, which prints the entry a second time. Списък III is the Act's «Рискови вещества», and чл. 3, ал. 2 of the Закон за контрол върху наркотичните вещества и прекурсорите puts those names in a Council of Ministers наредба rather than in the Act itself. The list closes with a note carrying it across the related forms, «Към Списък ІІІ са и изомерите, естерите, етерите и солите (включително солите на естерите, етерите и изомерите) на веществата по Списък ІІІ», so salts and isomers of the entry travel with it. The entry was read in Приложение № 3 as enacted by Постановление № 293 of 27 October 2011, as those lists stand after Постановление № 49 of 8 May 2025, which is the last amendment to the наредба recorded by the Council of Ministers legal information system.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Bulgaria is in the European Union and the death penalty was abolished in 1998, so no Bulgarian drug provision carries one. The figures in the rest of this paragraph are carried forward from the live Bulgaria cell and were not re-derived in this pass. Possession is not subject to a formal personal-use threshold. Penal Code article 354a(5) lets a judge impose a fine up to about 1,000 leva (about €511) for insignificant quantities, but it remains a criminal conviction. Standard possession of high-risk drugs draws 1 to 6 years. A 2,000 to 10,000 leva fine runs alongside that band. Possession of moderate-risk drugs draws up to 5 years. Trafficking under article 354a draws 2 to 8 years for high-risk drugs and 1 to 6 years for moderate-risk drugs. It rises to up to 15 years for aggravated or particularly large amounts. Cultivation of opium poppy, coca or cannabis is prohibited by article 354c. The high-risk and moderate-risk split those bands run on is drawn by Penal Code articles 354a, 354b and 354c together with the Law on Control of Narcotic Substances and Precursors, the ЗКНВП. Those are Penal Code provisions rather than наредба provisions, and they describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical
Чл. 58, ал. 1 of the Закон за контрол върху наркотичните вещества и прекурсорите lets a person in transit or temporarily in the country hold medicinal products containing narcotic substances «от списъците по чл. 3, ал. 2, т. 2 и 3» only for treatment and in quantities no greater than 30 days of treatment, and чл. 58, ал. 2 requires a foreign national to hold a document issued by the competent authorities of the country where the treatment was prescribed. Списък III is the list that allowance calls т. 3, so the entry at «Золпидем» is inside чл. 58 rather than outside it. Чл. 60 sets how it is prescribed: ал. 1 sends the manner of prescribing to a наредба of the Minister of Health, ал. 2 requires special prescription forms that are subject to special accounting, and ал. 4 limits prescribing to qualified doctors and dentists. Carry the prescription, the dispensing packaging and, for a stay of any length, the чл. 58, ал. 2 document from the prescribing country. Confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Lithuania
Legal status
Zolpidem is controlled in Lithuania. Order No. 5 names zolpidem. The entry relied on reads «Zolpidemas (Zolpidem)», and the source states that its spelling and chemistry were checked against the order rather than matched on an English name alone. The chain has four links and each one matters. The Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances Control Law, at article 4, delegates classification to the Ministry of Health. Health Minister Order No. 5 of 6 January 2000 is the resulting list and carries Schedules I to IV. Criminal Code article 269(1) makes those ministerial lists the Criminal Code's own drug definition. Criminal Code article 269(2) then sends the quantity question to ministerial recommendations, and Health Minister Order V-239 of 23 April 2003 supplies the figures. The list and the amount table are two different instruments, and a substance can be controlled by Order No. 5 while its cells in Order V-239 are blank. That is the single thing English accounts of Lithuanian law most often get wrong, and it is why control and quantity are stated separately on this row. This reading is stated as in force on 18 September 2026. The current consolidation of Order No. 5 begins on 18 June 2025 and the current consolidation of Order V-239 begins on the same day; the Control Law edition read includes the changes effective 1 November 2025 and the Criminal Code edition read was effective 3 July 2026.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Lithuania has no death penalty and no life sentence for a drug offence, so neither is available for zolpidem. The ceiling is 15 years under Criminal Code article 260(3), which applies where the amount is very large. The scale is set by which amount band the quantity falls in. Article 259 covers possession without intent to distribute and its subsection (2) is the small-quantity misdemeanour. Article 260(1) punishes distribution-purpose conduct by 2 to 8 years. Article 260(2) applies to a large amount and carries 8 to 10 years. Article 260(3) applies to a very large amount and carries 10 to 15 years. Order V-239 prints three figures for this entry at table item 393: a small amount of not more than 0,02 g, a large amount of more than 0,6 g, and a very large amount of more than 1,5 g. Those three columns are what select the offence.
If prescribed / medical
Whether there is a lawful route for zolpidem depends on which of the four schedules of Order No. 5 carries the entry, and this row does not state the schedule number because the source records the list entry and the amount table rather than the schedule division. Schedule IV matters more than an English reader expects: it carries amyl nitrite, nitrous oxide, gamma-butyrolactone and the other alkyl nitrites, and it ends at item 402. Handling outside an authorisation is what the Criminal Code punishes, so a licensed medical or scientific use runs inside the Control Law rather than around it. Treat the detail of the route for zolpidem as unread and put the question to the State Medicines Control Agency of Lithuania.
Estonia
Legal status
Zolpidem is a controlled substance in Estonia. The national schedule is Annex 1 to Minister of Social Affairs Regulation No 73, and the entry relied on for zolpidem reads «Zolpideem». The source does not state whether that entry names zolpidem itself or a constituent of it, because its explanation column carries one sentence for every controlled row, that the annex names the substance or the applicable controlled entry, and that wording covers both cases. The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act prohibits handling except for authorised medical, scientific and enforcement purposes, and the annex controls the listed isomers, esters, ethers, salts and medicines as the instrument provides. Estonia publishes no gram figure for zolpidem, because the boundary that decides the offence is a quantity test rather than a weight. This reading is stated as in force on 18 September 2026, the day the instruments were read, and the schedule review covers the amendment effective 31 December 2024.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Estonia has no death penalty, so no quantity of zolpidem can carry one. The ceiling is life imprisonment under Penal Code section 184(2) with a superscript one, which is reached when section 184 conduct is committed for large financial gain or by a criminal organisation, and the band immediately below it is 6 to 20 years. Below it the scale runs in three steps: dealing in a small quantity, up to 5 years under Penal Code section 183(2); handling a large quantity, 1 to 10 years under section 184(1); and the aggravated form, 3 to 15 years under section 184(2). What makes a quantity large is not a gram figure. The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, at section 3(1)(3), defines a large quantity as an amount sufficient to intoxicate at least ten people, so the prosecution must prove the intoxicating dose rather than weigh the seizure. A claim that Estonia allows a fixed personal quantity of zolpidem is not the statutory rule, and small personal possession or use can remain an offence under the Act even where section 184 is not reached.
If prescribed / medical
There may be a lawful route and this row cannot tell you whether there is one for zolpidem. The Act permits handling for authorised medical, scientific and enforcement purposes, so a medical route exists in principle. Regulation No 73 divides its schedule into six lists, Lists I to VI, and it is the list a substance sits in that decides whether it has a recognised medical use in Estonia. The source read for zolpidem names the annex and the entry «Zolpideem» and does not record which of the six lists carries it. That is a gap in what was read rather than a finding that no route exists, and the State Agency of Medicines is the body that settles it. Treat the prescription route for zolpidem as unread, not as absent.
Documentation
Carry the prescription and the original dispensing packaging, and get the State Agency of Medicines to confirm the position for zolpidem in writing before you travel rather than at the airport. That is the carriage answer and it is deliberately short, because no traveller permit scheme, declaration form or carriage allowance for zolpidem appears anywhere in what was read for this row. An absence in what was read is not proof that no scheme exists. Provenance follows. The entry «Zolpideem» was read in Annex 1 to Minister of Social Affairs Regulation No 73, alongside the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and the Penal Code, in their consolidated texts on Riigi Teataja, the official state gazette, on 18 September 2026.
Latvia
Legal status
Zolpidem is controlled in Latvia. The controlling instrument is Annex 2 to the law on the entry into force and application of the Criminal Law, and section 3(2) of the Circulation Law points to it expressly, which is why the former Cabinet Regulation No. 847 is not the current list. Annex 2 names zolpidem directly. The entry reads «zolpidēms», which is zolpidem. The entry sits at item 16(72) of Annex 2, in Schedule III, which covers dangerous psychotropic substances. Control extends to specified derivatives, isomers, structural analogues, active metabolites, salts, medicines, plant preparations and mixtures under Circulation Law sections 3(3)(5), 3(3)(6) and 3(4) read with Annex 2 paragraphs 2 and 3. This reading is stated as in force on 18 September 2026. Annex 2 identifies its current version as the 29 April 2021 text, as amended to 13 November 2025, with the cited 2025 change taking effect on 1 December 2025.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Latvia has no death penalty and no life sentence for a drug offence, so neither is available for zolpidem. The ceiling is 15 years under subsection (3) of Criminal Law section 253 with a superscript one, which is reached by an organised group, a large amount, serious consequences, sale to a minor, or sale at specified public or educational venues. The scale runs from an administrative penalty to fifteen years. Circulation Law section 48(1) makes unauthorised acquisition or possession in a small amount, or unauthorised use, punishable by a warning or 10 to 56 fine units, and section 48(3) requires a written warning about criminal liability if it happens again within a year. Criminal Law section 253(1) covers handling without intent to sell at up to 3 years, and section 253(2) reaches 3 to 10 years for a group or a large amount. The sale provision, numbered 253 with a superscript one, covers sale-purpose conduct and sale at 2 to 8 years in its subsection (1), reaches 3 to 10 years in its subsection (2), and reaches 5 to 15 years in its subsection (3). Annex 2 prints the two cut-offs for this entry: the amount up to which a quantity is recognised as small is 0,6 g, and the amount from which a quantity is recognised as large is 10 g. The printed small ceiling and the printed large floor are not the same boundary. A quantity above the small ceiling but below the large floor is neither small nor large under those two columns, and falls into the ordinary band between them.
If prescribed / medical
There is a medical route for zolpidem and it runs inside the control regime rather than around it. Annex 2 places it in Schedule III, as a dangerous psychotropic substance, which is the schedule level that keeps a substance available for medical and scientific use under the Circulation Law licensing and prescribing rules. The prescribing and dispensing conditions themselves sit in the Latvian medicines and pharmacy regime, which this row did not audit, so treat the detail of the route as unread. The State Agency of Medicines of Latvia is the body that states it.
Slovenia
Legal status
Controlled in Slovenia. The annex to the Uredba o razvrstitvi prepovedanih drog names zolpidem at Group III, the benzodiazepine anxiolytics and hypnotics subsection, row 37. Article 2 of the Uredba provides «Seznam skupin prepovedanih drog iz prejšnjega člena je v Prilogi, ki je sestavni del te uredbe.», which makes the annex a constituent part of the regulation rather than a separate document, so the names belong to the Uredba and not to the Criminal Code. The search that produced this placement searched the single term zolpidem across all three groups. The entry is numbered 37 within that group in the copy that was read, and the number is reproduced only because the annex text itself prints it beside the entry. The placement is in Group III, one of the two groups the source identifies as capable of carrying medicines, although the source states no medical route for this entry. The annex was read on 20 September 2026 and this does not rule out a later amendment.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Slovenia has abolished the death penalty and no Slovenian drug offence carries one, so this is a settled country level fact and not a reading of where any substance sits on the list. The exposure that does attach runs on three provisions. Personal use is handled under article 33 of the Production of and Trade in Illicit Drugs Act, the ZPPPD, which treats a smaller quantity held for one time personal use as a minor offence and carries a fine of roughly 42 to 209 euro, reduced or remitted where the person enters approved treatment. That article states no gram figure at all and it is a lighter route rather than a lawful possession allowance. Trafficking and manufacture fall under article 186 of the Criminal Code, the KZ-1, at one to ten years, rising to three to fifteen years on the aggravated limbs for organised conduct or conduct involving minors or vulnerable persons, and fifteen years under article 186, paragraphs 2 and 3, is the drug offence ceiling in Slovenian law. Facilitating consumption falls under article 187 at six months to twelve years. This substance is reached through its own entry at Group III, row 37, so those three provisions apply to it directly and nothing here rests on an inference from a neighbouring entry or from a class.
If prescribed / medical
The source read for this cell carries no prescription column, so no substance specific Slovenian medical route is stated here and none is assumed. The country level traveller rule is the one the source does state: Groups II and III of the annex can include medicines, and lawful travel still turns on the applicable prescription, the original dispensing packaging and any Schengen or Slovenian certificate that is required, with a foreign brand assessed through its proved active ingredients rather than its name. This row sits in Group III, one of the two groups the source identifies as capable of carrying medicines, but the source states no route for this particular entry, so the route is deferred here rather than stated.
Serbia
Legal status
Zolpidem is a controlled substance in Serbia. The dossier behind this cell places it on the Spisak psihoaktivnih kontrolisanih supstanci, the annex carried by the Pravilnik o utvrđivanju Spiska psihoaktivnih kontrolisanih supstanci, Službeni glasnik RS 12/2026, Član 2, at Lista 7, red 19, under CAS 82626-48-0. The row is recorded as «Zolpidem | N,N-dimetil-2-(6-metil-2-(p-tolil)imidazopiridin-3-il)acetamid | CAS 82626-48-0», which is the international and trivial name column, the systematic chemical name column and CAS 82626-48-0. The wording given here is the dossier's record of the row, in Latin script, and it is not offered as the text the Službeni glasnik RS prints. Serbian is written in both Cyrillic and Latin, the official gazette promulgates in Cyrillic, and all 88 Serbian rows in this dossier are recorded in Latin script with no Cyrillic character anywhere in them, so the entry is attributed to the dossier and to its Latin script source rather than to the gazette text. The penalty does not come from the Spisak. It comes from the Criminal Code, at arts 246 and 246a, which is where conduct with what those articles call opojne droge is divided and sentenced, and neither those articles nor the Lista 7 row attaches a gram figure to zolpidem.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. The ceiling this dossier records for Serbia is 20 years of imprisonment, by Criminal Code art. 246(5) read with the general maximum in art. 45(1). That figure is document level, the same sentence on all 88 Serbian rows, so it is given here as the dossier's recorded ceiling for the country and not as a measured statement about this substance, and no route in the instruments the dossier cites reaches death. What this cell cannot give you is a weight. The Lista 7 row at red 19 carries a name, the systematic name «N,N-dimetil-2-(6-metil-2-(p-tolil)imidazopiridin-3-il)acetamid» and CAS 82626-48-0, and it carries no quantity at all. Arts 246 and 246a divide conduct by manja količina and velika količina and print no gram value for either. So the line between the smaller quantity offence and the larger one for zolpidem is a finding a Serbian court makes on the facts of a case, and it is not a number that can be checked before travelling. Anyone who says a particular weight is safe in Serbia is saying something the cited instruments do not say. The list number is a locator and not a severity tier: the dossier records the placement at Lista 7 but carries no description of what separates the seven lists from one another, so nothing here should be read as a claim that Lista 7 is treated more or less harshly than another. Separately from that, and carried forward from this site's published Serbia entry rather than re-derived from the Criminal Code in this pass, the published penalties are these. Drug use itself is not a criminal offence. Possession of a small amount for one's own use under Criminal Code article 246a paragraph 1 draws a fine or up to three years, and punishment may be remitted in minor cases. Small quantity is not numerically defined in law, so there is no fixed statutory quantity. Possession of a large quantity under article 246a paragraph 2 draws three to ten years. Production, circulation or sale under article 246 draws three to twelve years, five to fifteen years if committed by a group, and at least ten years if by an organised group. Cultivation of opium poppy or psychoactive hemp under article 246 draws six months to five years. Facilitating the taking of narcotics is an offence under article 247. The death penalty was abolished in 2002. Every figure in this paragraph is a penalty range or a fine and none of them is a quantity threshold. They describe the offences that this row's placement in the Spisak psihoaktivnih kontrolisanih supstanci brings into play.
Iraq
Legal status
Controlled psychotropic. Schedule Eight carries ZOLPIDEM at serial 62, described as «N,N,6-trimethyl-2-p-tolylimidazo[1,2-» a]pyridine-3-acetamide. This placement is stated as those schedules stand after Statement 347 of 2025 of 17 November 2025, the Official Gazette having been checked to issue 4881 of 14 September 2026.
Consequences if caught
Zolpidem is an imidazopyridine rather than a benzodiazepine, and it is named in its own right. Under the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Law No. 50 of 2017, Article 27 punishes importing, bringing in or exporting, producing or manufacturing, and cultivating a producing plant, in each case with intent to trade, by death or life imprisonment. Trafficking possession of a substance on the tables outside Schedule One carries severe detention under Article 28, Sixth. The fine on that offence runs from 5,000,000 to 10,000,000 Iraqi dinars. Possession, purchase, import, production or cultivation for personal use carries one to three years under Article 32. The fine on personal use runs from 5,000,000 to 10,000,000 Iraqi dinars. Article 27 keys on the act rather than on a weight, and the law sets no gram threshold for it. These figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play. Iraq enforces the drug death penalty in practice: 144 drug-trafficking death sentences were issued in 2024, a figure carried forward here from the previous cell and not re-derived, on the authority of the US State Department and Iraqi court statements reported by 964media and The New Region.
If prescribed / medical
A prescribable hypnotic. Carry the prescription and the original labelled packaging.
Documentation
Zolpidem is a medicine here, so documentation rather than prohibition is the issue. Schedule Eight serial numbers here are taken from Statement 197 of 2021, and Statement 348 of 2024 assigns a serial that overlaps one of them, so a Schedule Eight serial may have been renumbered by the statement in the chain that could not be read. The entry itself is printed; only its position in the table carries that doubt. Running or preparing a place for drug use is Article 28, Fourth, of this law; it is not a Penal Code Article 288 offence. Allowing another person to use drugs on premises of yours carries six months to two years under Article 33, First, with a fine of 3,000,000 to 5,000,000 Iraqi dinars. A doctor who writes a prescription for other than medical treatment faces not less than three months detention or a fine of 3,000,000 to 5,000,000 Iraqi dinars and a one year ban on practice under Article 31. Article 1 defines the ten schedules as the lists adopted by the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances and the 1988 United Nations Convention against illicit traffic, each with its amendments, and Article 49, Second, is how Iraq amends them. Article 50 repeals Narcotics Law No. 68 of 1965, so the 1965 law is not the governing Act. Harm Reduction International reported 140 drug death sentences in Iraq between January and August 2024, a figure carried forward here and not re-derived. The US State Department has reported personal-use sentences of up to 15 years, which is longer than the Article 32 range and is carried forward here as that department reported it rather than re-derived from the statute. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with the Iraqi embassy before travel.
Jordan
Legal status
Zolpidem is a psychotropic substance under Law No. 23 of 2016, the Jordanian narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances law, and that is a defined term rather than a description. Article 2 provides «المؤثرات العقلية: كل مادة طبيعية أو تركيبية من المواد المدرجة في الجداول ذوات الارقام (5) و(6) و(7) و(8) و(9) الملحقة بهذا القانون.», psychotropic substances being every natural or synthetic substance listed in Schedules 5 to 9 attached to this Law. Zolpidem is expressly listed at Schedule 9, printed «الجدول رقم (9): زولبيديم», which resolves the molecule separately from the benzodiazepines and from the other hypnotic classes. It is an imidazopyridine rather than a benzodiazepine, so it is not covered by that class row of this table and does not need to be: it has its own entry. Schedules are not frozen in the enacted text. Article 37 provides «لمجلس الوزراء بناء على تنسيب الوزير إجراء تعديل على أي من الجداول الملحقة بهذا القانون بحذف أي مادة منه أو إضافة أي مادة أخرى اليه أو تعديل النسب أو المواصفات أو الشروط الخاصة والمتعلقة بأي منها على ان يتم نشر ذلك في الجريدة الرسمية.», so the Council of Ministers may amend any attached schedule by a decision published in the Official Gazette.
Consequences if caught
Zolpidem's Schedule 9 placement makes it a psychotropic substance for this Law, which puts it inside articles 19 and 20 and up to the death penalty article 20 states in the words «يعاقب بالإعدام», however ordinary a sleeping tablet seems. Three articles stack. Article 19(a) is the trafficking provision and its opening words are «يعاقب بالأشغال الشاقة المؤقتة مدة لا تقل عن خمس عشرة سنة وبغرامة لا تقل عن عشرة آلاف دينار ولا تزيد على عشرين ألف دينار كل من أقدم على أي فعل من الافعال التالية بقصد الاتجار», temporary hard labour of not less than fifteen years and a fine of ten thousand to twenty thousand Jordanian dinars for the listed dealing conduct committed with intent to traffic. Article 19(b) then provides «تكون العقوبة الأشغال الشاقة المؤبدة», and the indicative verb makes life imprisonment mandatory once a listed aggravator is proved: repeat offending, the status of a specified drug control or supervisory official, or committing the offence with or through a minor. Death under article 20 is mandatory in the same way, but only where an article 19 offence carries the specified international drug gang connection or the listed international criminal activity circumstances. Quantity is not the trigger anywhere in this structure. Zolpidem is the medicine most often carried for long flights and time zone changes, frequently as a loose tablet given by somebody else, and that is exactly how a traveller ends up holding a Schedule 9 substance with nothing to show for it.
If prescribed / medical
Zolpidem is a mainstream prescribed hypnotic for short-term insomnia, and being a medicine does not lift the Schedule 9 control. A supply lawfully dispensed to a patient is not trafficking, because article 19(a) defines that offence by the words «بقصد الاتجار», with intent to traffic, and that is a point about how the offence is framed rather than a permission. The distinction that matters is between a supply dispensed to you and one dispensed to somebody else: passing a tablet to a travelling companion who cannot sleep is a supply act on its face, whatever was intended by it. What Law No. 23 of 2016 fixes is the control status, and what it does not fix is the prescribing and dispensing conditions; Jordan's separate medicines and pharmacy regimes were not audited for this table, so a route there is treated as unread rather than as absent.
Syria
Legal status
Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Syria's authorities (Narcotic Drugs Law No. 2 of 1993) / your embassy
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not named in the cited Syrian sources (Narcotic Drugs Law No. 2 of 1993, Legislative Decree, Arts 39/43), do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Syria (Narcotic Drugs Law No. 2 of 1993, Legislative Decree), trafficking, cultivation or manufacture is punishable by DEATH (Art 39); a user draws 3-15 years (Art 43); possession not for trafficking draws up to 1 year plus a fine up to 5,000 SYP; trafficking draws life plus a 1-5 million SYP fine. Death applies in aggravated cases (a public official combating drugs, a minor used, or an international smuggling syndicate). [retained; enforcement opaque amid conflict] Syria is retentionist on paper, death applies in aggravated cases (a public official combating drugs, a minor used, or an international smuggling syndicate), but enforcement is opaque amid the conflict, and a September 2019 amnesty reduced some death sentences to life. Active executions are not asserted.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Syria (Narcotic Drugs Law No. 2 of 1993, Legislative Decree), trafficking, cultivation or manufacture is punishable by DEATH (Art 39); a user draws 3-15 years (Art 43); possession not for trafficking draws up to 1 year plus a fine up to 5,000 SYP; trafficking draws life plus a 1-5 million SYP fine. Death applies in aggravated cases (a public official combating drugs, a minor used, or an international smuggling syndicate). There is no medical cannabis. [retained; enforcement opaque amid conflict] Syria is retentionist on paper, death applies in aggravated cases (a public official combating drugs, a minor used, or an international smuggling syndicate), but enforcement is opaque amid the conflict, and a September 2019 amnesty reduced some death sentences to life. Active executions are not asserted. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Narcotic Drugs Law No. 2 of 1993 (Legislative Decree), Arts 39/43 · corroborated by Harm Reduction International, CountryReports and NPA Syria · sherloc.unodc.org · hri.global · Updated July 14, 2026
Yemen
Legal status
Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Yemen's authorities (Law No. 3 of 1993) / your embassy
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not named in the cited Yemeni sources (Law No. 3 of 1993 on Control of Illicit Trafficking in and Abuse of Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances, Arts 34/39), do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Yemen (Law No. 3 of 1993 on Control of Illicit Trafficking in and Abuse of Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances), trafficking or cultivating schedule-V plants with intent to traffic is punishable by DEATH or 25 years (Art 34); possession not for trafficking draws a lesser penalty (Art 39). The penalty keys on INTENT, not a fixed statutory quantity, there is no fixed gram threshold. [retained; executions rare amid conflict] Yemen is retentionist, death applies for trafficking or cultivation with intent to traffic, but executions are rare amid the conflict. Active executions are not asserted.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Yemen (Law No. 3 of 1993 on Control of Illicit Trafficking in and Abuse of Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances), trafficking or cultivating schedule-V plants with intent to traffic is punishable by DEATH or 25 years (Art 34); possession not for trafficking draws a lesser penalty (Art 39). The penalty keys on INTENT, not a fixed statutory quantity, there is no fixed gram threshold; there is no medical cannabis. [retained; executions rare amid conflict] Yemen is retentionist, death applies for trafficking or cultivation with intent to traffic, but executions are rare amid the conflict. Active executions are not asserted. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Law No. 3 of 1993 on Control of Illicit Trafficking in and Abuse of Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances, Arts 34/39 · corroborated by Harm Reduction International · sherloc.unodc.org · hri.global · Updated July 14, 2026
Libya
Legal status
Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Libya's authorities (Law No. 7 of 1990 as amended) / your embassy
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not named in the cited Libyan sources (Law No. 7 of 1990 on Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances, as amended), do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Libya (Law No. 7 of 1990 on Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances, amended by Law No. 19 of 1994 and Law No. 19 of 1996), drugs are prohibited and aggravated trafficking is death-eligible. The specific death-penalty article number and any quantity thresholds are NOT individually confirmed in the cited sources (do not rely on a specific article or gram figure), verify; there is no fixed statutory quantity asserted here. [retained; enforcement opaque amid conflict] Libya is on the drug-death-penalty retentionist list and aggravated trafficking is death-eligible under Law No. 7 of 1990 (as amended), but the specific death-penalty article and any quantity thresholds are NOT individually confirmed in the cited sources, verify the specific article before relying on it. Enforcement is opaque amid the conflict; active executions are not asserted.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Libya (Law No. 7 of 1990 on Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances, amended by Law No. 19 of 1994 and Law No. 19 of 1996), drugs are prohibited and aggravated trafficking is death-eligible. The specific death-penalty article number and any quantity thresholds are NOT individually confirmed in the cited sources, verify the specific article before relying on it; there is no fixed statutory quantity asserted here, and there is no medical cannabis. [retained; enforcement opaque amid conflict] Libya is on the drug-death-penalty retentionist list and aggravated trafficking is death-eligible under Law No. 7 of 1990 (as amended), but the specific death-penalty article and any quantity thresholds are NOT individually confirmed in the cited sources, verify the specific article before relying on it. Enforcement is opaque amid the conflict; active executions are not asserted. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Law No. 7 of 1990 on Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances (amended by Law No. 19 of 1994 and Law No. 19 of 1996) · corroborated by Human Rights Watch · security-legislation.ly · unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Sudan
Legal status
Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Sudan's authorities (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of 1994) / your embassy
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not named in the cited Sudanese sources (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of 1994, Arts 15/16/17), do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Sudan (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of 1994, Arts 15/16/17), the death penalty is conditional and aggravator-based, mandated for trafficking or producing by a recidivist, by an official entrusted with combating drug trafficking, or as part of an international criminal organization (Arts 15/17), and for providing drugs to students or in schools or assisting trafficking generally (Arts 16/17). It is NOT a flat general-trafficking death penalty. [retained for aggravated/recidivist trafficking; enforcement opaque] The death penalty is conditional and aggravator-based, mandated for trafficking or producing by a recidivist, by an official entrusted with combating drug trafficking, or as part of an international criminal organization (Arts 15/17), and for providing drugs to students or in schools or assisting trafficking generally (Arts 16/17). It is NOT a flat general-trafficking death penalty. Sudan is retentionist with a historical execution record (1994), but there is no reliable current execution stream amid the conflict; active executions are not asserted.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Sudan (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of 1994, Arts 15/16/17), the death penalty is conditional and aggravator-based, mandated for trafficking or producing by a recidivist, by an official entrusted with combating drug trafficking, or as part of an international criminal organization (Arts 15/17), and for providing drugs to students or in schools or assisting trafficking generally (Arts 16/17). It is NOT a flat general-trafficking death penalty, and there is no medical cannabis. [retained for aggravated/recidivist trafficking; enforcement opaque] The death penalty is conditional and aggravator-based, mandated for trafficking or producing by a recidivist, by an official entrusted with combating drug trafficking, or as part of an international criminal organization (Arts 15/17), and for providing drugs to students or in schools or assisting trafficking generally (Arts 16/17). It is NOT a flat general-trafficking death penalty. Sudan is retentionist with a historical execution record (1994), but there is no reliable current execution stream amid the conflict; active executions are not asserted. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of 1994, Arts 15/16/17 · Updated July 14, 2026
Albania
Legal status
Zolpidem is a controlled substance in Albania. The operative list is the set of narcotic, psychotropic and plant tables annexed to Ligji nr. 7975, datë 26.7.1995, për barnat narkotike, psikotrope dhe të kontrolluara, which carry the 1961 and 1971 Convention schedules, and the criminal articles take their substance names from that list rather than the other way round. The entry read for this row is «Zolpidem», keyed by CAS 82626-48-0. The search recorded for this row ran «zolpidem». The tables are read here as those tables stand after Ligji nr. 17/2026, the statute that last moved the list by adding substances to the 1971 Convention list annexed to Ligji nr. 7975, datë 26.7.1995, për barnat narkotike, psikotrope dhe të kontrolluara through its shtojca nr. 1, and that does not rule out a later addition under the same power.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Albania has abolished the death penalty and no offence in the Criminal Code, Ligji nr. 7895, datë 27.1.1995, carries it, so the abolition is a country level fact and does not turn on where a substance sits in the annexed tables. The drug offences are in that Code: article 283, the narcotics offence, whose first paragraph excludes personal use in a small dose; article 283/a, also cited as 283-a, the trafficking article; and article 284, the cultivation article for narcotic plants. The one figure the Albania dossier prints is the ceiling, twenty years, at article 283/a, second paragraph. The dossier records no numerical substance by substance table behind the small dose exclusion, so nothing in the statute fixes the weight at which a small dose stops being one, and a reduced offence or an exclusion from one trafficking paragraph is not a general lawful possession safe harbour. The figures that follow are carried forward from the Albania entry already published on this site and were not re-derived from the statute text in this pass. Under article 283 the published entry gives five to ten years for manufacturing, selling, transporting or keeping, rising to seven to fifteen years in complicity or on repeat and ten to twenty years for organising, managing or financing. Under article 283/a it gives seven to fifteen years for trafficking by import, export or transit, rising to ten to twenty in complicity or on repeat and fifteen years and above for organising or financing. Under article 283/b it gives three to seven years for facilitating intake or use by administering drugs. Under article 284 it gives three to seven years for cultivating narcotic plants, rising to five to ten in complicity or on repeat and ten to twenty for organising or financing. Those are penalty bands and nothing else: they are not quantities and they are not fines. They sit alongside the ceiling the dossier states, twenty years at article 283/a second paragraph, and this pass did not re-derive either, so whether the published ten to twenty and fifteen years and above limbs state that same ceiling in other words is not resolved here. Quantity is a separate question from any of those bands, and the published entry answers it the same way the dossier does: there is no statutory gram threshold. It records that the Supreme Court, in Decision 1 of 27 March 2008, defined small quantity as a single dose for that individual, decided case by case. Observed practice is a third thing again and it is reported rather than enacted. The published entry records that in practice low level users are still prosecuted under article 283, and that five year minimums have been seen even for roughly 0.4 to 1.9 g. That is a quantity seen in reported cases, not a threshold the statute sets. The published entry also records that personal possession may, in practice, be handled administratively under the Code of Misdemeanors article 121, with a fine of about 10,000 to 50,000 ALL. That is a money figure and not a quantity, and the published entry marks the path reported, not controlling. This row is reached by those articles because the entry «Zolpidem», keyed by CAS 82626-48-0, reached by the search on «zolpidem» is printed in the annexed tables, so the offence attaches to the substance through its placement and not through any analogy or class inference.
North Macedonia
Legal status
Controlled in North Macedonia. The classification list made under the control Act prints a row for zolpidem, under the Macedonian locator золпидем, keyed to CAS 82626-48-0. The list, and not the criminal article, is what owns the substance name, so the placement is read off the list and the offence is read off the code. The version read is the classification list published at Службен весник на РСМ бр. 104/2021, read as at 20 September 2026. The power that moves that list is член 21 став 2 of Закон за контрола на опојни дроги и психотропни супстанции, under which the minister of health adopts the lists, so the list can be replaced without the statute changing, and a later amendment is not ruled out by this reading.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. North Macedonia carries no death penalty, and the dossier read for this pass states that on all 88 of its rows. The drug offence itself is Article 215 of the Кривичен законик, which sits in the chapter on offences against people's health, chapter 21. On penalty: Article 215 carries three to ten years, and the lesser-quantity paragraph added in September 2009 carries six months to three years. Article 216 covers facilitating or enabling the use of drugs, and Article 217 covers causing severe bodily injury or health damage through the Article 215 and Article 216 offences. There is no separate personal-possession offence in the Code, and personal use is often charged under Article 215. On quantity, which is a different question from penalty and must not be read as the same one: small versus large quantity is not defined in the Code. Article 215(2) recognises a smaller quantity for the reduced offence but states no grams and creates no lawful allowance, so there is no statutory quantity band and no weight below which possession becomes lawful. The Public Prosecutor's internal guidelines set non-statutory cut-offs instead, and the reported working thresholds are around 2 g of cocaine, 2 g of heroin and 5 g of cannabis, above which intent to sell is presumed. That is reported prosecutorial practice and not statutory, and that hedge is part of the figure rather than a footnote to it. The penalty bands, the chapter 21 locator, Article 216 and Article 217, the absence of a separate possession offence and the reported thresholds are all carried forward from the published entry for this country and were not re-derived from the Кривичен законик or from any statute text in this pass. The dossier read for this pass records only a ten year ceiling at Article 215(1) and the bare existence of a reduced offence at Article 215(2), so the three year floor, the six months to three years band and the two neighbouring articles are the published entry's material and not the dossier's. Because the substance is a printed row in the operative list, Article 215 engages on its own terms once the seized material is proved to be what the row names.
If prescribed / medical
The source carries no prescription column, so no per substance medical route is asserted here. The country level rule it does state is that scheduled medicines and other prescription products remain subject to Закон за лековите и медицинските средства and to its prescription, packaging, import and customs requirements, and that a brand or street label is resolved through proved active ingredients. Placement for this row: a printed row in the classification list under the locator золпидем, keyed to CAS 82626-48-0. Whether zolpidem has a lawful medical route in North Macedonia is deferred, because the source states none for it.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Legal status
Controlled. The list attached to the 2006 Law, as consolidated through Official Gazette 56/26 with the remifentanil move at 58/26 carries an entry for this substance in its Tables I to III, printed as «zolpidem». The printed entry and the international name are identical. The entry prints no formulation limb. Which of the three tables the entry sits in is not recorded in the source, so anything that turns on the table rather than on the listing is not pinned here. The list was read as at 20 September 2026, and reading it on that date does not rule out a later amendment.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Criminal law in Bosnia and Herzegovina runs at state, entity and Brčko District level at once, and the sources read do not establish which code governs a given case: they name the applicable entity or Brčko criminal code without choosing between them, and the only code actually read is the Federation one, where drug trafficking sits at article 238 and the fixed-term ceiling is article 43, «Kazna zatvora ne može biti kraća od trideset dana ni duža od dvadeset godina.», thirty days at the bottom and twenty years at the top. Where in the country the conduct happens is therefore the first thing that has to be settled, and this answer does not settle it. This is a very widely prescribed hypnotic and it is reached by name, without a class rule and without a strength threshold. No quantity band applies on this record: a separate quantity instrument was searched alongside the list and returned no entry for this substance, so nothing in the national material read converts a weight into a tier. The penalty detail that follows is carried forward from this substance's own published entry on 2cb.com and was not re-derived from statute text in this pass, so it is reported as carried forward rather than asserted here: state-level Criminal Code article 195, illicit production and trafficking of narcotics, is charged for cross-entity or organized trafficking, with up to roughly 10 to 20 years for aggravated or organized forms and about 3 to 15 years base per secondary sources; possession for personal use is a misdemeanour under entity or district public-order law, for example the Brčko Law on Public Order article 31, a fine of about €250 to €750, with Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska equivalents, rather than the felony track, but each entity's criminal code can pursue felony charges for cultivation, sale, or possession beyond personal-use quantities; and the 2017 EUDA report notes the misdemeanour penalties do not vary by drug, recidivism or quantity. That published entry also states that the exact article and range a person faces depends on where in the country the offence occurs, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina versus Republika Srpska versus Brčko, that article 195 at state level is the anchor, and that entity-level article numbers not confirmed there are not pinned. Every figure in that carried-forward detail is a penalty range or a fine and not one of them is a quantity threshold: the published entry itself says there is no uniform statutory gram threshold distinguishing personal use from intent to sell and that it varies by entity, which is the same absence recorded above and not a contradiction of it.
Georgia
Legal status
Zolpidem is a controlled substance in Georgia. The dossier places it on the annexes to Law No. 624, matched to the entry «ზოლპიდემი», with CAS 82626-48-0 as the identifier the dossier attaches to that match. The entry is recorded in Georgian, which is the language Law No. 624 is written in, so the string and the instrument agree. The entry is the Georgian spelling of a hypnotic that is not a benzodiazepine, so it sits in the lists on its own footing rather than through the class that six other rows among these substances belong to. The dossier cites the annexed set as Lists I to IV taken together and never records which of the four lists a row sits on, so the placement is established at the level of the annexes and not of a numbered list. The final consolidated text was read on the Legislative Herald of Georgia, which the dossier calls Matsne, on 20 September 2026. The dossier's outcome for this row is verified.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Georgia has abolished the death penalty and the dossier records no capital route for any substance on these lists. The ceiling is life imprisonment, under Article 260 of the Criminal Code of Georgia for aggravated illegal circulation, and life is where the scale stops. Because «ზოლპიდემი» is an accepted entry, the circulation offence reaches conduct in this substance through that entry. The offence reaches the molecule through its own entry, and nothing about its being outside the benzodiazepine class narrows or widens that. The official quantity table assigns a small, a large and an especially large quantity by substance, and the dossier records that the table is applied through the matched entry without reproducing any of its figures, so no weight is stated in this cell and none should be inferred from one. There is no general lawful personal use allowance, and the absence of a small quantity figure for a substance is not permission to hold it.
If prescribed / medical
The prescription position is deferred here rather than stated. No Georgian rule on a traveller carrying a prescribed supply has been established for this substance, so whether a foreign prescription is recognised has to be settled with the Georgian authorities before travel. What this row does attach to that deferral is the placement: «ზოლპიდემი» is an accepted entry on the annexes to Law No. 624 rather than under the medicines law. It is a widely prescribed hypnotic and a listed substance here, and the dossier records no route for a traveller carrying a prescribed course.
Documentation
The dossier records no documentary requirement for Georgia and carries no column for one, so nothing is prescribed in this cell. What the row does fix is the identity that everything else turns on: the entry «ზოლპიდემი», with CAS 82626-48-0. The dispensing label naming the molecule is the practical document, and it should not be described as a benzodiazepine because the entry does not treat it as one. The record and its outcome were read on 20 September 2026 and this cell is dated 21 September 2026.
Armenia
Legal status
Controlled in Armenia. The annex to Government Decision N 1129-Ն of 21 August 2003, at controlled lists 1 to 4, prints the entry «Զոլպիդեմ», and record ARM-88 matches it to zolpidem on Chemical Abstracts number 82626-48-0. The row relied on is that printed line and not point 1 of the decision, which only directs that the list be approved and names no substance. The version read was the current incorporation of N 1129-Ն read together with amendment N 334-Ն of 26 March 2026, which took effect on 27 March 2026. The terms this row was searched under were «zolpidem», all of them Latin script, and the line they reached is printed in Armenian script, so the logged term set does not by itself explain how the line was found and the search record is incomplete. That does not weaken the finding, because the finding rests on the printed entry and its registry number rather than on the search that reached them. The 2 term set recorded for this row collapses to 1 string once case is ignored, so the breadth it appears to claim is not breadth. The annex prints the hypnotic under its own Armenian name, and this is the last record in the dossier's sequence, which is how the set closes at eighty eight.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Armenia has no death penalty and no life sentence for a drug offence. The entry relied on for zolpidem is «Զոլպիդեմ». The ceiling is 12 years. Criminal Code article 393(3) provides a term of six to twelve years, and articles 393 and 396 carry the principal offences. That 12 year ceiling is the lowest of any country authored in this session, and it is the figure the article itself prints rather than a reading of a range. The quantity instrument prints this row as «0.01 to 0.05 g»; «>0.05 to 0.25 g»; «>0.25 to 1.25 g; especially large >1.25 g». A printed annex figure in Armenia is a small amount, not a threshold for the offence. The statutory multipliers at article 393(4) to (6) turn it into the significant, large and especially large bands.
If prescribed / medical
Armenia states no lawful personal use allowance for a scheduled substance, and Article 393(4) to (6) measures its significant, large and especially large bands from the minimum small amount figure the Government sets, which is a criminal threshold and never a traveller quota. A scheduled medicine must in addition satisfy the law on medicines, «Դեղերի մասին» Հայաստանի Հանրապետության օրենք, together with the prescription, packaging, import and customs rules that law carries. That is the country rule, and the placement it attaches to for zolpidem is the printed annex line «Զոլպիդեմ», at controlled lists 1 to 4, record ARM-88. The dossier read for Armenia states no separate traveller allowance, no personal import quota and no per substance medical route, so none is stated here and anything beyond the country rule is left to the Armenian Ministry of Health. The enquiry should ask what a short course hypnotic prescription needs at the border, because the annex line carries no quantity or course limb of its own.
Montenegro
Legal status
Controlled in Montenegro. The operative list is the Pravilnik o utvrđivanju spiska droga, psihotropnih supstanci i bilja koje se može koristiti za proizvodnju droga, published at 56/2012 and amended at 54/2015, and its Prilog prints the row «Zolpidem | CAS 82626-48-0», read with Član 1. The row is keyed by CAS 82626-48-0 and was reached by the exact name locator «Zolpidem». A printed entry in its own right. It is an imidazopyridine and not a benzodiazepine, so the class reading in this table neither reaches it nor is needed for it. The list is not the criminal code's to move. Član 4 of the Zakon o sprječavanju zloupotrebe droga gives it to the state administration body responsible for health and requires publication in the official gazette: «Spisak droga donosi organ državne uprave nadležan za poslove zdravlja... Spisak droga se objavljuje u Službenom listu Crne Gore.» The version read is the Prilog as those tables stand after the 54/2015 amendment, read on 20 September 2026, and because Član 4 leaves the list with the health administration this does not rule out a later amendment.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Montenegro's criminal code carries no death penalty and the dossier records none. The ceiling it records is fifteen years under Article 300 of the Krivični zakonik, the aggravated drug offence, read with the Code's imprisonment rules, and that is the only criminal article this reading names. That ceiling attaches to conduct with the substance as the Prilog prints it at «Zolpidem | CAS 82626-48-0», because this row has a placement in the list and Article 300 is a drug offence that depends on one. No numerical lawful personal use threshold was found in the controlling Act or in the list, so there is no stated weight below which the question changes, and a reduced offence or an exclusion from one trafficking paragraph is not described here as a general lawful possession safe harbour. Separately from that, and carried forward from this site's published Montenegro entry rather than re-derived from the Code in this pass: production, distribution or trafficking are reported at roughly two to fifteen years, the source given there being the United States State Department narcotics report, which also records that the individual paragraph ranges of Article 300(1) to (5) are not pinned in the sources it cites. The Article 300(6) offence of unlawfully making, acquiring, possessing, transporting or supplying equipment, material or substances knowing they are intended for narcotics production is reported at six months to five years. An addiction driven offender may receive mandatory treatment as a security measure to a maximum of three years, alongside or in place of imprisonment, and possession is reported as handled inside Article 300 with treatment diversion available. A foreigner faces expulsion for one to ten years or permanently. Every figure in this paragraph is a penalty band and none of them is a quantity threshold, which is the separate point made above. These bands describe the Article 300 offence that this row's placement in the list brings into play. What this row rests on is the printed Prilog row «Zolpidem | CAS 82626-48-0».
Kazakhstan
Legal status
Zolpidem is named in Kazakhstan's controlled list. The first of the three documents Government Resolution No. 470 of 3 July 2019 approves, the Список наркотических средств, психотропных веществ и прекурсоров, подлежащих контролю в Республике Казахстан, carries the entry Золпидем at item 16 of section В of Таблица III of the Список, the schedule of substances used for medical purposes and held under control. The second document, the Сводная таблица of small, large and particularly large sizes, then carries the row Золпидем and sets небольшой размер at 0-0,6 grams, крупный размер at 0,6-30 grams and особо крупный размер above 30,0 grams. The zolpidem row takes the barbiturate pattern rather than the benzodiazepine one, 0-0,6 grams and then 0,6 to 30 grams, which puts the особо крупный threshold at about three thousand 10 mg tablets. It sits in the lighter of the two medical schedules. The copy read carries the amendment of 24 February 2026 made by Government Resolution No. 111, and the Сводная таблица is wholly in that redaction, so every size quoted here is the 24 February 2026 text, not an earlier one. [Certain] on the placement and the figures, both re-derived from the instrument in this pass. [Likely] Re-derived in this pass as far as a secondary source allows, and it changes what an absence from Resolution 470 means for this row: Kazakhstan runs a separate category of сильнодействующие и ядовитые вещества outside that Resolution, fixed by the Order of the Minister of Health No. 120 of 26 December 2023 approving the List of Potent Substances Having Harmful Effects on Human Life and Health, and punished by Criminal Code Article 301. A Kazakh pharmaceutical-sector explainer of the 2026 change states that the list reaches preparations containing zolpidem. Criminal liability for unlawful trafficking in a listed potent substance, including dispensing it from a pharmacy without a prescription, took effect on 1 January 2026 under Law No. 150-VIII of 2 January 2025. Order 120 itself was not read in this pass, so the naming is carried from that explainer and not from the list.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Kazakhstan has abolished the death penalty. No capital punishment remains available anywhere in its Criminal Code, because the law of 29 December 2021 numbered 89-VII on abolition replaced the words carrying it in Article 11 with life imprisonment, and Article 46 now names life imprisonment as the heaviest penalty the Code holds. Kazakhstan grades the offence by the size band. Criminal Code Article 296 part 2 meets ordinary possession without intent to supply with a fine of up to 160 monthly calculation indices, corrective labour, community work or arrest of up to 40 days, part 3 meets a крупный quantity with up to 200 indices or 50 days, and part 4 meets an особо крупный quantity with three to seven years of imprisonment. Public non-medical consumption is part 1. Supply is Article 297 at five to eight years with confiscation and up to fifteen to twenty years for its aggravated forms, and Article 297-1, inserted on 2 January 2025 by law No. 150-VIII, covers manufacture and processing for supply with life imprisonment available at part 4. The row that carries those figures is Золпидем, and for Zolpidem the custodial rung therefore opens above 30,0 grams. Article 296 also carries a note releasing from liability under that article a person who voluntarily hands the substance over, seeks medical help or actively assists in uncovering a related offence. [Likely] The Criminal Code articles and their year ranges in this cell were read from secondary consolidations rather than from an official publisher in this pass. Two independent consolidations agree on them, and the Code's own article text was not reached: the state portal served only its contents list. The abolition of the death penalty, by contrast, was confirmed against the Code itself and is tagged [Certain] where it appears. [Likely] Carried from the entry published before this batch and not re-derived in this pass: the two middle rungs of that ladder are six to ten years for part 2 and seven to twelve years for part 3.
Cuba
Legal status
Not confirmed for Cuba, and the reason is structural rather than a gap in searching. It is a prescription hypnotic, and it is named nowhere in the Código Penal, which names only cocaína and Cannabis. Article 236(c) is a residual limb reaching «drogas ilícitas o sustancias de efectos similares no comprendidas en los apartados anteriores», punished by six months to one year or a fine. So if this substance is an illicit drug in Cuba it is caught, and the tier depends on whether a court reads it as «de efectos similares o superiores» to cocaine under article 236(a). Cuba operates no national list of controlled substances. The Código Penal creates the offences and names the subject matter only as «drogas ilícitas o sustancias de efectos similares», an undefined term. Across all 470,392 characters of the Code the words estupefaciente and psicotrópico appear zero times, and the only substances named anywhere are cocaína once and Cannabis, conocida por marihuana, twice.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: not established. Trafficking, production, transport, possession with intent to traffic and cultivation are article 235.1, punished by four to ten years. Simple possession without authorisation or a medical prescription is article 236, which sets three tiers, and the residual limb article 236(c) reaches «drogas ilícitas o sustancias de efectos similares no comprendidas en los apartados anteriores» and is punished by six months to one year or a fine. Article 237 covers a professional prescribing outside therapeutic purposes and article 238 covers breach of the control measures. Article 235.5 adds confiscation of assets. Article 235.2 provides: «La sanción es de privación de libertad de diez a treinta años, privación perpetua de libertad o muerte» where any of eight aggravating circumstances applies, among them «si los hechos se realizan con cantidades relativamente grandes de drogas ilícitas o sustancias de efectos similares», international trafficking, use of a person under eighteen, commission near a school, and a link to organised crime. The quantity that triggers it is not stated as a number anywhere in the Code: the phrase is «cantidades relativamente grandes» and no gramme figure appears. It is not mandatory: article 33.1 provides that «La sanción de muerte se ejecuta por fusilamiento y solo se aplica, excepcionalmente por el tribunal, en las formas más graves de consumación de los delitos para los que está establecida», and article 33.2 excludes persons under twenty and women who were pregnant at the time of the act or at sentencing. Those are Cuba's published drug penalties and they are NOT this row's exposure. Whether this substance is a «droga ilícita o sustancia de efectos similares» is exactly the question the source did not settle, and the Code names no substance but cocaína and Cannabis. So no article above is asserted against this row, and none is ruled out. [Likely] That the Code names no substance but cocaína and Cannabis is carried forward from the entry published before this batch and was not re-derived from the Gaceta in this pass; the dossier's own reading agrees with it, placing Cannabis at arts 235.1(d) and 236(b) and cocaína at art 236(a).
Guyana
Legal status
Controlled. The term the dossier records for this row against the First and Second Schedules to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, Cap. 10:10 is «zolpidem», which is the term the Act was searched under rather than an entry the Act prints, and the dossier records the row as verified on that basis rather than against a class label. The entry is the imidazopyridine hypnotic under its own name, placed as its own psychotropic medicine entry rather than through a sedative class. Placement is all the schedule settles. Authorisation, purpose, preparation exceptions and the conduct charged all stay open, and this dossier resolves none of them. The entry was read on 20 September 2026.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Guyana's Cap. 10:10 carries no death penalty at any tier; section 5(1) sets the indictable trafficking ceiling at life imprisonment, so the worst outcome this Act reaches is a life sentence. No per-substance number is printed for this row, so the schedule supplies the placement and section 5(1) supplies the ceiling: there is no weight band, no tariff and no quantity threshold attached to «zolpidem» itself. The tablet has to be identified to zolpidem, and its being a sleeping tablet is not the test. What the ceiling does not do is say where inside it a case lands, and the dossier records no sentencing range, no minimum and no fine figure for this row.
If prescribed / medical
Deferred, and the deferral is the honest answer. The dossier carries no Guyanese prescription rule, no import permit route, no personal medicine allowance and no Ministry authorisation procedure at all, so there is no traveller rule here to state and none is invented. What is established is the placement: «zolpidem» sits in the First and Second Schedules to Cap. 10:10, which is what any authorisation would have to be granted against. Zolpidem is a common prescribed hypnotic carried by travellers for long flights, and the dossier gives no Guyanese allowance for it. Settle the medical route with the Guyanese authorities before travelling rather than from this cell.
Documentation
A short course for insomnia should still travel in its dispensing pack with the prescription. Carry any controlled medicine in its original dispensing packaging with the prescription and a prescriber's letter naming the patient, the active ingredient, the dose and the treatment period, because the schedule is read against the active ingredient and not against the product name. Nothing in the dossier confirms that Guyana accepts any of that, so treat it as the minimum a traveller can show and not as a permission. The First and Second Schedules were read for this row on 20 September 2026 and the entry the dossier recorded was «zolpidem».
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, Cap. 10:10, First and Second Schedules, with section 5(1) carrying the indictable trafficking ceiling · Updated September 21, 2026
Bahamas
Legal status
Not listed in the Schedule to the Dangerous Drugs Act (Application) Order, 1994 (S.I. 77 of 1994) as those schedules stand after S.I. 50 of 1996, and not named in section 6 or section 11(1) of the Dangerous Drugs Act, Chapter 228. Searched case insensitively across all three held instruments for zolpidem and for imidazopyridine: zero hits in the Act and zero in the operative 1994 Order. Zolpidem occurs once, only in the 2024 draft Order. The nearest entries read and rejected are the non benzodiazepine hypnotics the Order does name, «GLUTETHIMIDE», «ETHCHLORVYNOL», «ETHINAMATE», «METHYPRYLON» and «MEPROBAMATE», all in Substances in Schedule IV of the Psychotropic Convention list. None is an imidazopyridine. This substance was added to the Psychotropic Convention schedules in 2001, after the 1994 Order and after its 1996 amendment.
Consequences if caught
No offence under Chapter 228 attaches to a substance that neither the Act nor the Application Order reaches, because every offence in the Act is framed around a drug to which the Act or a Part of it applies. One offence is still capable of applying: section 29(1)(f) with section 29(10) makes it an offence to solicit a person for the purpose of selling a dangerous drug, or to obtain money by representing that a substance is a dangerous drug when it is not.
If prescribed / medical
Chapter 228 does not reach it, so no authority under section 24 of that Act is needed to hold it. Chapter 228 is not the only law that can apply. The Pharmacy Act, the medicines law and the food and excise law of The Bahamas were not read for this cell and may regulate manufacture, sale or import independently of the drugs Act.
Documentation
A traveller carrying it into The Bahamas is not carrying a drug to which Chapter 228 applies on the reading above, but should expect the question to be settled at the border by the substance rather than by the brand name on the packet. The schedule placement stated here is not printed in the quotation column of the dossier read for this cell; it was read directly from the instrument text. No Ministerial Order later than S.I. 50 of 1996 was read for this cell, so a later addition by Order under section 6, section 11(3) or section 12(3) of the Act is not excluded. The Dangerous Drugs (Application) Order, 2024 was read and is not relied on: it carries no Statutory Instrument number, no signature and a blank execution block reading Made this day of 2024, and the Bahamas legislation portal serves it from its Bills directory rather than its subsidiary legislation directory.
Dangerous Drugs Act, Chapter 228, Statute Law of The Bahamas, LRO 1/2017 · laws.bahamas.gov.bs · Dangerous Drugs Act (Application) Order, 1994, S.I. 77 of 1994 as amended by S.I. 50 of 1996 · Updated October 2, 2026
Lebanon
Legal status
Controlled. Zolpidem is placed in Table 3 of the annex to Law 673 of 16 March 1998, in the 1971 Convention Schedule IV block, where the entry reads «zolpidem». Table 3 is the dangerous plants and substances that have a use in medicine under article 5.
Consequences if caught
The entry relied on for this row is «zolpidem», printed in the 1971 Convention Schedule IV block of Table 3, fifty ninth in that block, between «Vinylbital» and «Zopiclone». The entry is printed in lower case and its serial number is one of those the Ministry file renders with the digits transposed, which is why the row is located by its neighbours rather than by its number. Article 128 of Law 673 of 16 March 1998 on narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors punishes an unlicensed dealing in Table 3 substances contrary to article 15 with hard labour not exceeding five years. Article 128 adds a fine of 5,000,000 to 10,000,000 Lebanese pounds. Article 128 states no quantity threshold and no table states one. Article 129 puts that same penalty on the ten classes of conduct listed in article 126 when they concern a Table 3 substance. Article 130 punishes holding a small quantity of a Table 3 substance without a prescription for the purpose of use with imprisonment of two months to two years. Article 130 adds a fine of 1,000,000 to 3,000,000 Lebanese pounds for that lesser offence. Article 130 opens by preserving article 94, under which the Minister of Public Health may let a pharmacist hand out small quantities of a Table 3 substance without a prescription in exceptional cases and for purely medical purposes. Article 150 doubles the maximum penalty in a list of aggravating cases that includes organising, directing or financing the offence, repeat offending, membership of an international smuggling ring, use of violence or a weapon, holding public office, working in health care, and supplying the drug to a minor. Article 148 gives the accomplice, the instigator and the intervener the penalty fixed for the principal. Article 155 makes confiscation of the substance and of the vehicles, equipment and other movable property used or prepared for the offence mandatory in every case. Article 152 lets the court expel a convicted foreign national from Lebanon permanently in felony and repeat misdemeanour cases, and remove him for one to five years in a misdemeanour case, taking him to the border once the prison term has run. Article 159 converts an unpaid fine into one day's imprisonment for every 25,000 Lebanese pounds. Article 161 bars suspension, splitting, day release, early release and conditional release during the first two thirds of any unsuspended sentence of a year or more. Articles 182 to 190 carry the treatment route the cell this replaces described: a user may come forward before any prosecution, article 189 exempts him from prosecution and puts the cost on the State once the addiction committee certifies his recovery, and article 190 arranges the aftercare. Articles 193 to 195 extend the same route into an investigation or a trial, with proceedings stayed definitively on recovery, and article 197 applies the articles 127 and 130 penalties where treatment is refused. Law 673 puts no capital penalty on any drug offence, and the one death penalty in it, article 140, attaches to killing a public official enforcing the Law or to an assault on one that causes a death. The cell this replaces stated that use or possession for personal use is punished by up to about 6 months' imprisonment plus a fine. That figure is carried here from the cell it replaces and it is not supported by the text: article 127 sets three months to three years, and article 130 sets two months to two years. The same cell put the treatment route at arts 182 to 190, which is right as far as it goes, and the route in fact runs to article 200. Its description of enforcement as uneven and of the treatment diversion as only partly implemented is carried forward from that cell and was not re-derived here. The figures above are Lebanon's published drug penalties and they describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
Tunisia
Legal status
Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Tunisia's authorities (Law No. 92-52 of 18 May 1992, 'Law 52' / 'Law 92-52') / your embassy
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not named in the cited Tunisian source (Law No. 92-52 of 18 May 1992 on Narcotics, 'Law 52' / 'Law 92-52', as amended April 2017), do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Tunisia, drugs fall under Law No. 92-52 of 18 May 1992 on Narcotics ('Law 52' / 'Law 92-52'), as amended in April 2017. Use or possession for personal use carries 1-5 years' imprisonment plus a fine of 1,000-3,000 dinars; the April 2017 reform removed the mandatory-minimum sentence for a first offence and gave judges sentencing discretion for first and second offences (previously a near-automatic minimum applied). Cultivation or distribution carries 6-10 years plus a fine of 5,000-10,000 TND. Offences linked to organized gangs or smuggling carry 20 years to life imprisonment plus a fine of 100,000-1,000,000 TND.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Tunisia, drugs fall under Law No. 92-52 of 18 May 1992 on Narcotics ('Law 52' / 'Law 92-52'), as amended in April 2017. Use or possession for personal use carries 1-5 years' imprisonment plus a fine of 1,000-3,000 dinars; the April 2017 reform removed the mandatory-minimum sentence for a first offence and gave judges sentencing discretion for first and second offences (previously a near-automatic minimum applied). Cultivation or distribution carries 6-10 years plus a fine of 5,000-10,000 TND. Offences linked to organized gangs or smuggling carry 20 years to life imprisonment plus a fine of 100,000-1,000,000 TND. Cannabis is controlled under the same Law 92-52 framework, with no legal recreational or medical regime asserted. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Law No. 92-52 of 18 May 1992 on Narcotics ("Law 52" / "Law 92-52"), as amended in April 2017 · UNODC SHERLOC legal database (statute named in free text) · sherloc.unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Cyprus
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law of 1977 (Law No. 29(I)/1977, as amended) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Cyprus is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Cyprus's drug schedule; the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law of 1977 (Law No. 29(I)/1977, as amended) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Cyprus, drugs fall under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law of 1977 (Law No. 29(I)/1977), as amended, which sorts controlled substances into Classes A, B and C. Personal possession is a criminal offence, punishable by up to 12 years for a Class A drug, up to 8 years for Class B, and up to 4 years for Class C, though small-cannabis first offences in practice draw fines of about €400-1,000. Since 2003, possession at or above set quantities, three or more cannabis plants, 30 g or more of cannabis, or 10 g or more of prepared cocaine or opium, raises a presumption of intent to supply. Trafficking of a Class A or Class B drug is punishable by up to life imprisonment (a maximum not yet imposed in practice), and Class C trafficking by up to 8 years.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Cyprus, drugs fall under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law of 1977 (Law No. 29(I)/1977), as amended, which sorts controlled substances into Classes A, B and C. Personal possession is a criminal offence, punishable by up to 12 years for a Class A drug, up to 8 years for Class B, and up to 4 years for Class C, though small-cannabis first offences in practice draw fines of about €400-1,000. Since 2003, possession at or above set quantities, three or more cannabis plants, 30 g or more of cannabis, or 10 g or more of prepared cocaine or opium, raises a presumption of intent to supply. Trafficking of a Class A or Class B drug is punishable by up to life imprisonment (a maximum not yet imposed in practice), and Class C trafficking by up to 8 years. Cannabis is a Class B drug; recreational use is illegal and only a limited medical-cannabis framework exists. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law of 1977 (Law No. 29(I)/1977), as amended (classes A/B/C) · naac.org.cy · Updated July 14, 2026
Iceland
Legal status
Controlled in Iceland. It is printed in Fylgiskjal I as "Zolpidem", and the row identifies it by the printed chemical name "N,N-dimethyl-2-[6-methyl-2-(4- methylphenyl)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-3-yl]acetamide". Its Alþjóðasamningar column prints "P IV", referring the row to the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, to whose schedules 1. gr. of the reglugerð ties every P marker. That marker also carries a dispensing limit: 10. gr. lets a medicine in ATC groups N 05 B A and N 05 C carrying it be dispensed only in a quantity answering to "30 daga notkunar", thirty days' use at the defined daily dose. Column B of its row prints "x", and that mark is the operative one: 2. gr. of the reglugerð makes import, export, sale, purchase, exchange, delivery, receipt, production, preparation and possession of a substance marked "x" in the "dálki B í fylgiskjali I" "óheimil á íslensku forráðasvæði", unlawful on Icelandic territory. That prohibition is not absolute on its face. 2. gr. lifts it for a substance exempted under 3. mgr. 2. gr. of lög nr. 65/1974, for a medicine holding an Icelandic marketing authorisation from Lyfjastofnun, for a medicine otherwise permitted under the Medicines Act, and for a substance that may be imported, manufactured or wholesaled under 1. mgr. 6. gr. and Lyfjastofnun may exempt for scientific research or other special reasons.
Consequences if caught
The offence provisions reach this row through its placement, so they are set out here in full. The custodial ceiling for an offence against the Act and against the regulations made under it is imprisonment for up to 6 years, which 5. gr. of lög nr. 65/1974, the Narcotics Act, prints as "fangelsi allt að 6 árum", and the aggravated offence at article 173a of almenn hegningarlög nr. 19/1940, the General Penal Code, carries imprisonment for up to 12 years. Iceland prints no quantity band: neither the Act nor the reglugerð sets a weight, a purity or a number of doses that moves an offence from one tier to another, and article 173a turns instead on supplying narcotics to many people, on handing them over for substantial payment, or on doing so in another particularly culpable way, its second paragraph extending the same ceiling to production, preparation, import, export, purchase, delivery, receipt and possession carried out for that purpose. The fine is separate again: 5. gr. of lög nr. 65/1974 sets a fine as the alternative to imprisonment for the base offence, the same article makes the substances, the proceeds of unlawful sale and the articles used forfeit to the Treasury, and it directs increased punishment for a repeat offence involving import or distribution. The 12 year ceiling is not the original figure: 1. gr. of lög nr. 32/2001 raised the aggravated ceiling from 10 to 12 years at article 173a of the General Penal Code, where 10 years had stood since lög nr. 64/1974, and that Act prints the substitution as "kemur: 12 árum". Possession is unlawful and consumption is not among the conduct the two instruments enumerate. 2. gr. of lög nr. 65/1974 and 2. gr. of the reglugerð, headed "Bannákvæði", both list import, export, sale, purchase, exchange, delivery, receipt, production, preparation and possession, and neither of them prints consumption in that list. Iceland has not decriminalised possession. What it has done instead is 2. gr. a of the Act, inserted by lög nr. 48/2020 and amended by lög nr. 41/2025, which lets the Directorate of Health licence a "neyslurými", a supervised consumption room governed by reglugerð nr. 170/2021, in which a user may hold the quantity he intends to consume there. Those figures are not recited here as general background: they describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play. The list read for this cell is Fylgiskjal I of reglugerð nr. 233/2001, read at api.reglugerd.is on 22 September 2026 in the consolidation the publisher serves as current, which carries amendments 1 to 19 and its own last amendment date of 9 August 2025 from reglugerð nr. 879/2025. That consolidation is one amendment behind the law and this cell says so: the 20th amendment, reglugerð nr. 1036/2025, is flagged pending by the publisher although its own 3. gr. commences it on 1 November 2025, and the two texts of 5. gr. visibly differ, the served one opening at pharmacy stock sent to Lyfjastofnun and the amending one opening at the holder of a pharmacy, wholesale or manufacturing licence. It was read in full and it rewrites 5. gr. and the heading of 7. gr. and nothing else, leaving both Fylgiskjöl untouched and printing no transitory article. The Act and the penal code were read in the Lagasafn consolidation stamped "Íslensk lög 1. september 2026", útgáfa 157c, whose own note records that lög nr. 85/2026 will amend the Act from 1 January 2027; that Act was read and its 51. gr. only renames the authority in 2. gr. b. A scan of the 360 regulations the publisher issued between 27 November 2025 and 7 September 2026 found no further amendment, so this cell does not rule out a later change to the list.
Luxembourg
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Narcotics Law of 1973 (as amended by the Law of 10 July 2023) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Luxembourg is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Luxembourg's drug schedule; the Narcotics Law of 1973 (as amended by the Law of 10 July 2023) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Luxembourg, drugs fall under the Narcotics Law of 1973, amended by the Law of 10 July 2023. For drugs other than cannabis, possession remains criminal under the 1973 law, minor possession draws imprisonment of 8 days to 6 months plus fines, and trafficking and large-scale supply carry heavier penalties under the separate provisions of that law.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Luxembourg, drugs fall under the Narcotics Law of 1973, amended by the Law of 10 July 2023. For drugs other than cannabis, possession remains criminal under the 1973 law, minor possession draws imprisonment of 8 days to 6 months plus fines, and trafficking and large-scale supply carry heavier penalties under the separate provisions of that law. For cannabis specifically, the Law of 10 July 2023 legalised home cultivation of up to four plants per household and private consumption at home for adults; public possession of 3 g or less draws a €145 administrative fine with no criminal record. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Law of 10 July 2023 amending the Narcotics Law of 19 February 1973 · police.public.lu · Updated July 14, 2026
Malta
Legal status
Zolpidem is governed by the Medical and Kindred Professions Ordinance, Chapter 31, and not by the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance. Malta runs two drug ordinances and a cell that answers from one when the substance sits in the other is wrong. Chapter 31 is the one that carries the scheduled psychotropics. Zolpidem sits in Part B of the Third Schedule, which the Ordinance itself heads as its list of psychotropic drugs, capitalised in the original. Part B matters, because the ceiling that attaches to it is not the Part A ceiling. Article 40A is the control provision and article 120A carries the penalties. The schedule entry reads "ZOLPIDEM". Zolpidem is expressly listed in Part B of Chapter 31's Third Schedule. The power to change that list is article 40A(3): ‘The Minister responsible for public health may, after consulting the Council of Health, by regulation amend, add to, revoke or substitute the list of psychotropic drugs contained in the Third Schedule to this Ordinance.’
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Malta has no death penalty and no Maltese drug offence can bring one. The ceiling here is ten years and it is not life. Chapter 31 article 120A(2)(a)(ii) gives an ordinary Criminal Court ceiling of 10 years for a Part B psychotropic, and Zolpidem is in Part B. This is the distinction that a single Malta answer gets wrong: Part A of the same Third Schedule does permit life under article 120A(2)(a)(i), and Zolpidem is not in Part A. The Court of Magistrates ceilings are lower still, and the Attorney General's forum direction decides which court hears the case. The Chapter 537 route applies. The Drug Dependence (Treatment not Imprisonment) Act, Chapter 537, sends personal possession of ‘less than two grams or of two pills of the drug ecstacy or of two other prohibited pills’ to the Commissioner for Justice under article 4, and the penalty there is ‘penalty of between seventy-five euro (€75) and one hundred and twenty-five euro (€125)’. A second or later offence within two years stays before the Commissioner, with the rehabilitation board referral rules in article 5.
If prescribed / medical
The ordinance that controls zolpidem is the Medical and Kindred Professions Ordinance, Chapter 31, and the name of that ordinance is not incidental: the list this substance sits on is a list inside a medical statute, administered by the Minister responsible for public health after consulting the Council of Health. The penalty article does not attach its ceiling to possession as such. Chapter 31 article 120A reaches dealing and possession that is not for the exclusive use of the possessor, so a supply lawfully dispensed to you and held for your own use is not the conduct the ceiling is written for. That is a statement about the offence definition and not a permission. What this source does not establish is the prescribing and dispensing conditions themselves. The dossier read the two controlled drug ordinances and Chapter 537 and says in terms that it ‘did not attempt to decide separate medicines, pharmacy, veterinary, poisons, tobacco, alcohol, food, product-safety, or driving laws’. Treat the prescribing route as unread here rather than as absent. No Maltese personal import permit, traveller certificate or advance declaration route for a controlled medicine was found in the texts that were read, and none of Chapter 31, Chapter 101 or Chapter 537 carries a travellers provision. That is an absence in what was read rather than proof that no scheme exists, so confirm with a Maltese mission before you travel. One further point bears on any prescribed supply: the schedule entry prints the name Zolpidem itself, so there is no argument that the control reaches this substance only by inference, and a product labelled with that name is the listed thing. The entry is transcribed in full in the legal status for this cell.
El Salvador
Legal status
Controlled under the Ley Reguladora de las Actividades Relativas a las Drogas, Decreto Legislativo 153 of 2 October 2003. Zolpidem is printed in the Listado de sustancias estupefacientes, psicotropicos, precursores y agregados 2026, approved by Acuerdo SI.2026.03.20-01 of the Superintendencia de Regulacion Sanitaria as «Zolpidem», entry 181, at Parte B, Seccion IV. Psicotropicos incluidos en la Lista IV de la Convencion de 1971. Article 2 makes a droga any substance specified as such in the conventions El Salvador has ratified, and Article 3 prohibits every activity relating to the narcotic, depressant, stimulant, hallucinogen and cannabis categories, so a printed convention entry is reached by the definition itself. The imidazopyridine hypnotic is printed in a convention section, while the two structurally related Z-drugs zopiclona and eszopiclona sit instead in the national additions part, so this set of medicines is split across two Partes.
Consequences if caught
The imidazopyridine hypnotic is printed in a convention section, while the two structurally related Z-drugs zopiclona and eszopiclona sit instead in the national additions part, so this set of medicines is split across two Partes. Zolpidem is inside El Salvador's drug control regime, and the penalties below are set out because they describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play. Article 34 divides possession from trafficking by a 2 gram line: possession of under 2 grams carries 1 to 3 years, possession of 2 grams or more carries 3 to 6 years, and possession of any quantity with the object of doing anything Article 33 lists carries 6 to 10 years. Article 34 closes by providing that it does not apply where the conduct fits a graver offence. There is no personal use exemption anywhere in the Ley. Article 31 sets 5 to 15 years for sowing, cultivating or harvesting, and Article 33 sets 10 to 15 years for acquiring, transferring, importing, exporting, storing, transporting, distributing, supplying or selling. Article 33's second paragraph raises the trafficking penalty by one third of the stated maximum where the act is international trafficking, so the ceiling on that route is 20 years, and Article 54 allows a court to raise the penalty by up to one third of the maximum on any of nine listed aggravating circumstances, which is a discretion and not the mandatory increase Article 33 creates. Article 55 allows the penalty to be cut to half the minimum where the accused names others or enables a seizure. The ceiling on every one of these routes is imprisonment, because the severest sanction is constitutionally barred for ordinary offences in El Salvador, so no offence in this Ley carries it. The Ley creates no lawful recreational regime and no medical regime for any substance it reaches, cannabis included: Article 3's final paragraph permits a listed substance to be imported, produced, made, extracted, possessed or used only in the quantities strictly necessary for scientific research, for making medicines, for medical treatment or for making products of industrial use, and only with the health regulator's authorisation. On the fine, the Sala de lo Constitucional struck the multa in each of these three articles as a penal consequence, Article 34 by the accumulated 2006 judgments published on 22 October 2007, Article 33 by the 92-2007 judgments published on 19 August 2009 and Article 31 by judgment 45-2010 published on 23 October 2013, so no fine now attaches to cultivation, trafficking or possession under this Ley. On quantity, the 2 gram line in Article 34 is the only weight the Ley fixes; it sets no substance by substance threshold and no quantity table, so the same 2 grams applies whatever the substance is. The 2 gram line and the bands of 1 to 3, 3 to 6, 6 to 10, 5 to 15 and 10 to 15 years and the one third increase are carried forward from the live cell and were re-read against the Asamblea Legislativa text for this pass; the Article 34 graver offence proviso, the Article 54 and Article 55 provisions and the three unconstitutionality rulings are new to this cell.
Honduras
Legal status
Controlled. Zolpidem is named in Lista IV del Convenio de 1971, and Article 321 of the Código Penal (Decreto 130-2017) makes those schedules the definition of droga, estupefaciente o sustancia psicotrópica for Articles 311 to 313: «Por droga, estupefaciente o sustancia psicotrópica, se entiende cualquiera de las sustancias incluidas en las Listas I, II y IV de la Convención Única y sus Protocolos de Naciones Unidas sobre estupefacientes, hecha en Nueva York de 1961 y en las Listas I, II, III y IV del Convenio y sus Protocolos de Naciones Unidas sobre sustancias psicotrópicas, hecho en Viena, el 21 de febrero de 1971.» The entry read was PZ 002, CAS 82626-48-0, ZOLPIDEM, N,N,6-trimethyl-2-p-tolylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-3-acetamide.
Consequences if caught
Zolpidem is inside Honduras's drug offence in its own right. What distinguishes this row is that it is an imidazopyridine, so no benzodiazepine reading reaches it and the listed name is the whole of its placement. Art. 311 sets 4 to 7 years where the drug does not cause grave harm to health and 7 to 10 years in every other case, and Art. 321 confines the lighter band to the cannabis derivatives, so 7 to 10 years is this row's band. The fine under Art. 311 is 100 to 500 days. Art. 311's second paragraph allows 1 to 3 years or 2 to 5 years instead where the facts and the offender's own circumstances show lesser gravity, and that reduction is closed once an Art. 312 aggravator applies. Art. 312 replaces those terms with 10 to 15 years and a fine of 300 to 500 days on any of nine listed aggravators, and adds a further third where the organised group aggravator meets either the special quantity or the extraordinary transport one. Art. 313 cuts the Art. 311 first paragraph terms and the Art. 312 terms by a third on confession or on cooperation with the authorities. The special quantity that triggers that aggravator is set by Art. 321 and for this row is 200 grams of a synthetic drug, or 400 millilitres where it is in solution. Art. 26 of Decreto 126/89, which set a first offence internment of up to 30 days in a rehabilitation centre with a fine, was repealed by Art. 632 of the Código Penal, which repeals Arts 16 to 30 and 41 of that law by name, so the 30 day figure is corrected here rather than restated. Nothing replaced it inside the Code's drug chapter, and Art. 311 reaches possession only where the substance is held for the purposes that article lists, so neither the Código Penal nor Decreto 126/89 as it now stands fixes a personal use quantity or a personal use measure. Those are the two instruments read for this cell, and other Honduran law was not searched for one. The Art. 311 bands of 4 to 7 and 7 to 10 years, the Art. 312 band of 10 to 15 years and the 30 day figure from Art. 26 are carried forward from the live cell and not re-derived here, and they describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play. The Art. 311 fine, the lesser gravity terms, Art. 313 and the Art. 321 quantities are read from the Gaceta text and are new to this cell.
Maldives
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Maldives is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Maldives's drug schedule; the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine. Cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug; trafficking above 350 g brought in at the point of entry is capital-eligible (subject to the unanimous Supreme Court requirement and the 1954 execution moratorium), and lower amounts carry the mandatory 20-year base term. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025 · presidency.gov.mv · Updated July 14, 2026
Afghanistan
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Law on Campaign Against Intoxicants, Drugs and their Control (with the 2005 Counter-Narcotics Law) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Afghanistan is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Afghanistan's drug schedule; the Law on Campaign Against Intoxicants, Drugs and their Control (with the 2005 Counter-Narcotics Law) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Afghanistan, drugs fall under the Law on Campaign Against Intoxicants, Drugs and their Control (with the 2005 Counter-Narcotics Law). Trafficking penalties are graduated by weight: trafficking heroin, morphine or cocaine caps at 20 years (Art. 42), and the largest quantities reach life imprisonment, the named statute's drug-trafficking ceiling is imprisonment. Drug use carries roughly a short prison term (about 3 months). Enforcement since 2021 under the de facto authorities is opaque and may diverge from the statute on the books; any sanction beyond what the named statute provides is not confirmed here, verify against current practice.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Afghanistan, drugs fall under the Law on Campaign Against Intoxicants, Drugs and their Control (with the 2005 Counter-Narcotics Law). Trafficking penalties are graduated by weight: trafficking heroin, morphine or cocaine caps at 20 years (Art. 42), and the largest quantities reach life imprisonment, the named statute's drug-trafficking ceiling is imprisonment. Drug use carries roughly a short prison term (about 3 months). Enforcement since 2021 under the de facto authorities is opaque and may diverge from the statute on the books; any sanction beyond what the named statute provides is not confirmed here, verify against current practice. Cannabis is controlled under the same framework; cultivation and trafficking are prohibited, with penalties graduated by weight up to imprisonment. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Law on Campaign Against Intoxicants, Drugs and their Control (Arts 41-47) + the 2005 Counter-Narcotics Law · sherloc.unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Belarus
Legal status
Zolpidem is controlled in Belarus. The annexes to Постановление Министерства здравоохранения № 19 от 11 февраля 2015 г. республиканский перечень print the entry «ЗОЛПИДЕМ» in Cyrillic script, and registry number 82626-48-0 is what fixes which molecule that entry catches. The entry is printed in Cyrillic under its own name. It is an imidazopyridine rather than a benzodiazepine, and the annex lists it on its own row rather than inside any sedative class heading. The terms taken to the annexes were "zolpidem", "ZOLPIDEM", and the row accepted was the printed entry itself rather than the paragraph that establishes the list, because the schedule owns the substance entries and the offence article does not. The version read was № 19/2015 with the official 2025 and 10 March 2026 amendments, record BEL-88.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Belarus retains capital punishment in its general criminal law, and that is a separate question from what a drug offence carries. Criminal Code Article 328 provides neither the death penalty nor life imprisonment, so a term of years is the whole of the drug scale here. The figure itself is disputed and the dispute is stated rather than hidden: this repair reads Article 328(5) as a twenty year ceiling, the cell it replaces read the same paragraph as twelve to twenty five years, and the sources reachable here do not settle which reading is right. The earlier cell also framed the offence as articles 327 to 328 with a superscript one, a range this repair does not mention at all, so treat the article range as well as the figure as open. That term of years attaches to an offence in a listed substance, and this row is listed: the annex prints «ЗОЛПИДЕМ» at registry number 82626-48-0, record BEL-88. Belarus sets no lawful personal use allowance, so the size bands in the statute and the subordinate law are what decide which part of Article 328 is engaged, and they are read against this printed entry and not against a family name. An amount below every criminal band can still draw administrative or other liability, which is why there is no quantity in this cell that can be treated as safe. The band runs against this entry, and the compound's imidazopyridine structure means no benzodiazepine threshold reaches it by analogy.
If prescribed / medical
The traveller rule is stated at country level and it is the same for every substance in this set: Belarus provides no lawful personal use allowance and no traveller exemption, and a scheduled medicine has to satisfy Закон Республики Беларусь «О лекарственных средствах» as well as the narcotics annexes, meaning prescription, original packaging, and import and customs formalities. This row's placement is the printed entry «ЗОЛПИДЕМ» in the республиканский перечень, record BEL-88, so any medicinal route runs through that placement. A criminal quantity band is not a lawful traveller allowance. The source states no medical route specific to zolpidem and none is supplied here. The placement is this entry, which is printed as an individual name rather than inside any sedative heading, so the placement is exact and narrow.
Kyrgyzstan
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Criminal Code (No. 127 of 28 October 2021) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Kyrgyzstan is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Kyrgyzstan's drug schedule; the Criminal Code (No. 127 of 28 October 2021) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Kyrgyzstan, drugs fall under the Criminal Code (No. 127 of 28 October 2021). Illegal production of narcotics for the purpose of sale is Article 282; possession above threshold quantities carries a fine or up to 5 years' imprisonment, while small-quantity personal possession is handled administratively under the Code of Offences with no criminal record. The drug-law ceiling is imprisonment. The precise possession article number under the current 2021 Code and the exact threshold quantities are not confirmed here (figures reported under the prior Code, around more than 1 g of heroin or more than 3 g of hashish, should not be assumed to be the current-Code thresholds); verify against the current schedule.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Kyrgyzstan, drugs fall under the Criminal Code (No. 127 of 28 October 2021). Illegal production of narcotics for the purpose of sale is Article 282; possession above threshold quantities carries a fine or up to 5 years' imprisonment, while small-quantity personal possession is handled administratively under the Code of Offences with no criminal record. The drug-law ceiling is imprisonment. The precise possession article number under the current 2021 Code and the exact threshold quantities are not confirmed here (figures reported under the prior Code, around more than 1 g of heroin or more than 3 g of hashish, should not be assumed to be the current-Code thresholds); verify against the current schedule. Cannabis is controlled under the same Criminal Code framework, with administrative handling of small personal-possession quantities and criminal liability above threshold; no legal recreational regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Criminal Code No. 127 of 28 October 2021 (production-for-sale under Article 282) + the Code of Offences · wipo.int · Updated July 14, 2026
Uzbekistan
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Criminal Code (Articles 270-276) and the Law on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Uzbekistan is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Uzbekistan's drug schedule; the Criminal Code (Articles 270-276) and the Law on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Uzbekistan, drugs fall under the Criminal Code (Articles 270-276) and the Law on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. Illegal handling of narcotics carries up to 5 years; aggravated forms (committed by a group, or involving large amounts) 5-10 years; and an organised group 10-20 years. The drug-law ceiling is imprisonment. The precise possession-versus-trafficking sub-article and any gram thresholds are not confirmed here; verify against the current schedule.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Uzbekistan, drugs fall under the Criminal Code (Articles 270-276) and the Law on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. Illegal handling of narcotics carries up to 5 years; aggravated forms (committed by a group, or involving large amounts) 5-10 years; and an organised group 10-20 years. The drug-law ceiling is imprisonment. The precise possession-versus-trafficking sub-article and any gram thresholds are not confirmed here; verify against the current schedule. Cannabis is controlled under the same framework, with penalties graduated by aggravation up to imprisonment; no legal recreational regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Criminal Code, Articles 270-276 + the Law on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances · unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Tanzania
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Drug Control and Enforcement Act No. 5 of 2015 (as amended by Act No. 15 of 2017) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Tanzania is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Tanzania's drug schedule; the Drug Control and Enforcement Act No. 5 of 2015 (as amended by Act No. 15 of 2017) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Tanzania, drugs fall under the Drug Control and Enforcement Act No. 5 of 2015 (as amended by Act No. 15 of 2017). Trafficking (s.15) carries life imprisonment; cultivation (s.11) carries not less than 30 years; and small-quantity possession (s.17) and use carry imprisonment (use roughly 5-10 years). The maximum penalty for drug offences is life imprisonment; the country's separate provisions for the gravest non-drug crimes do not extend to drug offences.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Tanzania, drugs fall under the Drug Control and Enforcement Act No. 5 of 2015 (as amended by Act No. 15 of 2017). Trafficking (s.15) carries life imprisonment; cultivation (s.11) carries not less than 30 years; and small-quantity possession (s.17) and use carry imprisonment (use roughly 5-10 years). The maximum penalty for drug offences is life imprisonment; the country's separate provisions for the gravest non-drug crimes do not extend to drug offences. Cannabis is controlled under the same Act; cultivation, trafficking and possession are offences, with penalties up to life imprisonment. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Drug Control and Enforcement Act No. 5 of 2015 (ss.11/15/17), as amended by Act No. 15 of 2017 · media.tanzlii.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Azerbaijan
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Criminal Code (adopted 30 December 1999, in force 1 September 2000) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Azerbaijan is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Azerbaijan's drug schedule; the Criminal Code (adopted 30 December 1999, in force 1 September 2000) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Azerbaijan, drugs fall under the Criminal Code (adopted 30 December 1999, in force 1 September 2000). Illegal acquisition and possession of narcotic or psychotropic substances without intent to sell is the lower tier (Art. 234), while illegal manufacture, production, sale and trafficking (Art. 235), cultivation (Art. 237) and related conduct (Art. 240) escalate with quantity and aggravating factors, the Code's punishment ceiling being life imprisonment. Penalties were tightened by 2022 amendments to Articles 235, 237 and 240.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Azerbaijan, drugs fall under the Criminal Code (adopted 30 December 1999, in force 1 September 2000). Illegal acquisition and possession of narcotic or psychotropic substances without intent to sell is the lower tier (Art. 234), while illegal manufacture, production, sale and trafficking (Art. 235), cultivation (Art. 237) and related conduct (Art. 240) escalate with quantity and aggravating factors, the Code's punishment ceiling being life imprisonment. Penalties were tightened by 2022 amendments to Articles 235, 237 and 240. Cannabis is controlled under the same Criminal Code framework, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Criminal Code of Azerbaijan (adopted 30 December 1999, in force 1 September 2000), Arts 234/235/237/240 · track.unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Mongolia
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Criminal Code of Mongolia (revised, in force 1 July 2017) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Mongolia is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Mongolia's drug schedule; the Criminal Code of Mongolia (revised, in force 1 July 2017) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Mongolia, drugs fall under the Criminal Code of Mongolia (revised, in force 1 July 2017). The core offences are drug trafficking, the illegal manufacture, sale or distribution of drugs, and drug possession; trafficking carries imprisonment up to life, while use or possession of small amounts carries lesser imprisonment. Mongolia's drug law does not provide a life-or-higher term for simple use; trafficking is the serious tier.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Mongolia, drugs fall under the Criminal Code of Mongolia (revised, in force 1 July 2017). The core offences are drug trafficking, the illegal manufacture, sale or distribution of drugs, and drug possession; trafficking carries imprisonment up to life, while use or possession of small amounts carries lesser imprisonment. Mongolia's drug law does not provide a life-or-higher term for simple use; trafficking is the serious tier. Cannabis is controlled under the same Criminal Code framework, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Criminal Code of Mongolia (revised, in force 1 July 2017) · legalinfo.mn · Updated July 14, 2026
Moldova
Legal status
Zolpidem is controlled in Moldova, and the control rests on a printed entry rather than on an inference. The operative names are carried by Hotărârea Guvernului nr. 79 din 23 ianuarie 2006, the government decision that approves the list of narcotic and psychotropic substances and of the plants containing them together with their quantities, made under the framework statute Legea nr. 382/1999 cu privire la circulaţia substanţelor stupefiante, psihotrope şi a precursorilor. The printed row relied on is «ZOLPIDEM», identified by CAS 82626-48-0, and the repair holds it as record MOL-88. The terms searched at decision time were "zolpidem", "ZOLPIDEM", and the record states that the printed row was opened, its list heading checked, and the row itself accepted rather than the empowering words that approve the lists. The entry is printed in the same form in both languages, so this is one of the few rows in the set where a spelling difference could not have hidden the answer either way. The criminal code supplies the offence and the ceiling, while the decision, not the offence article, owns the entry. Read against the official consolidated record of the decision on 20 September 2026, with the first and final annex headings and the final available amendment page checked; a later amendment can move an entry and has to be rechecked before anyone relies on this.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Moldova has no death penalty and no life sentence for a drug offence. The entry relied on for zolpidem is «INN (Zalpidem)». The ceiling is 15 years. Criminal Code article 217 with a superscript one, subsection (4), provides a term of seven to fifteen years. Article 217 covers illegal circulation not for the purpose of sale and carries the lower personal band. The quantity annex is what moves a case between those articles, so the printed figure and the article have to be read together. The quantity instrument prints this row as «up to 0.07 g»; «0.07 to 1 g»; «>1 g». HG79/2006 prints three figures per substance where it prints any: small, large and especially large.
If prescribed / medical
Moldova states its traveller rule at country level rather than substance by substance. A scheduled medicine has to satisfy Legea nr. 1409/1997 cu privire la medicamente together with the prescription, packaging, import and customs rules, and a criminal quantity band under Hotărârea Guvernului nr. 79/2006 is not a lawful traveller allowance. This row's placement is the printed entry «ZOLPIDEM» at CAS 82626-48-0, held as record MOL-88, so anything carried under that identity sits inside the control regime and the medicines law applies on top of it rather than instead of it. The repair records no route written about this substance in particular, and none is invented here. Whether a Moldovan prescription can lawfully be issued for it, and on what conditions, is a question for the Moldovan medicines authority and is not answered by the schedule placement above.
Documentation
Carry the prescription and the original dispensing packaging, keep the two together, and get the position confirmed in writing by the Moldovan medicines authority or the relevant embassy before you travel rather than at the border. That is the carriage answer and it is short because the repair found no traveller permit scheme, declaration form or carriage allowance written about this substance, and an absence in what was read is not proof that no scheme exists. Provenance follows. The controlling text is Hotărârea Guvernului nr. 79/2006, read in the official consolidated record on 20 September 2026 through the legislation portal legis.md, with the first and final annex headings and the final available amendment page checked. The printed entry relied on for this row is «ZOLPIDEM» at CAS 82626-48-0, held as record MOL-88, and the terms searched were "zolpidem", "ZOLPIDEM". A later amendment can move that entry, so recheck it before publication or before travel.
Turkmenistan
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Criminal Code (No. 222-1 of 1997, as amended) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Turkmenistan is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Turkmenistan's drug schedule; the Criminal Code (No. 222-1 of 1997, as amended) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Turkmenistan, drugs fall under the Criminal Code (No. 222-1 of 1997, as amended). The illegal manufacture, processing, acquisition, storage, transport or transfer of narcotic or psychotropic substances for the purpose of sale (Art. 292) and related articles are the trafficking offences: production, storage or transport for sale carries 3-10 years, escalating to 12-20 years with confiscation for large-quantity, official-position or otherwise aggravated cases, while use or possession carries up to 5 years.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Turkmenistan, drugs fall under the Criminal Code (No. 222-1 of 1997, as amended). The illegal manufacture, processing, acquisition, storage, transport or transfer of narcotic or psychotropic substances for the purpose of sale (Art. 292) and related articles are the trafficking offences: production, storage or transport for sale carries 3-10 years, escalating to 12-20 years with confiscation for large-quantity, official-position or otherwise aggravated cases, while use or possession carries up to 5 years. Cannabis is controlled under the same Criminal Code framework, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Criminal Code of Turkmenistan (No. 222-1 of 1997, as amended), Art. 292 · bwcimplementation.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Senegal
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Code des Drogues (Loi No. 97-18 of 1997, amended by Loi Latif Guèye No. 2007-31 of 27 December 2007) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Senegal is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Senegal's drug schedule; the Code des Drogues (Loi No. 97-18 of 1997, amended by Loi Latif Guèye No. 2007-31 of 27 December 2007) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Senegal, drugs fall under the Code des Drogues (Loi No. 97-18 of 1997, amended by the 'Loi Latif Guèye' No. 2007-31 of 27 December 2007). For Tableau I high-risk drugs, cultivation, production or manufacture (Art. 95) and international import, export or transport (Art. 96) carry 5-10 years and a fine equal to triple the value of the drugs seized; offer, sale, distribution, brokerage, transport, purchase, possession or use of Tableau I drugs (Art. 97) carries 5-10 years and a 2,000,000-10,000,000 franc fine, raised by the 2007 amendment to fixed-term hard labour of 10-20 years for aggravated offering or sale. Facilitating others' use (Art. 98) carries 2-5 years, and personal-use possession or purchase (Art. 109) two months to one year.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Senegal, drugs fall under the Code des Drogues (Loi No. 97-18 of 1997, amended by the 'Loi Latif Guèye' No. 2007-31 of 27 December 2007). For Tableau I high-risk drugs, cultivation, production or manufacture (Art. 95) and international import, export or transport (Art. 96) carry 5-10 years and a fine equal to triple the value of the drugs seized; offer, sale, distribution, brokerage, transport, purchase, possession or use of Tableau I drugs (Art. 97) carries 5-10 years and a 2,000,000-10,000,000 franc fine, raised by the 2007 amendment to fixed-term hard labour of 10-20 years for aggravated offering or sale. Facilitating others' use (Art. 98) carries 2-5 years, and personal-use possession or purchase (Art. 109) two months to one year. Cannabis (chanvre indien) is a Tableau I drug under the same Code des Drogues, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Code des Drogues (Loi No. 97-18 of 1997, amended by Loi Latif Guèye No. 2007-31 of 27 December 2007), Arts 95/96/97/98/109 · sherloc.unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Nicaragua
Legal status
Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «ZOLPIDEM», printed in the current schedules of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, which article 1 of Ley No. 735 incorporates directly as one of the instruments in force, and which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. It is named as an international non proprietary name in the mildest of the four tiers, which is where the hypnotics kept in ordinary prescribing sit, and it is an imidazopyridine rather than a benzodiazepine. It is not named in the lists as annexed in 1999, so it is the third limb and not the annexed tables that carries it. The international list read for this row is the Green List, 35th edition, 2024, and naming it is not a claim that no later change has been made. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught
Zolpidem is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «ZOLPIDEM» in the current international schedules. It is named as an international non proprietary name in the mildest of the four tiers, which is where the hypnotics kept in ordinary prescribing sit, and it is an imidazopyridine rather than a benzodiazepine. It is not named in the lists as annexed in 1999, so it is the third limb and not the annexed tables that carries it. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical
Lawful handling runs through Ministry of Health authorisation, which is the exception every offence in the title is drafted against. Carry the prescription and the prescriber's letter, and confirm the import allowance with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling.
Documentation
Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Uganda
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, 2016 (Act No. 3 of 2016) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Uganda is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Uganda's drug schedule; the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, 2016 (Act No. 3 of 2016) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Uganda, drugs fall under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, 2016 (Act No. 3 of 2016). Possession (s.4) carries imprisonment, substantial fixed terms up to around 25 years depending on the substance and quantity, while trafficking, smuggling and dealing (s.5 and related provisions) carry up to life imprisonment. The maximum penalty for drug offences is imprisonment; the separate provisions for the gravest non-drug crimes do not extend to drug offences. A later 2023 consolidation/amendment of the drug law has been reported; this entry states the 2016 Act as in force and any subsequent amendment should be confirmed.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Uganda, drugs fall under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, 2016 (Act No. 3 of 2016). Possession (s.4) carries imprisonment, substantial fixed terms up to around 25 years depending on the substance and quantity, while trafficking, smuggling and dealing (s.5 and related provisions) carry up to life imprisonment. The maximum penalty for drug offences is imprisonment; the separate provisions for the gravest non-drug crimes do not extend to drug offences. A later 2023 consolidation/amendment of the drug law has been reported; this entry states the 2016 Act as in force and any subsequent amendment should be confirmed. Cannabis is controlled under the same Act, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, 2016 (Act No. 3 of 2016), ss.4-5 · media.ulii.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Zimbabwe
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23] and the Dangerous Drugs Act [Chapter 15:02] is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Zimbabwe is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Zimbabwe's drug schedule; the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23] and the Dangerous Drugs Act [Chapter 15:02] is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Zimbabwe, drugs fall under the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23] (dangerous-drugs provisions, s.155 onward), together with the Dangerous Drugs Act [Chapter 15:02]. Use, possession or cultivation for one's own use carries a fine and/or imprisonment of up to 5 years, while dealing and trafficking carry long fixed-term imprisonment that rises with quantity and aggravation. The maximum penalty for drug offences is imprisonment; the separate provisions for the gravest non-drug crimes do not extend to drug offences.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Zimbabwe, drugs fall under the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23] (dangerous-drugs provisions, s.155 onward), together with the Dangerous Drugs Act [Chapter 15:02]. Use, possession or cultivation for one's own use carries a fine and/or imprisonment of up to 5 years, while dealing and trafficking carry long fixed-term imprisonment that rises with quantity and aggravation. The maximum penalty for drug offences is imprisonment; the separate provisions for the gravest non-drug crimes do not extend to drug offences. Cannabis is controlled under the same framework, with no legal recreational regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23] (dangerous-drugs provisions, s.155 onward) + Dangerous Drugs Act [Chapter 15:02] · zimlii.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Ethiopia
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Criminal Code of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (Proclamation No. 414/2004) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Ethiopia is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Ethiopia's drug schedule; the Criminal Code of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (Proclamation No. 414/2004) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Ethiopia, drugs fall under the Criminal Code of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (Proclamation No. 414/2004). Trafficking in narcotic or psychotropic substances (Art. 525) carries rigorous imprisonment of 5-15 years plus a fine, while lesser dealing sub-articles carry rigorous imprisonment in the 5-7 year range. The maximum penalty for drug offences is imprisonment; the separate provisions for the gravest non-drug crimes do not extend to drug offences.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Ethiopia, drugs fall under the Criminal Code of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (Proclamation No. 414/2004). Trafficking in narcotic or psychotropic substances (Art. 525) carries rigorous imprisonment of 5-15 years plus a fine, while lesser dealing sub-articles carry rigorous imprisonment in the 5-7 year range. The maximum penalty for drug offences is imprisonment; the separate provisions for the gravest non-drug crimes do not extend to drug offences. Khat (chat) is lawful and culturally significant in Ethiopia and is not a prohibited substance under the Criminal Code. Cannabis, by contrast, is controlled under the same Criminal Code, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Criminal Code of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (Proclamation No. 414/2004), Art. 525 · wipo.int · Updated July 14, 2026
Algeria
Legal status
Not confirmed, Law No. 04-18 of 25 December 2004 (as amended by Law No. 23-05 of 7 May 2023) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Algeria is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Algeria's drug schedule; Law No. 04-18 of 25 December 2004 (as amended by Law No. 23-05 of 7 May 2023) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Algeria, drugs fall under Law No. 04-18 of 25 December 2004 on the prevention and suppression of the illicit use and trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, as amended by Law No. 23-05 of 7 May 2023. Trafficking, production, manufacture, sale or transport with intent, carries imprisonment of 10-20 years plus a fine of DZD 5,000,000-50,000,000, rising to 20-30 years where committed by a public official or a health professional or in aggravated circumstances; personal-use possession carries lesser imprisonment and/or a fine. The maximum penalty for drug offences is imprisonment; the separate provisions for the gravest non-drug crimes do not extend to drug offences.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Algeria, drugs fall under Law No. 04-18 of 25 December 2004 on the prevention and suppression of the illicit use and trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, as amended by Law No. 23-05 of 7 May 2023. Trafficking, production, manufacture, sale or transport with intent, carries imprisonment of 10-20 years plus a fine of DZD 5,000,000-50,000,000, rising to 20-30 years where committed by a public official or a health professional or in aggravated circumstances; personal-use possession carries lesser imprisonment and/or a fine. The maximum penalty for drug offences is imprisonment; the separate provisions for the gravest non-drug crimes do not extend to drug offences. (Reported/unverified: human-rights reporting in 2025 referred to legislative efforts to expand the death penalty to certain drug offences; this is a reported proposal and is NOT reflected as enacted in the statute cited here, confirm against the current law.) Cannabis is controlled under the same statute, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Law No. 04-18 of 25 December 2004 on the prevention and suppression of illicit use and trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, as amended by Law No. 23-05 of 7 May 2023 · unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Tajikistan
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Criminal Code of the Republic of Tajikistan (1998, as amended to 2020) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Tajikistan is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Tajikistan's drug schedule; the Criminal Code of the Republic of Tajikistan (1998, as amended to 2020) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Tajikistan, drugs fall under the Criminal Code of the Republic of Tajikistan (1998, as amended to 2020). Illegal trafficking and related narcotics offences are the serious tier; the ceiling for drug offences is imprisonment. The maximum penalty for drug offences is imprisonment; the separate provisions for the gravest non-drug crimes do not extend to drug offences. The precise current-code possession and trafficking terms should be confirmed against the current schedule.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Tajikistan, drugs fall under the Criminal Code of the Republic of Tajikistan (1998, as amended to 2020). Illegal trafficking and related narcotics offences are the serious tier; the ceiling for drug offences is imprisonment. The maximum penalty for drug offences is imprisonment; the separate provisions for the gravest non-drug crimes do not extend to drug offences. The precise current-code possession and trafficking terms should be confirmed against the current schedule. (Historical note: older texts of the Code listed narcotics trafficking among capital offences; the current consolidated Code does not, it restricts the death penalty to a narrow set of grave non-drug crimes, and a moratorium has been in force since 2004.) Cannabis is controlled under the same Code, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Criminal Code of the Republic of Tajikistan (1998, as amended to 2020) · legislationline.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Papua New Guinea
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Controlled Substances Act 2021 is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Papua New Guinea is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Papua New Guinea's drug schedule; the Controlled Substances Act 2021 is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Papua New Guinea, drugs fall under the Controlled Substances Act 2021, which replaced the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 (whose penalties had been capped at around two years). The 2021 Act substantially increased the penalties for possession, dealing and trafficking, modelled on the imprisonment-based regimes of comparable Pacific and Commonwealth jurisdictions; Papua New Guinea repealed the death penalty in 2022, so the ceiling for all offences, drug offences included, is imprisonment. The maximum penalty for drug offences is imprisonment. The precise penalty quantities and section numbers under the 2021 Act are not pinned in this cell and should be confirmed against the current statute.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Papua New Guinea, drugs fall under the Controlled Substances Act 2021, which replaced the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 (whose penalties had been capped at around two years). The 2021 Act substantially increased the penalties for possession, dealing and trafficking, modelled on the imprisonment-based regimes of comparable Pacific and Commonwealth jurisdictions; Papua New Guinea repealed the death penalty in 2022, so the ceiling for all offences, drug offences included, is imprisonment. The maximum penalty for drug offences is imprisonment. The precise penalty quantities and section numbers under the 2021 Act are not pinned in this cell and should be confirmed against the current statute. Cannabis is controlled under the same Act, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Controlled Substances Act 2021 (replacing the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952), specific penalty terms not pinned · reported by The National (thenational.com.pg, 2021) · Updated July 14, 2026
Angola
Legal status
Not confirmed, Lei n.º 3/99 (Lei sobre o Tráfico e Consumo de Estupefacientes, Substâncias Psicotrópicas e Precursores) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Angola is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Angola's drug schedule; Lei n.º 3/99 (Lei sobre o Tráfico e Consumo de Estupefacientes, Substâncias Psicotrópicas e Precursores) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Angola, drugs fall under Lei n.º 3/99 (Lei sobre o Tráfico e Consumo de Estupefacientes, Substâncias Psicotrópicas e Precursores), a six-table Portuguese-model statute. The cultivation, production, manufacture, trade, distribution, import, export, transport and possession of Table substances are prohibited; trafficking carries lengthy imprisonment, with severe cases reaching the 10-25 year range characteristic of this statutory model. The precise trafficking-article number is not separately pinned here, verify the exact article and term against the current statute. The maximum penalty for drug offences is imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Angola, drugs fall under Lei n.º 3/99 (Lei sobre o Tráfico e Consumo de Estupefacientes, Substâncias Psicotrópicas e Precursores), a six-table Portuguese-model statute. The cultivation, production, manufacture, trade, distribution, import, export, transport and possession of Table substances are prohibited; trafficking carries lengthy imprisonment, with severe cases reaching the 10-25 year range characteristic of this statutory model. The precise trafficking-article number is not separately pinned here, verify the exact article and term against the current statute. The maximum penalty for drug offences is imprisonment. Cannabis (liamba) is a controlled drug under the same statute, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Lei n.º 3/99 (Lei sobre o Tráfico e Consumo de Estupefacientes, Substâncias Psicotrópicas e Precursores) · unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Côte d'Ivoire
Legal status
Not confirmed, Loi n° 2022-407 du 13 juin 2022 (lutte contre le trafic et l'usage illicites des stupéfiants, des substances psychotropes et leurs précurseurs) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Côte d'Ivoire is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Côte d'Ivoire's drug schedule; Loi n° 2022-407 du 13 juin 2022 (lutte contre le trafic et l'usage illicites des stupéfiants, des substances psychotropes et leurs précurseurs) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Côte d'Ivoire, drugs fall under Loi n° 2022-407 du 13 juin 2022 (lutte contre le trafic et l'usage illicites des stupéfiants, des substances psychotropes et leurs précurseurs), a four-table system that repealed Loi 88-686 of 1988. Trafficking-type offences, cultivation, production, manufacture, import, export, transport and the offer, sale or distribution of Table I high-risk drugs, carry imprisonment of 5 to 10 years plus fines; supplying drugs to a minor carries 5 to 10 years; and personal use carries 1 to 3 months. Penalties are doubled in aggravated cases (violence or a weapon, or commission by a public official). The maximum penalty for drug offences is imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Côte d'Ivoire, drugs fall under Loi n° 2022-407 du 13 juin 2022 (lutte contre le trafic et l'usage illicites des stupéfiants, des substances psychotropes et leurs précurseurs), a four-table system that repealed Loi 88-686 of 1988. Trafficking-type offences, cultivation, production, manufacture, import, export, transport and the offer, sale or distribution of Table I high-risk drugs, carry imprisonment of 5 to 10 years plus fines; supplying drugs to a minor carries 5 to 10 years; and personal use carries 1 to 3 months. Penalties are doubled in aggravated cases (violence or a weapon, or commission by a public official). The maximum penalty for drug offences is imprisonment. Cannabis is a Table I high-risk drug under the same statute, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Loi n° 2022-407 du 13 juin 2022 (lutte contre le trafic et l'usage illicites des stupéfiants, des substances psychotropes et leurs précurseurs) · agp.africanlii.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Rwanda
Legal status
Not confirmed, Law n° 03/2012 of 15/02/2012 (governing narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors) together with the Penal Code (Law n° 68/2018) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Rwanda is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Rwanda's drug schedule; Law n° 03/2012 of 15/02/2012 (governing narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors) together with the Penal Code (Law n° 68/2018) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Rwanda, drugs fall under Law n° 03/2012 of 15/02/2012 governing narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors, together with the Penal Code (Law n° 68/2018, Official Gazette 27/09/2018). The unlawful manufacture, transformation, import, transport, sale or distribution of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances is the serious tier, while use and possession sit at lower tiers; the 2018 Penal Code substantially raised drug-offence penalties, serious trafficking reaching long fixed-term to life imprisonment. The exact current Penal Code article year-terms are not separately pinned here, verify against the current Penal Code. The maximum penalty for drug offences is imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Rwanda, drugs fall under Law n° 03/2012 of 15/02/2012 governing narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors, together with the Penal Code (Law n° 68/2018, Official Gazette 27/09/2018). The unlawful manufacture, transformation, import, transport, sale or distribution of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances is the serious tier, while use and possession sit at lower tiers; the 2018 Penal Code substantially raised drug-offence penalties, serious trafficking reaching long fixed-term to life imprisonment. The exact current Penal Code article year-terms are not separately pinned here, verify against the current Penal Code. The maximum penalty for drug offences is imprisonment. Cannabis is controlled under the same framework, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Law n° 03/2012 of 15/02/2012 governing narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors + Penal Code (Law n° 68/2018, Official Gazette 27/09/2018) · rwandalii.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Mozambique
Legal status
Not confirmed, Lei n.º 3/97 (combate ao tráfico e consumo de estupefacientes e substâncias psicotrópicas) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Mozambique is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Mozambique's drug schedule; Lei n.º 3/97 (combate ao tráfico e consumo de estupefacientes e substâncias psicotrópicas) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Mozambique, drugs fall under Lei n.º 3/97 (combate ao tráfico e consumo de estupefacientes e substâncias psicotrópicas), a six-table Portuguese-model statute. Trafficking, manufacture, import, export and distribution of controlled substances carry lengthy imprisonment, the ceiling being life imprisonment for the gravest cases. The precise trafficking-article number and terms are not separately pinned here, verify the exact article and term against the current statute. The maximum penalty for drug offences is imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Mozambique, drugs fall under Lei n.º 3/97 (combate ao tráfico e consumo de estupefacientes e substâncias psicotrópicas), a six-table Portuguese-model statute. Trafficking, manufacture, import, export and distribution of controlled substances carry lengthy imprisonment, the ceiling being life imprisonment for the gravest cases. The precise trafficking-article number and terms are not separately pinned here, verify the exact article and term against the current statute. The maximum penalty for drug offences is imprisonment. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same statute, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Lei n.º 3/97 (combate ao tráfico e consumo de estupefacientes e substâncias psicotrópicas) · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Mauritius
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Dangerous Drugs Act 2000 (Act No. 41 of 2000, as amended) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Mauritius is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Mauritius's drug schedule; the Dangerous Drugs Act 2000 (Act No. 41 of 2000, as amended) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Mauritius, drugs fall under the Dangerous Drugs Act 2000 (Act No. 41 of 2000), as amended, a three-schedule system (Schedules I, II and III). Drug-dealing and trafficking offences (s.30 and s.29) carry a fine together with penal servitude (imprisonment); for a person averred to be a drug trafficker where the street value of the drugs exceeds one million rupees, the penalty is a fine of up to 2,000,000 rupees together with penal servitude for a term of up to 60 years. The maximum penalty for drug offences is imprisonment (penal servitude).
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Mauritius, drugs fall under the Dangerous Drugs Act 2000 (Act No. 41 of 2000), as amended, a three-schedule system (Schedules I, II and III). Drug-dealing and trafficking offences (s.30 and s.29) carry a fine together with penal servitude (imprisonment); for a person averred to be a drug trafficker where the street value of the drugs exceeds one million rupees, the penalty is a fine of up to 2,000,000 rupees together with penal servitude for a term of up to 60 years. The maximum penalty for drug offences is imprisonment (penal servitude). Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Act, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Dangerous Drugs Act 2000 (Act No. 41 of 2000), as amended, ss.29-30 · health.govmu.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Bhutan
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Substance Abuse Act of Bhutan 2015 (as amended 2018) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Bhutan is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Bhutan's drug schedule; the Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Substance Abuse Act of Bhutan 2015 (as amended 2018) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Bhutan, drugs fall under the Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Substance Abuse Act of Bhutan 2015 (as amended 2018), a six-schedule system. Illegal possession (s.137) and illicit trafficking (s.139, possessing, importing, exporting, storing, selling, purchasing, transporting, distributing or supplying Schedule I/II substances) are graded by quantity against the Schedule VII thresholds, with penalties set by reference to the sentencing tiers (felony degrees) of the Penal Code of Bhutan and ranging up to long fixed-term imprisonment. The exact year-terms keyed to those Penal Code felony-degree tiers are not separately pinned here, verify against the current Act and Penal Code. The maximum penalty for drug offences is imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Bhutan, drugs fall under the Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Substance Abuse Act of Bhutan 2015 (as amended 2018), a six-schedule system. Illegal possession (s.137) and illicit trafficking (s.139, possessing, importing, exporting, storing, selling, purchasing, transporting, distributing or supplying Schedule I/II substances) are graded by quantity against the Schedule VII thresholds, with penalties set by reference to the sentencing tiers (felony degrees) of the Penal Code of Bhutan and ranging up to long fixed-term imprisonment. The exact year-terms keyed to those Penal Code felony-degree tiers are not separately pinned here, verify against the current Act and Penal Code. The maximum penalty for drug offences is imprisonment. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Act, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Substance Abuse Act of Bhutan 2015 (as amended 2018), ss.137/139 · oag.gov.bt · Updated July 14, 2026
Botswana
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 2018 is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Botswana is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Botswana's drug schedule; the Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 2018 is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Botswana, drugs fall under the Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 2018. Trafficking (s.5) carries imprisonment of up to 25 years together with a fine of up to P500,000, and cultivation (s.6) up to 20 years; the precise quantity bands are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Botswana retains and uses the death penalty for the gravest non-drug crimes (murder, treason, piracy under the Penal Code); it does NOT extend to drug offences, the maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A 2024 government white paper reportedly recommended introducing a death penalty for drug trafficking; this was a recommendation only and has NOT been enacted; verify against the current statute. botswanalaws.com is a lead for the consolidated text only, never a cited source.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Botswana, drugs fall under the Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 2018. Trafficking (s.5) carries imprisonment of up to 25 years together with a fine of up to P500,000, and cultivation (s.6) up to 20 years; the precise quantity bands are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Botswana retains and uses the death penalty for the gravest non-drug crimes (murder, treason, piracy under the Penal Code); it does NOT extend to drug offences, the maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A 2024 government white paper reportedly recommended introducing a death penalty for drug trafficking; this was a recommendation only and has NOT been enacted; verify against the current statute. botswanalaws.com is a lead for the consolidated text only, never a cited source. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Act, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 2018, ss.5-6 · sherloc.unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Zambia
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act No. 35 of 2021 is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Zambia is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Zambia's drug schedule; the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act No. 35 of 2021 is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Zambia, drugs fall under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act No. 35 of 2021, which repealed the former Cap. 96 of 1993. Possession carries up to 15 years and trafficking up to 25 years; the precise quantity bands are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Zambia retains the death penalty for murder and treason only and is abolitionist in practice (commutations in 2022); it does NOT extend to drug offences, the maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Zambia, drugs fall under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act No. 35 of 2021, which repealed the former Cap. 96 of 1993. Possession carries up to 15 years and trafficking up to 25 years; the precise quantity bands are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Zambia retains the death penalty for murder and treason only and is abolitionist in practice (commutations in 2022); it does NOT extend to drug offences, the maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Act, with no legal recreational regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act No. 35 of 2021 (repealed Cap. 96 of 1993) · zambialii.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Cameroon
Legal status
Not confirmed, Loi n° 97/19 du 7 août 1997 is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Cameroon is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Cameroon's drug schedule; Loi n° 97/19 du 7 août 1997 is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Cameroon, drugs fall under Loi n° 97/19 du 7 août 1997. Trafficking offences (Sections 91-95) carry imprisonment of 10 to 20 years together with a fine of up to 250,000,000 FCFA; cannabis, heroin and cocaine are high-risk drugs. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Cameroon retains the death penalty for terrorism and murder and is abolitionist in practice (no executions since 1997); the drug statute does NOT provide a death penalty, the maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. droitcamerounais.info and vertic.org are leads for the consolidated text only, never cited sources.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Cameroon, drugs fall under Loi n° 97/19 du 7 août 1997. Trafficking offences (Sections 91-95) carry imprisonment of 10 to 20 years together with a fine of up to 250,000,000 FCFA; cannabis, heroin and cocaine are high-risk drugs. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Cameroon retains the death penalty for terrorism and murder and is abolitionist in practice (no executions since 1997); the drug statute does NOT provide a death penalty, the maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. droitcamerounais.info and vertic.org are leads for the consolidated text only, never cited sources. Cannabis is a high-risk drug under the same statute, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Loi n° 97/19 du 7 août 1997 (relative au contrôle des stupéfiants, des substances psychotropes et des précurseurs), Sections 91-95 · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Fiji
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Illicit Drugs Control Act 2004 is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Fiji is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Fiji's drug schedule; the Illicit Drugs Control Act 2004 is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Fiji, drugs fall under the Illicit Drugs Control Act 2004. The unlawful import, export, manufacture, possession, supply or trafficking of illicit drugs (s.4) carries a fine of up to FJ$1,000,000 together with imprisonment up to life. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is life imprisonment. A March 2026 proposal to reintroduce the death penalty amid trafficking concerns was reported; it has NOT been enacted; verify against the current statute.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Fiji, drugs fall under the Illicit Drugs Control Act 2004. The unlawful import, export, manufacture, possession, supply or trafficking of illicit drugs (s.4) carries a fine of up to FJ$1,000,000 together with imprisonment up to life. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is life imprisonment. A March 2026 proposal to reintroduce the death penalty amid trafficking concerns was reported; it has NOT been enacted; verify against the current statute. Cannabis is an illicit drug under the same Act, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Illicit Drugs Control Act 2004, s.4 · laws.gov.fj · Updated July 14, 2026
Liechtenstein
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Betäubungsmittelgesetz of 20 April 1983 is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Liechtenstein is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Liechtenstein's drug schedule; the Betäubungsmittelgesetz of 20 April 1983 is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Liechtenstein, drugs fall under the Betäubungsmittelgesetz of 20 April 1983, which follows the Austrian/Swiss model. Trafficking and the unlawful supply of narcotic drugs carry imprisonment; cannabis containing more than 1% THC is prohibited. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Liechtenstein, drugs fall under the Betäubungsmittelgesetz of 20 April 1983, which follows the Austrian/Swiss model. Trafficking and the unlawful supply of narcotic drugs carry imprisonment; cannabis containing more than 1% THC is prohibited. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Cannabis containing more than 1% THC is prohibited under the same Act, with no legal recreational regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Betäubungsmittelgesetz of 20 April 1983 · gesetze.li · Updated July 14, 2026
Macau
Legal status
Not confirmed, Law No. 17/2009 (amended by Law No. 10/2016, in force 28 January 2017) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Macau is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Macau's drug schedule; Law No. 17/2009 (amended by Law No. 10/2016, in force 28 January 2017) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Macau, drugs fall under Law No. 17/2009 (amended by Law No. 10/2016, in force 28 January 2017). Trafficking (Art. 8) carries imprisonment of 3 to 15 years. Macau's criminal-law system is separate from mainland China's under the Basic Law; its maximum penalty for any offence is imprisonment (capped at 30 years, with no life term). A 2023/2024 proposal to raise the minimum trafficking penalty from 3 to 5 years was reported; confirm whether it has been enacted against the current statute.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Macau, drugs fall under Law No. 17/2009 (amended by Law No. 10/2016, in force 28 January 2017). Trafficking (Art. 8) carries imprisonment of 3 to 15 years. Macau's criminal-law system is separate from mainland China's under the Basic Law; its maximum penalty for any offence is imprisonment (capped at 30 years, with no life term). A 2023/2024 proposal to raise the minimum trafficking penalty from 3 to 5 years was reported; confirm whether it has been enacted against the current statute. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Law, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Law No. 17/2009 (Prohibition of the Production, Trafficking and Consumption of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances), amended by Law No. 10/2016 · antidrugs.gov.mo · pj.gov.mo · Updated July 14, 2026
Namibia
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Abuse of Dependence-Producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act 41 of 1971 is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Namibia is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Namibia's drug schedule; the Abuse of Dependence-Producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act 41 of 1971 is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Namibia, drugs fall under the Abuse of Dependence-Producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act 41 of 1971. Dealing in a dangerous dependence-producing drug (s.2) and possession (s.3) carry imprisonment together with a fine, case law has seen sentences of around 12 years for cocaine dealing, and cannabis possession or dealing draws fines and imprisonment of up to about 10 years; the precise trafficking-quantity bands are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Namibia, drugs fall under the Abuse of Dependence-Producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act 41 of 1971. Dealing in a dangerous dependence-producing drug (s.2) and possession (s.3) carry imprisonment together with a fine, case law has seen sentences of around 12 years for cocaine dealing, and cannabis possession or dealing draws fines and imprisonment of up to about 10 years; the precise trafficking-quantity bands are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Cannabis is a prohibited dependence-producing drug under the same Act, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Abuse of Dependence-Producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act 41 of 1971, ss.2-3 · namiblii.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Madagascar
Legal status
Not confirmed, Loi n° 97-039 sur le contrôle des stupéfiants, des substances psychotropes et des précurseurs is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Madagascar is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Madagascar's drug schedule; Loi n° 97-039 sur le contrôle des stupéfiants, des substances psychotropes et des précurseurs is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Madagascar, drugs fall under Loi n° 97-039 sur le contrôle des stupéfiants, des substances psychotropes et des précurseurs, which classifies drugs across a six-table/high-risk model. Trafficking in a high-risk (Tableau I) drug carries imprisonment; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Madagascar, drugs fall under Loi n° 97-039 sur le contrôle des stupéfiants, des substances psychotropes et des précurseurs, which classifies drugs across a six-table/high-risk model. Trafficking in a high-risk (Tableau I) drug carries imprisonment; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same law, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Loi n° 97-039 sur le contrôle des stupéfiants, des substances psychotropes et des précurseurs · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Burkina Faso
Legal status
Not confirmed, Burkina Faso's national drug code (loi sur les stupéfiants) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Burkina Faso is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Burkina Faso's drug schedule; Burkina Faso's national drug code (loi sur les stupéfiants) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Burkina Faso, drugs fall under the national drug code (loi sur les stupéfiants). Drug use is punishable by 1 to 6 months' imprisonment, and trafficking or import carries imprisonment; the precise trafficking article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Burkina Faso, drugs fall under the national drug code (loi sur les stupéfiants). Drug use is punishable by 1 to 6 months' imprisonment, and trafficking or import carries imprisonment; the precise trafficking article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same law, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Not confirmed, the Code des Drogues is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Benin is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Benin's drug schedule; the Code des Drogues is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Benin, drugs fall under the Code des Drogues. Cannabis, heroin and cocaine are classified as drogues à haut risque, and any export regardless of quantity is treated as trafficking; trafficking in a high-risk drug carries imprisonment; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Benin, drugs fall under the Code des Drogues. Cannabis, heroin and cocaine are classified as drogues à haut risque, and any export regardless of quantity is treated as trafficking; trafficking in a high-risk drug carries imprisonment; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Cannabis is a drogue à haut risque under the same Code, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Code des Drogues (Loi) · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Mali
Legal status
Not confirmed, Mali's national drug law (loi portant répression du trafic et de l'usage illicite des stupéfiants) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Mali is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Mali's drug schedule; Mali's national drug law (loi portant répression du trafic et de l'usage illicite des stupéfiants) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Mali, drugs fall under the national drug law (loi portant répression du trafic et de l'usage illicite des stupéfiants). Trafficking carries imprisonment; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Malian drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Mali, drugs fall under the national drug law (loi portant répression du trafic et de l'usage illicite des stupéfiants). Trafficking carries imprisonment; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Malian drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same law, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Loi portant répression du trafic et de l'usage illicite des stupéfiants · unodc.org · https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/ [primary statute portal pending] · Updated July 14, 2026
Togo
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Code des Drogues (loi sur les stupéfiants) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Togo is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Togo's drug schedule; the Code des Drogues (loi sur les stupéfiants) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Togo, drugs fall under the Code des Drogues (loi sur les stupéfiants). Trafficking carries imprisonment; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Togo, drugs fall under the Code des Drogues (loi sur les stupéfiants). Trafficking carries imprisonment; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same law, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Not confirmed, the Ordonnance of 1903 on chanvre (approved by the Décret of 10 March 1917) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in the DR Congo is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against the DR Congo's drug schedule; the Ordonnance of 1903 on chanvre (approved by the Décret of 10 March 1917) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, drugs fall under the Ordonnance of 1903 on chanvre (approved by the Décret of 10 March 1917), which prohibits the cultivation, sale, transport, possession and consumption of drugs. Trafficking offences carry 5 to 20 years' servitude pénale principale under Congolese penal doctrine; the precise trafficking article is left to confirmation against the current statute (the 1903/1917 ordinance is old and not granular). The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. The Democratic Republic of the Congo retains the death penalty for the gravest non-drug crimes, but its drug legislation does not provide a death penalty, the maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment (servitude pénale).
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, drugs fall under the Ordonnance of 1903 on chanvre (approved by the Décret of 10 March 1917), which prohibits the cultivation, sale, transport, possession and consumption of drugs. Trafficking offences carry 5 to 20 years' servitude pénale principale under Congolese penal doctrine; the precise trafficking article is left to confirmation against the current statute (the 1903/1917 ordinance is old and not granular). The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. The Democratic Republic of the Congo retains the death penalty for the gravest non-drug crimes, but its drug legislation does not provide a death penalty, the maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment (servitude pénale). Cannabis (chanvre) is the drug specifically prohibited by the same Ordonnance, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Ordonnance de 1903 sur le chanvre (approuvée par le Décret du 10 mars 1917) · leganet.cd · unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Malawi
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Dangerous Drugs Act (Cap. 35:02) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Malawi is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Malawi's drug schedule; the Dangerous Drugs Act (Cap. 35:02) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Malawi, drugs fall under the Dangerous Drugs Act (Cap. 35:02). Trafficking and the unlawful possession or supply of dangerous drugs carry imprisonment; the precise penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Malawi, drugs fall under the Dangerous Drugs Act (Cap. 35:02). Trafficking and the unlawful possession or supply of dangerous drugs carry imprisonment; the precise penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Act, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Not confirmed, the Drugs of Abuse Act No. 6 of 2008 is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Lesotho is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Lesotho's drug schedule; the Drugs of Abuse Act No. 6 of 2008 is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Lesotho, drugs fall under the Drugs of Abuse Act No. 6 of 2008. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Lesotho retains the death penalty for the gravest non-drug crimes and is abolitionist in practice; its drug legislation does not provide a death penalty, the maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Lesotho, drugs fall under the Drugs of Abuse Act No. 6 of 2008. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Lesotho retains the death penalty for the gravest non-drug crimes and is abolitionist in practice; its drug legislation does not provide a death penalty, the maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Act, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Drugs of Abuse Act No. 6 of 2008 · lesotholii.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Eswatini
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Opium and Habit-Forming Drugs Act (with Pharmacy Act provisions) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Eswatini is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Eswatini's drug schedule; the Opium and Habit-Forming Drugs Act (with Pharmacy Act provisions) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Eswatini, drugs fall under the Opium and Habit-Forming Drugs Act together with provisions of the Pharmacy Act. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise statute and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current law. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Eswatini retains the death penalty for the gravest non-drug crimes and is abolitionist in practice (no executions in decades); its drug legislation does not provide a death penalty, the maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Eswatini, drugs fall under the Opium and Habit-Forming Drugs Act together with provisions of the Pharmacy Act. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise statute and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current law. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Eswatini retains the death penalty for the gravest non-drug crimes and is abolitionist in practice (no executions in decades); its drug legislation does not provide a death penalty, the maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same law, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Opium and Habit-Forming Drugs Act / Pharmacy Act provisions · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Mauritania
Legal status
Not confirmed, Mauritania's national drug control statute (within a sharia-influenced criminal law) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Mauritania is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Mauritania's drug schedule; Mauritania's national drug control statute (within a sharia-influenced criminal law) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Mauritania, drugs fall under the national drug control statute within a sharia-influenced criminal law. Trafficking carries imprisonment; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty asserted for a drug offence under the named drug law is imprisonment. Not confirmed, Mauritania's criminal law is sharia-influenced and reportedly permits the death penalty for some trafficking offences, but a specific drug death-penalty statute article is not confirmed here. The country has observed a de facto execution moratorium since 1987. Verify against the current statute.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Mauritania, drugs fall under the national drug control statute within a sharia-influenced criminal law. Trafficking carries imprisonment; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty asserted for a drug offence under the named drug law is imprisonment. Not confirmed, Mauritania's criminal law is sharia-influenced and reportedly permits the death penalty for some trafficking offences, but a specific drug death-penalty statute article is not confirmed here. The country has observed a de facto execution moratorium since 1987. Verify against the current statute. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same law, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Mauritania national drug control statute (sharia-influenced criminal law) · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Sierra Leone
Legal status
Not confirmed, the National Drugs Control Act 2008 is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Sierra Leone is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Sierra Leone's drug schedule; the National Drugs Control Act 2008 is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Sierra Leone, drugs fall under the National Drugs Control Act 2008, which schedules drugs as Prohibited, High-Risk and Risk drugs. Trafficking carries imprisonment; the precise penalty bands are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Sierra Leone, drugs fall under the National Drugs Control Act 2008, which schedules drugs as Prohibited, High-Risk and Risk drugs. Trafficking carries imprisonment; the precise penalty bands are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Act, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
National Drugs Control Act 2008 · sierra-leone.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Seychelles
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Misuse of Drugs Act 2016 is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Seychelles is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Seychelles' drug schedule; the Misuse of Drugs Act 2016 is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Seychelles, drugs fall under the Misuse of Drugs Act 2016. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine, with aggravated trafficking punishable by up to life imprisonment; the precise terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Seychelles, drugs fall under the Misuse of Drugs Act 2016. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine, with aggravated trafficking punishable by up to life imprisonment; the precise terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Act, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Misuse of Drugs Act, 2016 · seylii.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Cabo Verde
Legal status
Not confirmed, Lei n.º 78/IV/93 (the drug law) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Cabo Verde is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Cabo Verde's drug schedule; Lei n.º 78/IV/93 (the drug law) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Cabo Verde, drugs fall under Lei n.º 78/IV/93, which follows the Lusophone six-table model. Trafficking carries imprisonment; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Cabo Verdean drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Cabo Verde, drugs fall under Lei n.º 78/IV/93, which follows the Lusophone six-table model. Trafficking carries imprisonment; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Cabo Verdean drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same law, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Lei n.º 78/IV/93 (Lusophone six-table model) · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Gambia
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Drug Control Act 2014 (as amended) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in the Gambia is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against the Gambia's drug schedule; the Drug Control Act 2014 (as amended) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In the Gambia, drugs fall under the Drug Control Act 2014 (as amended). Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Gambian drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In the Gambia, drugs fall under the Drug Control Act 2014 (as amended). Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Gambian drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Act, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Drug Control Act 2014 (as amended) · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Belize
Legal status
Not confirmed. Zolpidem and imidazopyridine returned nothing in either file. The nearest printed entries are the hypnotics in Schedule IV paragraph 1, Flunitrazepam, Nitrazepam, Temazepam and Triazolam, none of which is this compound. The dossier for this row asserts zolpidem as a printed entry and it is not one in either instrument. Zolpidem is an imidazopyridine, not a benzodiazepine, and the Schedule IV list is a list of names with no family rule behind it, so it is not reached by that list; the Act's Second Schedule was not read. This row is a non-benzodiazepine hypnotic sitting in a batch whose Schedule IV list is otherwise almost entirely benzodiazepines. Nothing in this cell rests on an absence being the whole answer: the Misuse of Drugs Regulations are subsidiary law, and the list that decides whether a substance is a controlled drug at all is the Act's own Second Schedule, which section 4 divides into Parts I, II and III for Class A, Class B and Class C. That schedule is in the Substantive Laws volume of Chapter 103 and was not among the four instruments in the subsidiary volume read, so this row is left open rather than answered. The search recorded above covers the Misuse of Drugs Regulations, the Cannabis Violation Tickets Regulations and the Industrial Hemp Regulations as the Revised Edition 2020 volume prints them, showing the subsidiary laws as at 31 December 2020, together with the 1990 Act text. The schedule placement in this cell is read off the instrument and is not printed in the quoted dossier extract, which names the Act's schedules only as a range.
Consequences if caught
No penalty is stated for this row and that is deliberate. Section 7(1) of the Act makes it unlawful to have a controlled drug in your possession, section 7(2) makes that an offence, and section 7(3) makes possession with intent to supply a separate offence. Those provisions bite on a controlled drug, and whether this substance is one was not established, so a penalty sentence would have nothing to attach to. What is established, and is worth carrying, is that the Act's trafficking penalties in section 17 of the 1990 text do not vary by class, while the ordinary possession maximum in section 27 does and is taken from a Third Schedule that was not read. One caution about section numbers. The Act text read here is the Misuse of Drugs Act 1990, Act 22 of 1990, as UNODC holds it, and the current Chapter 103 has been renumbered since. The Cannabis Violation Tickets Regulations cite section 12 for the smoking offence the 1990 text puts at section 11, and section 18 for the school premises presumption the 1990 text puts at section 17, so the current numbering runs one ahead from about section 11. Section 7 is the possession section in both, which the ticket schedule confirms independently. The same amendments that renumbered the Act may also have changed what these provisions say, so every figure quoted here from the 1990 text is the figure as enacted in 1990 and its currency is not established.
If prescribed / medical
Kosovo
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Criminal Code of Kosovo (narcotics articles) together with the Law on Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Precursors is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Kosovo is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Kosovo's drug schedule; the Criminal Code of Kosovo (narcotics articles) together with the Law on Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Precursors is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Kosovo, drugs fall under the Criminal Code of Kosovo (narcotics articles) together with the Law on Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Precursors. Trafficking carries imprisonment; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Kosovo, drugs fall under the Criminal Code of Kosovo (narcotics articles) together with the Law on Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Precursors. Trafficking carries imprisonment; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same framework, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Criminal Code of Kosovo (narcotics articles) · Law on Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Precursors · gzk.rks-gov.net · unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Timor-Leste
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Penal Code of Timor-Leste (drug-trafficking articles) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Timor-Leste is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Timor-Leste's drug schedule; the Penal Code of Timor-Leste (drug-trafficking articles) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Timor-Leste, drug trafficking falls under the Penal Code of Timor-Leste (drug-trafficking articles), backed by the country's adhesion to the UN 1988 Convention. Trafficking carries imprisonment; the Penal Code's maximum term is 30 years, with no life imprisonment; the precise drug-trafficking article and penalty bands are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Timor-Leste, drug trafficking falls under the Penal Code of Timor-Leste (drug-trafficking articles), backed by the country's adhesion to the UN 1988 Convention. Trafficking carries imprisonment; the Penal Code's maximum term is 30 years, with no life imprisonment; the precise drug-trafficking article and penalty bands are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same framework, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Penal Code of Timor-Leste (drug-trafficking articles) · UN 1988 Convention (adhesion) · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Eritrea
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Penal Code of Eritrea 2015 (drug-control provisions) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Eritrea is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Eritrea's drug schedule; the Penal Code of Eritrea 2015 (drug-control provisions) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Eritrea, drugs fall under the Penal Code of Eritrea 2015 (drug-control provisions), which grades drug trafficking by scale: small-scale trafficking carries 3 to 5 years, a commercial quantity 5 to 7 years, a large commercial quantity 7 to 10 years, and supply to a minor 16 to 19 years; personal-use possession is a lesser offence; the precise article is left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Eritrea retains the death penalty for the gravest non-drug crimes, but its Penal Code drug provisions do not provide a death penalty, the maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Eritrea, drugs fall under the Penal Code of Eritrea 2015 (drug-control provisions), which grades drug trafficking by scale: small-scale trafficking carries 3 to 5 years, a commercial quantity 5 to 7 years, a large commercial quantity 7 to 10 years, and supply to a minor 16 to 19 years; personal-use possession is a lesser offence; the precise article is left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Eritrea retains the death penalty for the gravest non-drug crimes, but its Penal Code drug provisions do not provide a death penalty, the maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Penal Code, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Penal Code of Eritrea 2015 (drug-control provisions) · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Somalia
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Somali Penal Code of 1964 (unrevised) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Somalia is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Somalia's drug schedule; the Somali Penal Code of 1964 (unrevised) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Somalia, drug offences fall under the Somali Penal Code of 1964 (unrevised); Somalia has ratified the UN narcotic conventions but has no modern codified drug-control statute with quantified penalties, so the precise penalty is not cleanly pinned. The maximum penalty asserted under the named (dated) Penal Code is imprisonment; the specific penalty is left to confirmation against the current statute. Not confirmed, Somalia carries out executions for the gravest non-drug crimes, but no codified drug-death-penalty statute article is confirmed here; the 1964 Penal Code governs drug offences and its specific penalties are not confirmed. Verify against the current statute.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Somalia, drug offences fall under the Somali Penal Code of 1964 (unrevised); Somalia has ratified the UN narcotic conventions but has no modern codified drug-control statute with quantified penalties, so the precise penalty is not cleanly pinned. The maximum penalty asserted under the named (dated) Penal Code is imprisonment; the specific penalty is left to confirmation against the current statute. Not confirmed, Somalia carries out executions for the gravest non-drug crimes, but no codified drug-death-penalty statute article is confirmed here; the 1964 Penal Code governs drug offences and its specific penalties are not confirmed. Verify against the current statute. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same dated Penal Code, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Somali Penal Code of 1964 (unrevised) · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Congo
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Republic of the Congo's Penal Code drug provisions (national drug law) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in the Republic of the Congo is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against the Republic of the Congo's drug schedule; the Republic of the Congo's Penal Code drug provisions (national drug law) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In the Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), drugs fall under the Penal Code drug provisions / national drug law. Trafficking carries imprisonment; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In the Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), drugs fall under the Penal Code drug provisions / national drug law. Trafficking carries imprisonment; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same law, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Republic of the Congo Penal Code drug provisions / national drug law · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Burundi
Legal status
Not confirmed, Burundi's Penal Code 2009 drug provisions (loi sur les stupéfiants) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Burundi is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Burundi's drug schedule; Burundi's Penal Code 2009 drug provisions (loi sur les stupéfiants) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Burundi, drugs fall under the Penal Code 2009 drug provisions (loi sur les stupéfiants). Trafficking carries imprisonment; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Burundi, drugs fall under the Penal Code 2009 drug provisions (loi sur les stupéfiants). Trafficking carries imprisonment; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same law, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Burundi Penal Code 2009 drug provisions / loi sur les stupéfiants · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Djibouti
Legal status
Not confirmed, Djibouti's national drug law (Penal Code drug provisions) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Djibouti is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Djibouti's drug schedule; Djibouti's national drug law (Penal Code drug provisions) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Djibouti, drugs fall under the national drug law (Penal Code drug provisions). Trafficking carries imprisonment; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Djibouti, drugs fall under the national drug law (Penal Code drug provisions). Trafficking carries imprisonment; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same law, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Djibouti national drug law / Penal Code drug provisions · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Gabon
Legal status
Not confirmed, Gabon's Penal Code drug provisions (loi sur les stupéfiants) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Gabon is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Gabon's drug schedule; Gabon's Penal Code drug provisions (loi sur les stupéfiants) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Gabon, drugs fall under the Penal Code drug provisions (loi sur les stupéfiants). Trafficking carries imprisonment; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Gabon, drugs fall under the Penal Code drug provisions (loi sur les stupéfiants). Trafficking carries imprisonment; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same law, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Gabon Penal Code drug provisions / loi sur les stupéfiants · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Guinea
Legal status
Not confirmed, Guinea's drug-control law (Loi L/2016/035/AN; Loi sur le contrôle des drogues) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Guinea is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Guinea's drug schedule; Guinea's drug-control law (Loi L/2016/035/AN; Loi sur le contrôle des drogues) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Guinea, drugs fall under the national drug-control law (Loi L/2016/035/AN; Loi sur le contrôle des drogues). Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Guinean drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Guinea, drugs fall under the national drug-control law (Loi L/2016/035/AN; Loi sur le contrôle des drogues). Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Guinean drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same law, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Guinea drug-control law (Loi L/2016/035/AN · Loi sur le contrôle des drogues) · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Niger
Legal status
Not confirmed, Niger's drug law (Loi n° 99-42 du 23 septembre 1999 sur la lutte contre la drogue) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Niger is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Niger's drug schedule; Niger's drug law (Loi n° 99-42 du 23 septembre 1999 sur la lutte contre la drogue) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Niger, drugs fall under Loi n° 99-42 du 23 septembre 1999 sur la lutte contre la drogue. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Nigerien drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Niger, drugs fall under Loi n° 99-42 du 23 septembre 1999 sur la lutte contre la drogue. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Nigerien drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same law, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Loi n° 99-42 du 23 septembre 1999 sur la lutte contre la drogue (Niger) · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Chad
Legal status
Not confirmed, Chad's drug law (Loi n° 31/PR/2018 / Penal Code drug provisions) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Chad is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Chad's drug schedule; Chad's drug law (Loi n° 31/PR/2018 / Penal Code drug provisions) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Chad, drugs fall under Loi n° 31/PR/2018 together with the Penal Code drug provisions. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Chadian drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Chad, drugs fall under Loi n° 31/PR/2018 together with the Penal Code drug provisions. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Chadian drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same law, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Loi n° 31/PR/2018 / Penal Code drug provisions (Chad) · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Central African Republic
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Central African Republic's Penal Code drug provisions (national drug law) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in the Central African Republic is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against the Central African Republic's drug schedule; the Central African Republic's Penal Code drug provisions (national drug law) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In the Central African Republic, drugs fall under the Penal Code drug provisions / national drug law. Trafficking carries imprisonment; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Central African drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In the Central African Republic, drugs fall under the Penal Code drug provisions / national drug law. Trafficking carries imprisonment; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Central African drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same law, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Central African Republic Penal Code drug provisions / national drug law · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Liberia
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act 2014 (as amended in 2022) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Liberia is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Liberia's drug schedule; the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act 2014 (as amended in 2022) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Liberia, drugs fall under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act 2014, as amended in 2022 to reclassify drug offences as a first-degree felony. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Liberia retains the death penalty in law for the gravest non-drug crimes (it has not carried out an execution in decades and has acceded to the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR), but its drug legislation does not provide a death penalty, the maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Liberia, drugs fall under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act 2014, as amended in 2022 to reclassify drug offences as a first-degree felony. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Liberia retains the death penalty in law for the gravest non-drug crimes (it has not carried out an execution in decades and has acceded to the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR), but its drug legislation does not provide a death penalty, the maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Act, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Controlled Drugs and Substances Act 2014 (as amended 2022) (Liberia) · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Equatorial Guinea
Legal status
Not confirmed, Equatorial Guinea's Penal Code 2022 drug provisions (national drug law) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Equatorial Guinea is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Equatorial Guinea's drug schedule; Equatorial Guinea's Penal Code 2022 drug provisions (national drug law) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Equatorial Guinea, drugs fall under the Penal Code 2022 drug provisions / national drug law. Trafficking carries imprisonment; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Equatoguinean drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Equatorial Guinea, drugs fall under the Penal Code 2022 drug provisions / national drug law. Trafficking carries imprisonment; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Equatoguinean drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same law, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Equatorial Guinea Penal Code 2022 drug provisions / national drug law · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Guinea-Bissau
Legal status
Not confirmed, Guinea-Bissau's drug-control law (Lei n.º 7/2008) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Guinea-Bissau is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Guinea-Bissau's drug schedule; Guinea-Bissau's drug-control law (Lei n.º 7/2008) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Guinea-Bissau, drugs fall under Lei n.º 7/2008 (the national drug-control law); the country is a known trans-shipment state. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Bissau-Guinean drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Guinea-Bissau, drugs fall under Lei n.º 7/2008 (the national drug-control law); the country is a known trans-shipment state. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Bissau-Guinean drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same law, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Lei n.º 7/2008 / Guinea-Bissau national drug-control law · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Comoros
Legal status
Not confirmed, Comoros' national drug law (Penal Code drug provisions) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Comoros is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Comoros' drug schedule; Comoros' national drug law (Penal Code drug provisions) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Comoros, drugs fall under the Penal Code drug provisions / national drug law. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Comorian drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Comoros, drugs fall under the Penal Code drug provisions / national drug law. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Comorian drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same law, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Comoros Penal Code drug provisions / national drug law · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
South Sudan
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in South Sudan is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against South Sudan's drug schedule; the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In South Sudan, drugs fall under the Penal Code Act, 2008. Under the Penal Code Act 2008, high-level/aggravated drug trafficking is a capital offence, the Penal Code enumerates the offences punishable by death, which include high-level drug trafficking alongside murder, treason and terrorism resulting in death; lower-level drug offences and personal-use possession carry imprisonment and/or a fine. South Sudan actively carries out executions (140+ between 2011 and 2018, with 300+ reported on death row), and a death sentence must be confirmed by the President and the Supreme Court. The specific Penal Code article for the drug capital provision is left to confirmation against the current Penal Code; the capital-for-high-level-trafficking assertion itself stands.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In South Sudan, drugs fall under the Penal Code Act, 2008. Under the Penal Code Act 2008, high-level/aggravated drug trafficking is a capital offence, the Penal Code enumerates the offences punishable by death, which include high-level drug trafficking alongside murder, treason and terrorism resulting in death; lower-level drug offences and personal-use possession carry imprisonment and/or a fine. South Sudan actively carries out executions (140+ between 2011 and 2018, with 300+ reported on death row), and a death sentence must be confirmed by the President and the Supreme Court. The specific Penal Code article for the drug capital provision is left to confirmation against the current Penal Code; the capital-for-high-level-trafficking assertion itself stands. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Penal Code, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
The Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) · wipo.int · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Vanuatu
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Dangerous Drugs Act (Cap. 12) (Vanuatu) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Vanuatu is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Vanuatu's drug schedule; the Dangerous Drugs Act (Cap. 12) (Vanuatu) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Vanuatu, drugs fall under the Dangerous Drugs Act (Cap. 12). Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Ni-Vanuatu drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Vanuatu, drugs fall under the Dangerous Drugs Act (Cap. 12). Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Ni-Vanuatu drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Act, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Not confirmed, the Narcotics Act 1967 (Samoa) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Samoa is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Samoa's drug schedule; the Narcotics Act 1967 (Samoa) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Samoa, drugs fall under the Narcotics Act 1967. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Samoan drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Samoa, drugs fall under the Narcotics Act 1967. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Samoan drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Act, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Not confirmed, the Dangerous Drugs Act (Cap. 98) (Solomon Islands) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Solomon Islands is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Solomon Islands' drug schedule; the Dangerous Drugs Act (Cap. 98) (Solomon Islands) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Solomon Islands, drugs fall under the Dangerous Drugs Act (Cap. 98). Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Solomon Islands drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Solomon Islands, drugs fall under the Dangerous Drugs Act (Cap. 98). Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Solomon Islands drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Act, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Not confirmed, Andorra's Penal Code (Codi Penal) drug-trafficking provisions is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Andorra is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Andorra's drug schedule; Andorra's Penal Code (Codi Penal) drug-trafficking provisions is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Andorra, drugs fall under the Penal Code (Codi Penal) drug-trafficking provisions. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Andorran drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Andorra, drugs fall under the Penal Code (Codi Penal) drug-trafficking provisions. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Andorran drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Penal Code provisions, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Not confirmed, Monaco's drug law (Penal Code / Loi sur les stupéfiants) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Monaco is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Monaco's drug schedule; Monaco's drug law (Penal Code / Loi sur les stupéfiants) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Monaco, drugs fall under the Penal Code together with the Loi sur les stupéfiants. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Monégasque drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Monaco, drugs fall under the Penal Code together with the Loi sur les stupéfiants. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Monégasque drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same law, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Monaco Penal Code / Loi sur les stupéfiants · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
San Marino
Legal status
Not confirmed, San Marino's Penal Code drug provisions is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in San Marino is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against San Marino's drug schedule; San Marino's Penal Code drug provisions is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In San Marino, drugs fall under the Penal Code drug provisions. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Sammarinese drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In San Marino, drugs fall under the Penal Code drug provisions. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal for the current Sammarinese drug law was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal. Cannabis is controlled under the same provisions, with a regulated medical-cannabis regime permitted while recreational supply remains prohibited. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
San Marino Penal Code drug provisions · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Cook Islands
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Cook Islands' Narcotics and Misuse of Drugs Act 2004 is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in the Cook Islands is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against the Cook Islands' drug schedule; the Cook Islands' Narcotics and Misuse of Drugs Act 2004 is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In the Cook Islands, drugs fall under the Narcotics and Misuse of Drugs Act 2004. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute (paclii.org) with UNODC (unodc.org/cld) and Library of Congress corroboration.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In the Cook Islands, drugs fall under the Narcotics and Misuse of Drugs Act 2004. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute (paclii.org) with UNODC (unodc.org/cld) and Library of Congress corroboration. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Act, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Narcotics and Misuse of Drugs Act 2004 (Cook Islands) · paclii.org · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Nauru
Legal status
Not confirmed, Nauru's drug law (Illicit Drugs Control Act 2004 / Crimes Act 2016 drug provisions) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Nauru is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Nauru's drug schedule; Nauru's drug law (Illicit Drugs Control Act 2004 / Crimes Act 2016 drug provisions) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Nauru, drugs fall under the Illicit Drugs Control Act 2004 together with the Crimes Act 2016 drug provisions. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute (paclii.org) with UNODC (unodc.org/cld) and Library of Congress corroboration.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Nauru, drugs fall under the Illicit Drugs Control Act 2004 together with the Crimes Act 2016 drug provisions. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute (paclii.org) with UNODC (unodc.org/cld) and Library of Congress corroboration. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same law, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Illicit Drugs Control Act 2004 / Crimes Act 2016 drug provisions (Nauru) · paclii.org · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Palau
Legal status
Not confirmed, Palau's National Code Title 34 (Crimes) controlled-substances provisions is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Palau is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Palau's drug schedule; Palau's National Code Title 34 (Crimes) controlled-substances provisions is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Palau, drugs fall under the National Code Title 34 (Crimes) controlled-substances provisions. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute (paclii.org) with UNODC (unodc.org/cld) and Library of Congress corroboration.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Palau, drugs fall under the National Code Title 34 (Crimes) controlled-substances provisions. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute (paclii.org) with UNODC (unodc.org/cld) and Library of Congress corroboration. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Title 34 provisions, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Palau National Code Title 34 (Crimes) controlled-substances provisions · paclii.org · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Tonga
Legal status
Not confirmed, Tonga's Illicit Drugs Control Act (as amended in 2020 and 2021) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Tonga is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Tonga's drug schedule; Tonga's Illicit Drugs Control Act (as amended in 2020 and 2021) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Tonga, drugs fall under the Illicit Drugs Control Act, as amended in 2020 and 2021. The 2020 amendment toughened penalties (modelled on New Zealand's drug law); trafficking and serious offences carry up to life imprisonment, and the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment (up to life). Tonga retains the death penalty in law for murder and treason under the Criminal Offences Act (abolitionist in practice, no execution since 1982), but its drug legislation does NOT provide a death penalty: a 2021 bill to extend the death penalty to serious drug trafficking was debated and REJECTED by the Legislative Assembly (the death-penalty provisions were withdrawn before the Illicit Drugs Control Bill passed 19-0), and a 2004 proposal to add the death penalty for drug possession was likewise defeated. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment (up to life).
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Tonga, drugs fall under the Illicit Drugs Control Act, as amended in 2020 and 2021. The 2020 amendment toughened penalties (modelled on New Zealand's drug law); trafficking and serious offences carry up to life imprisonment, and the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment (up to life). Tonga retains the death penalty in law for murder and treason under the Criminal Offences Act (abolitionist in practice, no execution since 1982), but its drug legislation does NOT provide a death penalty: a 2021 bill to extend the death penalty to serious drug trafficking was debated and REJECTED by the Legislative Assembly (the death-penalty provisions were withdrawn before the Illicit Drugs Control Bill passed 19-0), and a 2004 proposal to add the death penalty for drug possession was likewise defeated. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment (up to life). [reported, NOT enacted] A 2021 private member's bill proposed a mandatory death sentence for trafficking 5 kg or more of a Class A drug; it was rejected and is NOT law. Verify against the current statute. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Act, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
· Updated July 14, 2026
Kiribati
Legal status
Not confirmed, Kiribati's Penal Code / drug-control provisions is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Kiribati is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Kiribati's drug schedule; Kiribati's Penal Code / drug-control provisions is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Kiribati, drugs fall under the Penal Code / drug-control provisions. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute (paclii.org) with UNODC (unodc.org/cld) and Library of Congress corroboration.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Kiribati, drugs fall under the Penal Code / drug-control provisions. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute (paclii.org) with UNODC (unodc.org/cld) and Library of Congress corroboration. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same provisions, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Not confirmed, Tuvalu's Penal Code / drug-control provisions is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Tuvalu is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Tuvalu's drug schedule; Tuvalu's Penal Code / drug-control provisions is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Tuvalu, drugs fall under the Penal Code / drug-control provisions. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute (paclii.org) with UNODC (unodc.org/cld) and Library of Congress corroboration.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Tuvalu, drugs fall under the Penal Code / drug-control provisions. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute (paclii.org) with UNODC (unodc.org/cld) and Library of Congress corroboration. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same provisions, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Not confirmed, the Marshall Islands Revised Code (Title 25 / controlled-substances provisions) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in the Marshall Islands is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against the Marshall Islands' drug schedule; the Marshall Islands Revised Code (Title 25 / controlled-substances provisions) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In the Marshall Islands, drugs fall under the Revised Code, Title 25 (controlled-substances provisions). Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute (paclii.org) with UNODC (unodc.org/cld) and Library of Congress corroboration.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In the Marshall Islands, drugs fall under the Revised Code, Title 25 (controlled-substances provisions). Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute (paclii.org) with UNODC (unodc.org/cld) and Library of Congress corroboration. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Code, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Not confirmed, the FSM Code Title 11 (Crimes) / controlled-substances provisions is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Micronesia is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Micronesia's drug schedule; the FSM Code Title 11 (Crimes) / controlled-substances provisions is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Micronesia (the Federated States of Micronesia), drugs fall under the FSM Code, Title 11 (Crimes) / controlled-substances provisions. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute (paclii.org) with UNODC (unodc.org/cld) and Library of Congress corroboration.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Micronesia (the Federated States of Micronesia), drugs fall under the FSM Code, Title 11 (Crimes) / controlled-substances provisions. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute (paclii.org) with UNODC (unodc.org/cld) and Library of Congress corroboration. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Code, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
FSM Code Title 11 (Crimes) / controlled-substances provisions · paclii.org · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Suriname
Legal status
Not confirmed. Zolpidem is not named on either list. The text read for this cell is the consolidation that stops at S.B. 2002 no. 68, so it is twenty four years old. Article 3 lid 2 lets further middelen be designated by Staatsbesluit and article 3 lid 3 lets the Minister designate one at short notice with the approval of the Procureur-Generaal, and article 4 lid 2 does the same for lijst II. No register of those designations was located, so anything added since 2002 is outside what was read and this does not rule out a later designation.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. This act carries no death penalty and its heaviest sentence is levenslange gevangenisstraf, life imprisonment, under article 11 lid 1. Searched as 'zolpidem', 'zolpidemtartraat' and 'imidazopyridine'. All three return nothing. The hypnotics printed at lijst II onderdeel A part 2 are the benzodiazepines and the barbiturates together with 'Ethchlorvynol', 'Ethinamaat', 'Meprobamaat' and 'Methyprylon', and no imidazopyridine appears among them. Zolpidem was placed in schedule IV of the Psychotrope Stoffen Verdrag in 2001, the year before the amendment this consolidation carries, and it is not in the printed text, so this row sits directly on the seam between what the annex captured and what it did not. The absence is therefore weak evidence of anything and a later designation under article 4 lid 2 is likely enough that the row is left unresolved. One structural point governs how far an entry reaches. Only lijst I onderdeel A closes with the isomer, ester, ether and salt clauses; lijst I onderdeel B closes with an isomer and salt clause; and lijst I onderdeel C, lijst I onderdeel D and both parts of lijst II onderdeel A close with a single sentence, 'Preparaten die één of meer van vorengenoemde substanties bevatten', preparations containing one or more of the substances named above, and nothing else. There is no analogue limb and no definition by effect anywhere in the act. No offence in this act attaches to a middel that is not on lijst I or lijst II and has not been designated under article 3 lid 2, article 3 lid 3 or article 4 lid 2, because every prohibition in articles 3 and 4 is framed by reference to those lists and those designations, and the act contains no analogue limb and no definition by effect. If a designation has been made, the bands are the ones the act sets for the list the substance is put on. On lijst I, possession and use are article 3 lid 1 under C and carry at most thirteen years under article 11 lid 3, while supply, manufacture and the import, export and transit limb carry levenslange gevangenisstraf under article 11 lid 1. On lijst II, supply, possession and manufacture all carry at most thirteen years under article 11 lid 3 and only the import, export and transit limb carries levenslange gevangenisstraf. Because no register of designations was read, a reader cannot be told which of those applies, and that is why this row is left unresolved rather than reported as permitted.
If prescribed / medical
North Korea
Legal status
Not confirmed, the DPRK Criminal Code (2013 revision and later amendments) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in North Korea is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against North Korea's drug schedule; the DPRK Criminal Code (2013 revision and later amendments) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In North Korea, drugs fall under the Criminal Code of the DPRK (2013 revision and later amendments). The 2013 penal code revision designated illegal drug production a capital offence, and serious drug trafficking and smuggling are treated as grave crimes that can carry the death penalty; lower-level offences carry imprisonment or corrective labour. North Korea is among the small group of states with believed or confirmed drug-related executions in recent years (per the Harm Reduction International Global Overview); independent verification is constrained by extreme state opacity, and the specific Criminal Code article is left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for the gravest drug offences is death. A primary statute portal for DPRK law was not located; this cell is sourced via the Library of Congress Global Legal Monitor (loc.gov) and the UNODC legal database, with Harm Reduction International as a corroborating record.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In North Korea, drugs fall under the Criminal Code of the DPRK (2013 revision and later amendments). The 2013 penal code revision designated illegal drug production a capital offence, and serious drug trafficking and smuggling are treated as grave crimes that can carry the death penalty; lower-level offences carry imprisonment or corrective labour. North Korea is among the small group of states with believed or confirmed drug-related executions in recent years (per the Harm Reduction International Global Overview); independent verification is constrained by extreme state opacity, and the specific Criminal Code article is left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for the gravest drug offences is death. A primary statute portal for DPRK law was not located; this cell is sourced via the Library of Congress Global Legal Monitor (loc.gov) and the UNODC legal database, with Harm Reduction International as a corroborating record. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Criminal Code, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Criminal Code of the DPRK (2013 revision and later amendments) · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
State of Palestine
Legal status
Not confirmed, the applicable Palestinian penal law (Gaza Strip military orders / West Bank Palestinian Authority framework) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in the State of Palestine is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against the State of Palestine's drug schedule; the applicable Palestinian penal law (Gaza Strip military orders / West Bank Palestinian Authority framework) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In the State of Palestine, drug law differs by territory. In the Hamas-administered Gaza Strip, serious drug trafficking is a capital offence under military orders, and Gaza courts have sentenced people to death for drug trafficking (for example, four death sentences in 2022) with executions carried out. In the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority applies a different framework and maintains a longstanding execution moratorium. Harm Reduction International's 2023 Global Overview lists the State of Palestine among states retaining the death penalty for drug offences. The precise governing instrument and article are left to confirmation against the current law in each territory. [jurisdiction-split] Capital drug provisions are associated with the Hamas-administered Gaza Strip; the West Bank / Palestinian Authority framework differs and maintains an execution moratorium. Verify against the current governing law in each territory. A primary statute portal was not located; this cell is sourced via the Library of Congress Global Legal Monitor (loc.gov) and the UNODC legal database, with Harm Reduction International as a corroborating record.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In the State of Palestine, drug law differs by territory. In the Hamas-administered Gaza Strip, serious drug trafficking is a capital offence under military orders, and Gaza courts have sentenced people to death for drug trafficking (for example, four death sentences in 2022) with executions carried out. In the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority applies a different framework and maintains a longstanding execution moratorium. Harm Reduction International's 2023 Global Overview lists the State of Palestine among states retaining the death penalty for drug offences. The precise governing instrument and article are left to confirmation against the current law in each territory. [jurisdiction-split] Capital drug provisions are associated with the Hamas-administered Gaza Strip; the West Bank / Palestinian Authority framework differs and maintains an execution moratorium. Verify against the current governing law in each territory. A primary statute portal was not located; this cell is sourced via the Library of Congress Global Legal Monitor (loc.gov) and the UNODC legal database, with Harm Reduction International as a corroborating record. Cannabis is a controlled drug, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Antigua and Barbuda
Legal status
Not listed. The Act carries no sedative hypnotic other than methaqualone. This is a positive finding of absence and not a deferral. The terms searched were zolpidem, Ambien, Stilnox, imidazopyridine, each returning nothing in Parts I, II or III of the First Schedule to the Misuse of Drugs Act, Cap. 283. The entries nearest to it were read in full and rejected: 'Methaqualone.' in Part III.. The only sedative hypnotic in any of the three lists is the quinazolinone Methaqualone. No imidazopyridine, no cyclopyrrolone and no pyrazolopyrimidine appears anywhere, so none of the so called Z drugs is reached, and zolpidem is not a salt, ester, ether or stereoisomeric form of the one sedative that is listed. Stated as at Parts I, II and III of the First Schedule as printed in the Revised Edition read on 22 September 2026, whose amendment list ends at Act 18 of 1989.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. No provision of the Misuse of Drugs Act, Cap. 283 imposes a capital penalty. The heaviest term printed anywhere in it is 14 years, in the General column of the Second Schedule against section 10, and section 26 gives 10 years on conviction on indictment for import or export of a Class A or Class B drug. This Part placement is not printed in the dossier quotation, which cites only 'First Schedule, Parts I to III' as a search scope; it is read from the Act's own First Schedule. The First Schedule is printed in two columns, so the class is taken from the entry's position within its Part and not from the line it shares with the facing column. Nothing in the Act attaches a punishment to a substance that is not a controlled drug: sections 4, 5, 6 and 8 each operate on a controlled drug or on a plant of the genus Cannabis, and the Second Schedule columns are headed by the three classes. So no figure from the Second Schedule is stated for this row, and that is a consequence of the finding rather than a gap in it. The one route by which an unnamed substance can still be caught is a group rule, and each was tested for this row: paragraph 2 of Part I for a stereoisomeric form, paragraph 3 for an ester or ether, paragraph 4 for a salt, and paragraph 5 for a preparation or other product containing a listed substance. None reaches it. This is stated from the consolidated text of Cap. 283 in the Revised Edition of the Laws of Antigua and Barbuda, whose printed amendment list runs 21 of 1973, 5 of 1975, 10 of 1979, 9 of 1982, 11 of 1987 and 18 of 1989, read on 22 September 2026. Section 3(2) provides that the Minister may by Order make such amendments to the First Schedule or any part thereof as may be necessary, so an Order made after that consolidation is not excluded by this cell.
If prescribed / medical
Section 9 builds the prescribing and dispensing regime around a controlled drug, and this substance is not one on the text read here, so no section 9 route applies to it. Any medicines control on it would come from the Medical Act and the pharmacy law rather than from Cap. 283, and neither was read for this cell. Carry any prescribed medicine in its original pharmacy packaging with the prescription.
Barbados
Legal status
Under the Drug Abuse (Prevention and Control) Act, Cap. 131, enacted as Act 1990-14 and commenced 15 August 1990, read in the L.R.O. 1991 revised edition, no entry in Parts I, II or III of the First Schedule places it, and the consequence is that it is not a controlled drug within section 3. The imidazopyridine ring system has no row. Part II does place one imidazo fused diazepine, «loprazolam», and it places the named non benzodiazepine hypnotics «methyprylon», «ethchlorvynol», «ethinamate» and «glutethimide», so the Part reaches hypnotics outside the benzodiazepine class where Parliament named them. This one it did not name. Section 3 makes a substance a controlled drug only by its presence in the First Schedule, and section 3(2) lets the Minister by order add to or remove from Parts I to III of that Schedule, after consultation with the Drug Formulary Committee under section 3(3) and subject to affirmative resolution under section 3(4). The edition read is the L.R.O. 1991 consolidation served by the Barbados law courts statute portal. No amending order or later revision was located on that portal, so anything made after that revision has not been read and is not asserted here.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. The Fourth Schedule, given effect by section 37, sets the punishment for every offence under the Act, and it was read row by row from the section 4(3) row to the section 35(3) row, which is its last. Not one row carries death. The heaviest punishment it prints anywhere is «Imprisonment for life» on indictment. The figures in those rows are given here only to size the gap that a placement would close. A controlled drug on the same facts draws a fine of $250,000 or 5 years or both summarily and $500,000 or 20 years or both on indictment for simple possession, and imprisonment for life on indictment for trafficking. Nothing attaches. It is dispensed as a plain tablet and is diverted, so its realistic appearance in a case is inside a seizure of mixed medication where something else is placed. Two things keep this from being a safety statement. Section 3(2) lets the Minister add a substance to any of Parts I to III by order, so the position can change without an Act of Parliament and without warning to a traveller. And section 20(3) reaches a person who supplies something «represented or held out to be a controlled drug but which is not a controlled drug», so conduct around an unscheduled powder can still be an offence. Barbados retains capital punishment for murder in its general criminal law. This Act is not part of that and provides no death penalty for any drug offence, which is why the opening sentence reads as it does.
If prescribed / medical
Section 6(1) makes possession of a controlled drug unlawful unless regulations under section 12 permit it, and section 12(3) requires the Minister to secure that a practitioner acting as such may prescribe, administer, compound or supply, and that a practitioner or pharmacist may possess for that purpose. The Act defines «doctor» as a medical practitioner registered in the Medical Register under the Medical Registration Act, Cap. 371, and «dentist» and «veterinary practitioner» by the equivalent Barbados registers, so the lawful route runs through a Barbados registration and not through a foreign one. Importation is a separate question under section 4(1), which an arriving traveller engages on their own account. It is a prescription hypnotic in very wide use and it is a controlled drug in many other jurisdictions. Under this Act it is not one, so section 12 does not govern it, and a visitor holding a genuine prescription should confirm the import position under Barbados medicines law rather than relying on this cell. Section 3(2) lets the Minister add a substance to any Part of the First Schedule by order, so this answer is dated rather than permanent.
Dominica
Legal status
Not confirmed. No entry for Zolpidem was found in Part I, Part II or Part III of the Third Schedule to the Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act, Chapter 40:07, on a reading of the three complete printed lists as page images at the revision note «L.R.O. 1/1991» printed in the footer of those pages. No imidazopyridine is printed in Parts I to III. The Schedule's only sedative is the Class C «Methaqualone» and the remaining nine Class C entries are stimulants and anorectics, so the hypnotic that would sit alongside this compound is absent along with the compound itself. The substance postdates this revision's authorisation, which is a reason to expect the absence and not a reason to treat it as settled. The absence is bounded by that revision and by nothing further: section 4(3) lets the Minister amend Parts I to III by Order after consulting the Advisory Council, Orders of that kind are published separately, and this consolidation reproduces none made after the note its Schedule pages carry. So about thirty five years of possible additions sit outside what was read, and that gap is why this row is left open here rather than published as a finding that the substance is uncontrolled in Dominica.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. The word death appears nowhere in this Act, counted across the whole 64 page chapter. The ceiling, however, is not in the Fourth Schedule: every limb of that Schedule stops at fourteen years and $200,000, and section 16 sits outside it carrying imprisonment for life. No penalty limb is assigned to this row, because no placement was established and a ceiling carried across from a neighbouring row would be an invention. Section 7(4) carries the only quantity figures in the Act and it names five substances: more than two grammes of diacetylmorphine, one gramme of cocaine, fifty-five grammes of opium, three grammes of morphine, and for cannabis or cannabis resin twenty-eight grammes, a figure the 1991 consolidation prints as fifteen and which Act No. 16 of 2020 raised, and Zolpidem is not among the five, so no quantity presumption could attach to it even if an Order were later to place it. If such an Order or an analytical identification were to bring this material within Part I, section 7(2) would carry eighteen months and $50,000 on summary conviction and three years and $100,000 on indictment and section 7(3) three years and $100,000 on summary conviction and fourteen years and $200,000 on indictment; within Part II or Part III the figures would be the Class B or Class C columns of the Fourth Schedule instead. None of that is asserted here. The Act's true ceiling is not in the Fourth Schedule either: section 16(2) and section 16(5) carry imprisonment for life on conviction on indictment, and a mandatory minimum of seven years on summary conviction, for a drug trafficking offence or possession for the purpose of drug trafficking committed in a school, prison or military premises or with violence, official corruption or a child carrier. Both limbs are keyed to a controlled drug as section 4(1)(a) defines it, so neither can attach to a row that no printed entry places. One later amendment was found, read in full and is relied on here: the Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) (Amendment) Act 2020, Act No. 16 of 2020, assented to and gazetted on 30 October 2020. It amends section 7(4), inserts new sections 7A and 7B and amends section 8, and it does not touch the Third Schedule, so it moves the cannabis possession rules without moving any substance between the Parts. Its existence is the measured proof that the consolidation held here is not current, which is why an absence from that consolidation is not published as a finding. The nearest printed text read and rejected for this row was the Class C entry «Methaqualone».
Grenada
Legal status
Not listed in the First Schedule to the Drug Abuse (Prevention and Control) Act, Chapter 84A, as that schedule stands as at SRO 16 of 2011. It was added to Schedule IV of the 1971 Convention in 2001, nine years after this act was made, and no Order up to SRO 16 of 2011 brought it into the First Schedule. Section 3(2) lets the Minister amend the First Schedule by Order subject to affirmative resolution, so the printed schedule is not the last word and no Order later than SRO 16 of 2011 was read here.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Searched as 'zolpidem', 'Ambien', 'Stilnox' and 'imidazopyridine'. None returns a hit. The Z drugs are absent as a group: zopiclone and zaleplon are likewise printed nowhere. Part II's hypnotics stop at the barbiturates, the benzodiazepines and the older agents such as 'ETHCHLORVYNOL' and 'METHYLPRYLON'. Section 3(1) defines a controlled drug exhaustively as a narcotic drug listed in Part I of the First Schedule, a psychotropic substance listed in Part II, or a listed substance listed in Part III. There is no analogue limb and no definition by effect. No offence in this act reaches it, because every offence in Parts II to V is framed in relation to a controlled drug and section 3(1) confines that expression to the three Parts of the First Schedule. The Part of the First Schedule named in this cell is read from the act itself and is not printed in the quoted dossier extract, which cites the schedule only as Parts I to IV.
If prescribed / medical
Not a controlled drug under this act, so the section 12 and section 24 prescription machinery for controlled drugs does not reach zolpidem. Whether it is regulated as a medicine or as a consumer product under Grenada's separate pharmacy and medicines law was not established here.
Documentation
No controlled drug documentation requirement arises under this act, because the substance is outside it. Carry any prescribed medicine in its original pharmacy packaging with the prescription. No local traveller permit scheme was established here.
Drug Abuse (Prevention and Control) Act, Chapter 84A of the Laws of Grenada, Act No. 7 of 1992 as amended by SRO 16 of 2011, sections 2, 3, 6, 12, 18, 21, 24 and 37, the First Schedule Parts I to IV, the Second Schedule and the Fifth Schedule, read as at SRO 16 of 2011 · laws.gov.gd · consulted 22 September 2026 · Updated September 21, 2026
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Legal status
Not confirmed, Saint Kitts and Nevis's Drugs (Prevention and Abatement of the Misuse and Abuse) Act is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Saint Kitts and Nevis is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Saint Kitts and Nevis's drug schedule; Saint Kitts and Nevis's Drugs (Prevention and Abatement of the Misuse and Abuse) Act is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Saint Kitts and Nevis, drugs fall under Saint Kitts and Nevis's Drugs (Prevention and Abatement of the Misuse and Abuse) Act. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Saint Kitts and Nevis retains the death penalty in law for murder (abolitionist in practice), but its drug legislation does not provide a death penalty, the maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Saint Kitts and Nevis, drugs fall under Saint Kitts and Nevis's Drugs (Prevention and Abatement of the Misuse and Abuse) Act. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Saint Kitts and Nevis retains the death penalty in law for murder (abolitionist in practice), but its drug legislation does not provide a death penalty, the maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Act, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Saint Kitts and Nevis's Drugs (Prevention and Abatement of the Misuse and Abuse) Act · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Saint Lucia
Legal status
Not a named entry in Schedule 2 to the Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act, Cap. 3.02, in any of Part I, Part II or Part III, as the act stands in the Revised Edition showing the law as at 31 December 2021. The search terms zolpidem, zopiclone, zaleplon, imidazopyridine and Z-drug all return zero across the whole act. Zolpidem is an imidazopyridine and not a benzodiazepine, and Part III names about thirty benzodiazepines individually without any generic clause, so a non benzodiazepine hypnotic that is not itself printed is outside the schedule. The nearest printed hypnotics read and rejected are 'Methyprylone', 'Ethchlorvynol' and 'Ethinamate'. Section 4(2) lets the Minister amend Schedule 2 by statutory instrument after consultation with or on the recommendation of the Advisory Council, and section 49 lets the Minister amend the Schedules by order, so the printed schedule is not the last word. No statutory instrument later than the Revised Edition showing the law as at 31 December 2021 was read here, and no index of Saint Lucia statutory instruments could be enumerated, so that is a real limit on this cell and not a form of words.
Consequences if caught
Capital exposure: none. Section 4(1)(a) confines the expression controlled drugs to a substance or product specified in Part I, Part II or Part III of Schedule 2, and every offence in sections 5, 6, 8 and 12 and every punishment in Schedule 3 is keyed to a controlled drug. A substance outside Schedule 2 therefore attracts no offence and no penalty under this act, and no trafficking ceiling under section 25. Zolpidem is an imidazopyridine and not a benzodiazepine, and Part III names about thirty benzodiazepines individually without any generic clause, so a non benzodiazepine hypnotic that is not itself printed is outside the schedule. The nearest printed hypnotics read and rejected are 'Methyprylone', 'Ethchlorvynol' and 'Ethinamate'. This is an absence finding about Schedule 2 as printed in the Revised Edition showing the law as at 31 December 2021, not a statement that the substance is unregulated by any other Saint Lucia law, and no other Saint Lucia law was read here.
If prescribed / medical
Not a controlled drug under this act, so the practitioner exemption route in section 10(3) and the prescription regulation power in section 21(2)(g) do not reach it. Whether it is an authorised or a prescription only medicine in Saint Lucia turns on medicines and pharmacy law that was not read here.
Documentation
The act puts no documentation duty on a private traveller and none at all on a substance outside Schedule 2. Sections 15 to 18 govern controlled drugs brought into Saint Lucia in transit under an export authorisation or diversion certificate, and section 21(2)(b) and (c) put documentation and record keeping on the trade in controlled drugs. Carry any prescribed medicine in its original pharmacy packaging with the prescription as ordinary practice.
Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act, Cap. 3.02 of the Laws of Saint Lucia, Acts 22 of 1988, 8 of 1993, 5 of 2004 and 13 of 2021, Revised Edition showing the law as at 31 December 2021, sections 2, 4 and 49 and Schedule 2 Parts I to IV · Updated September 21, 2026
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Legal status
Not confirmed, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines' Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines's drug schedule; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines' Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, drugs fall under Saint Vincent and the Grenadines' Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines retains the death penalty in law for murder (abolitionist in practice), but its drug legislation does not provide a death penalty, the maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, drugs fall under Saint Vincent and the Grenadines' Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines retains the death penalty in law for murder (abolitionist in practice), but its drug legislation does not provide a death penalty, the maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Act, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines' Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Haiti
Legal status
Not confirmed, Haiti's drug-control law / Penal Code drug provisions is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Haiti is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Haiti's drug schedule; Haiti's drug-control law / Penal Code drug provisions is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Haiti, drugs fall under Haiti's drug-control law / Penal Code drug provisions. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Haiti, drugs fall under Haiti's drug-control law / Penal Code drug provisions. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same law, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Haiti's drug-control law / Penal Code drug provisions · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Sao Tome and Principe
Legal status
Not confirmed, Sao Tome and Principe's Lusophone Penal Code / drug-control law is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Sao Tome and Principe is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Sao Tome and Principe's drug schedule; Sao Tome and Principe's Lusophone Penal Code / drug-control law is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Sao Tome and Principe, drugs fall under Sao Tome and Principe's Lusophone Penal Code / drug-control law. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Sao Tome and Principe, drugs fall under Sao Tome and Principe's Lusophone Penal Code / drug-control law. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. A primary statute portal was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same law, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Sao Tome and Principe's Lusophone Penal Code / drug-control law · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Holy See
Legal status
Not confirmed, Vatican City State criminal law (Law No. CCXCVII and related) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in the Holy See is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against the Holy See's drug schedule; Vatican City State criminal law (Law No. CCXCVII and related) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In the Holy See, drugs fall under Vatican City State criminal law (Law No. CCXCVII and related). Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Vatican City is a very small jurisdiction with minimal independent drug caselaw; this cell asserts controlled status conservatively, and the precise provision and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current law. A primary statute portal was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In the Holy See, drugs fall under Vatican City State criminal law (Law No. CCXCVII and related). Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. Vatican City is a very small jurisdiction with minimal independent drug caselaw; this cell asserts controlled status conservatively, and the precise provision and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current law. A primary statute portal was not located; this cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress pending a primary portal. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same law, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Vatican City State criminal law (Law No. CCXCVII and related) · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Puerto Rico (US)
Legal status
Not confirmed, Puerto Rico's Controlled Substances Act (Ley de Sustancias Controladas de Puerto Rico, 24 LPRA) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Puerto Rico is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Puerto Rico's drug schedule; Puerto Rico's Controlled Substances Act (Ley de Sustancias Controladas de Puerto Rico, 24 LPRA) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Puerto Rico, drugs fall under the Controlled Substances Act of Puerto Rico (Ley de Sustancias Controladas de Puerto Rico, 24 LPRA), the territory's own statute, distinct from the US federal Controlled Substances Act. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Puerto Rico, drugs fall under the Controlled Substances Act of Puerto Rico (Ley de Sustancias Controladas de Puerto Rico, 24 LPRA), the territory's own statute, distinct from the US federal Controlled Substances Act. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal. Cannabis is controlled under the same Act with a regulated medical-cannabis exception: medical cannabis is legal for registered patients under Puerto Rico's 2015 medical-cannabis law, while recreational use, sale and cultivation remain prohibited. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Controlled Substances Act of Puerto Rico (Ley de Sustancias Controladas de Puerto Rico, 24 LPRA) · 2015 medical-cannabis law · loc.gov · unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Guam (US)
Legal status
Not confirmed, Guam's Uniform Controlled Substances Act (9 GCA Chapter 67) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Guam is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Guam's drug schedule; Guam's Uniform Controlled Substances Act (9 GCA Chapter 67) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Guam, drugs fall under the Guam Uniform Controlled Substances Act (9 GCA Chapter 67), the territory's own statute. Trafficking and unlicensed supply carry imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Guam Compiler of Laws (guamcourts.gov) with Library of Congress corroboration.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Guam, drugs fall under the Guam Uniform Controlled Substances Act (9 GCA Chapter 67), the territory's own statute. Trafficking and unlicensed supply carry imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Guam Compiler of Laws (guamcourts.gov) with Library of Congress corroboration. Cannabis is treated differently from other controlled drugs: it is legal for adults 21 and over under the Guam Cannabis Industry Act of 2019, alongside the medical-cannabis programme (Public Law 34-80), with a regulated retail market; sale outside the licensed system remains an offence. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Guam Uniform Controlled Substances Act (9 GCA Chapter 67) · Guam Cannabis Industry Act of 2019 · Public Law 34-80 (medical cannabis) · guamcourts.gov · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
U.S. Virgin Islands (US)
Legal status
Not confirmed, the U.S. Virgin Islands Code (Title 19) controlled-substances provisions is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in the U.S. Virgin Islands is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against the U.S. Virgin Islands' drug schedule; the U.S. Virgin Islands Code (Title 19) controlled-substances provisions is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In the U.S. Virgin Islands, drugs fall under the Virgin Islands Code (Title 19) controlled-substances provisions, the territory's own statute. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In the U.S. Virgin Islands, drugs fall under the Virgin Islands Code (Title 19) controlled-substances provisions, the territory's own statute. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal. Cannabis is treated differently from other controlled drugs: medical cannabis is legal under the Virgin Islands Medical Cannabis Patient Care Act (2019) and personal-possession of small amounts has been decriminalized, while non-medical sale and cultivation remain prohibited. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Virgin Islands Code Title 19 (controlled substances) · Virgin Islands Medical Cannabis Patient Care Act 2019 · loc.gov · unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Northern Mariana Islands (US)
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Northern Mariana Islands' Commonwealth controlled-substances code is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in the Northern Mariana Islands is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against the Northern Mariana Islands' drug schedule; the Northern Mariana Islands' Commonwealth controlled-substances code is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In the Northern Mariana Islands, drugs fall under the Commonwealth's own controlled-substances code. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In the Northern Mariana Islands, drugs fall under the Commonwealth's own controlled-substances code. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal. Cannabis is treated differently from other controlled drugs: it is legal for adults 21 and over under the Taulamwaar Sensible CNMI Cannabis Act of 2018, which authorizes personal possession, cultivation and a regulated adult-use market; no separate medical-cannabis programme is authorized, and sale outside the licensed system remains an offence. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Taulamwaar Sensible CNMI Cannabis Act of 2018 · Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands controlled-substances code · loc.gov · unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
American Samoa (US)
Legal status
Not confirmed, the American Samoa Code Annotated (Title 13) controlled-substances provisions is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in American Samoa is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against American Samoa's drug schedule; the American Samoa Code Annotated (Title 13) controlled-substances provisions is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In American Samoa, drugs fall under the American Samoa Code Annotated (Title 13) controlled-substances provisions, the territory's own statute, among the harshest of any US jurisdiction. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In American Samoa, drugs fall under the American Samoa Code Annotated (Title 13) controlled-substances provisions, the territory's own statute, among the harshest of any US jurisdiction. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Title 13 provisions, fully prohibited with no medical or recreational regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
American Samoa Code Annotated Title 13 (controlled substances) · loc.gov · unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Bermuda (UK)
Legal status
Controlled under Bermuda's own Misuse of Drugs Act 1972. Zolpidem is named in Schedule 2 Part I, the list of controlled drugs made under section 3, as 'ZOLPIDEM'. Bermuda is not governed by the United Kingdom Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and does not use its classes.
Consequences if caught
Bermuda has no class system. The words Class A, Class B and Class C do not appear anywhere in the Act, and Schedule 2 Part I is a single undivided alphabetical list made under section 3. That is the divergence from the United Kingdom that matters most, because the United Kingdom sets its penalties by class and Bermuda does not distinguish between drugs at all. Schedule 5, made under section 27B and headed, in the Act's own capitals, controlled drugs and increased penalty, is the only severity distinction in the Act and it names four things: cocaine, diamorphine, methylamphetamine, and compounds structurally derived from phenethylamine. Everything else sits on one level. Simple possession is the section 6(2) offence. Section 27(2) gives, on conviction on indictment, five years for a first offence and ten years for a second or subsequent offence, and on summary conviction twelve months or a fine of one thousand dollars. Supply, production, importation, exportation, handling, cultivation and possession for supply are the offences in sections 4, 5, 6(3), 7 and 11, and section 27(1) sets one penalty for all of them: on conviction on indictment, 'imprisonment for life or a fine of one million dollars or three times the street value of the controlled drug, whichever is greater or both such fine and imprisonment', and on summary conviction ten years or five hundred thousand dollars or three times the street value. Zolpidem is a Class C drug in the United Kingdom. In Bermuda it sits on the one list with everything else. Every statement above about what is and is not on the list is true as at a date, and the date is this. Section 24A lets the Minister amend Schedule 2 by order and section 24B lets the Minister provisionally add or remove a drug, so the list moves without the Act changing. The consolidated text read here records its Schedule 2 history down to 'Schedule 2, Part I(a) amended by BR 90 / 2018 para. 2 effective 20 August 2018', and no order after that was read. So this cell describes Schedule 2 as it stood on 20 August 2018 plus whatever the Government of Bermuda consolidation carried when it was fetched on 16 September 2026, and it does not rule out a later order. Section 27A provides for increased penalty zones, where a sentence for an offence under sections 5 to 11 is first determined and then increased because of where the offence took place.
If prescribed / medical
Section 12(3) requires the Minister to make regulations securing 'that it is not unlawful under section 5(1) for a practitioner, acting in his capacity as such. to prescribe, administer, manufacture, compound or supply a controlled drug', and the corresponding protection for possession under section 6(1). The instrument that does this is the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 1973, which was not read for this cell, so the conditions attaching to a prescribed supply are not stated here.
Cayman Islands (UK)
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Cayman Islands' Misuse of Drugs Act (2026 Revision) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in the Cayman Islands is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against the Cayman Islands' drug schedule; the Cayman Islands' Misuse of Drugs Act (2026 Revision) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In the Cayman Islands, drugs fall under the Misuse of Drugs Act (2026 Revision), the territory's own statute, enforced with a zero-tolerance import policy. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Cayman Islands legislation portal (legislation.gov.ky) with Library of Congress corroboration.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In the Cayman Islands, drugs fall under the Misuse of Drugs Act (2026 Revision), the territory's own statute, enforced with a zero-tolerance import policy. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Cayman Islands legislation portal (legislation.gov.ky) with Library of Congress corroboration. Cannabis is treated differently from other controlled drugs: medical cannabis and CBD products are permitted only on local prescription (since 2017), while recreational cannabis is fully prohibited under zero-tolerance enforcement, possession carries a fine up to CI$3,000 and up to 3 years' imprisonment, and importation a fine up to CI$20,000 and up to 7 years on first conviction. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Cayman Islands Misuse of Drugs Act (2026 Revision) · legislation.gov.ky · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Gibraltar (UK)
Legal status
Not confirmed, Gibraltar's Crimes Act 2011 (drug offences) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Gibraltar is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Gibraltar's drug schedule; Gibraltar's Crimes Act 2011 (drug offences) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Gibraltar, drugs fall under the Crimes Act 2011 (drug offences), Gibraltar's own statute. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Gibraltar Laws portal (gibraltarlaws.gov.gi) with Library of Congress corroboration.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Gibraltar, drugs fall under the Crimes Act 2011 (drug offences), Gibraltar's own statute. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Gibraltar Laws portal (gibraltarlaws.gov.gi) with Library of Congress corroboration. Cannabis is treated differently from other controlled drugs: recreational cannabis is illegal, while medical cannabis has been permitted since October 2019 under prescription; sale and cultivation outside the medical framework remain prohibited. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Not confirmed, the British Virgin Islands' Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in the British Virgin Islands is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against the British Virgin Islands' drug schedule; the British Virgin Islands' Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In the British Virgin Islands, drugs fall under the Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act, the territory's own statute. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the BVI Financial Services Commission legislation portal (bvifsc.vg) with Library of Congress corroboration.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In the British Virgin Islands, drugs fall under the Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act, the territory's own statute. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the BVI Financial Services Commission legislation portal (bvifsc.vg) with Library of Congress corroboration. Cannabis is treated differently from other controlled drugs: the Cannabis Licensing Act 2020 establishes a regulated cannabis-licensing framework (medical, research and religious use), while unlicensed recreational possession, sale and cultivation remain restricted. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
British Virgin Islands Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act (Revised Edition) · Cannabis Licensing Act 2020 · bvifsc.vg · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Turks and Caicos Islands (UK)
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Turks and Caicos Islands' Control of Drugs Ordinance is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in the Turks and Caicos Islands is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against the Turks and Caicos Islands' drug schedule; the Turks and Caicos Islands' Control of Drugs Ordinance is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In the Turks and Caicos Islands, drugs fall under the Control of Drugs Ordinance, the territory's own statute. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In the Turks and Caicos Islands, drugs fall under the Control of Drugs Ordinance, the territory's own statute. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal. Cannabis and cannabis resin are Class B controlled drugs (Part II) under the same Ordinance, fully prohibited with no medical or recreational regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Turks and Caicos Islands Control of Drugs Ordinance · loc.gov · unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Jersey (UK Crown Dependency)
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Misuse of Drugs (Jersey) Law 1978 is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Jersey is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Jersey's drug schedule; the Misuse of Drugs (Jersey) Law 1978 is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Jersey, drugs fall under the Misuse of Drugs (Jersey) Law 1978, the Bailiwick's own statute, built on the UK-model Class A/B/C system. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Jersey Legal Information Board (jerseylaw.je) with Library of Congress corroboration.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Jersey, drugs fall under the Misuse of Drugs (Jersey) Law 1978, the Bailiwick's own statute, built on the UK-model Class A/B/C system. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Jersey Legal Information Board (jerseylaw.je) with Library of Congress corroboration. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Misuse of Drugs (Jersey) Law 1978 · jerseylaw.je · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Guernsey (UK Crown Dependency)
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Misuse of Drugs (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law 1974 is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Guernsey is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Guernsey's drug schedule; the Misuse of Drugs (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law 1974 is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Guernsey, drugs fall under the Misuse of Drugs (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law 1974, the Bailiwick's own statute, built on the UK-model Class A/B/C system. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via Guernsey Legal Resources (guernseylegalresources.gg) with Library of Congress corroboration.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Guernsey, drugs fall under the Misuse of Drugs (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law 1974, the Bailiwick's own statute, built on the UK-model Class A/B/C system. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise article and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via Guernsey Legal Resources (guernseylegalresources.gg) with Library of Congress corroboration. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Not confirmed, the Isle of Man's Misuse of Drugs Act is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in the Isle of Man is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against the Isle of Man's drug schedule; the Isle of Man's Misuse of Drugs Act is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In the Isle of Man, drugs fall under the Island's own Misuse of Drugs Act, which replicates the UK Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Schedule 2 Classes A/B/C, administered by the Island's own ACMD). Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Isle of Man Government legislation portal (gov.im) with Library of Congress corroboration.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In the Isle of Man, drugs fall under the Island's own Misuse of Drugs Act, which replicates the UK Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Schedule 2 Classes A/B/C, administered by the Island's own ACMD). Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Isle of Man Government legislation portal (gov.im) with Library of Congress corroboration. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Isle of Man Misuse of Drugs Act (Schedule 2 Classes A/B/C) · gov.im · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Montserrat (UK)
Legal status
Not confirmed, Montserrat's Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Montserrat is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Montserrat's drug schedule; Montserrat's Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Montserrat, drugs fall under the Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act/Ordinance, a UK-model statute. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Montserrat, drugs fall under the Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act/Ordinance, a UK-model statute. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Montserrat Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act / Ordinance · loc.gov · unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Anguilla (UK)
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Misuse of Drugs Act (Anguilla) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Anguilla is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Anguilla's drug schedule; the Misuse of Drugs Act (Anguilla) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Anguilla, drugs fall under the Misuse of Drugs Act (Anguilla), a UK-model statute. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Anguilla, drugs fall under the Misuse of Drugs Act (Anguilla), a UK-model statute. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise section and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Misuse of Drugs Act (Anguilla) · cannabis decriminalization effective 1 December 2024 · loc.gov · unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Aruba (Netherlands)
Legal status
Not confirmed, Aruba's Criminal Code and narcotics (opium) ordinance is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Aruba is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Aruba's drug schedule; Aruba's Criminal Code and narcotics (opium) ordinance is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Aruba, drugs fall under Aruba's own Criminal Code and narcotics (opium) ordinance, Aruba has been an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands since 1986 and, unlike the European Netherlands, operates NO coffeeshop tolerance. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise provision and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current law. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Aruba, drugs fall under Aruba's own Criminal Code and narcotics (opium) ordinance, Aruba has been an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands since 1986 and, unlike the European Netherlands, operates NO coffeeshop tolerance. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise provision and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current law. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Not confirmed, Curaçao's Opium Ordinance is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Curaçao is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Curaçao's drug schedule; Curaçao's Opium Ordinance is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Curaçao, drugs fall under Curaçao's own Opium Ordinance, distinct from the European Netherlands' tolerance regime. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine, and cocaine/heroin/MDMA offences draw severe sentences; the precise provision and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current ordinance. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Curaçao, drugs fall under Curaçao's own Opium Ordinance, distinct from the European Netherlands' tolerance regime. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine, and cocaine/heroin/MDMA offences draw severe sentences; the precise provision and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current ordinance. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Not confirmed, Sint Maarten's Opium National Ordinance of 1960 is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Sint Maarten is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Sint Maarten's drug schedule; Sint Maarten's Opium National Ordinance of 1960 is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Sint Maarten, drugs fall under the Opium National Ordinance of 1960, covering both hard and soft drugs. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise provision and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current ordinance. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Sint Maarten, drugs fall under the Opium National Ordinance of 1960, covering both hard and soft drugs. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise provision and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current ordinance. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Sint Maarten Opium National Ordinance of 1960 · loc.gov · unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
French Polynesia (France)
Legal status
Not confirmed, the French Code de la santé publique (narcotics provisions) as applied in French Polynesia is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in French Polynesia is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against French Polynesia's drug schedule; the French Code de la santé publique (narcotics provisions) as applied in French Polynesia is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In French Polynesia, drugs fall under the French Code de la santé publique (narcotics provisions) as applied in the territory (with local island variation in enforcement). Trafficking carries up to 30 years' imprisonment and a fine up to EUR 150,000 under the French penalty structure; the precise classification is left to confirmation against the current Code. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via Légifrance (legifrance.gouv.fr) and the Library of Congress with UNODC corroboration.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In French Polynesia, drugs fall under the French Code de la santé publique (narcotics provisions) as applied in the territory (with local island variation in enforcement). Trafficking carries up to 30 years' imprisonment and a fine up to EUR 150,000 under the French penalty structure; the precise classification is left to confirmation against the current Code. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via Légifrance (legifrance.gouv.fr) and the Library of Congress with UNODC corroboration. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
French Code de la santé publique (narcotics provisions) applied in French Polynesia · legifrance.gouv.fr · loc.gov · unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
New Caledonia (France)
Legal status
Not confirmed, the French Code de la santé publique (narcotics provisions) as applied in New Caledonia is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in New Caledonia is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against New Caledonia's drug schedule; the French Code de la santé publique (narcotics provisions) as applied in New Caledonia is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In New Caledonia, drugs fall under the French Code de la santé publique (narcotics provisions) as applied in the territory. Trafficking carries up to 30 years' imprisonment and a fine up to EUR 150,000 under the French penalty structure; the precise classification is left to confirmation against the current Code. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In New Caledonia, drugs fall under the French Code de la santé publique (narcotics provisions) as applied in the territory. Trafficking carries up to 30 years' imprisonment and a fine up to EUR 150,000 under the French penalty structure; the precise classification is left to confirmation against the current Code. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
French Code de la santé publique (narcotics provisions) applied in New Caledonia · loc.gov · unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Caribbean Netherlands (BES)
Legal status
Not confirmed, the BES narcotics law (the old-Antillean Opium Ordinance applied through the WvS-BES penal framework) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in the Caribbean Netherlands (BES) is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against the Caribbean Netherlands' drug schedule; the BES narcotics law (the old-Antillean Opium Ordinance applied through the WvS-BES penal framework) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In the Caribbean Netherlands (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, the BES islands), drugs fall under the old-Antillean narcotics law applied through the WvS-BES penal framework, NOT the European Netherlands' Opium-Act tolerance, penalties are HARSHER than in the European Netherlands. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise instrument and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current law. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In the Caribbean Netherlands (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, the BES islands), drugs fall under the old-Antillean narcotics law applied through the WvS-BES penal framework, NOT the European Netherlands' Opium-Act tolerance, penalties are HARSHER than in the European Netherlands. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise instrument and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current law. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Caribbean Netherlands (BES) narcotics law, old-Antillean Opium Ordinance via the WvS-BES penal framework · loc.gov · unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Aceh (Indonesia)
Legal status
Not confirmed, Indonesia's national Narcotics Law No. 35 of 2009 (applied in Aceh) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Aceh is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Aceh's drug schedule; Indonesia's national Narcotics Law No. 35 of 2009 (applied in Aceh) is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Aceh, drugs fall under Indonesia's national Narcotics Law No. 35 of 2009 (Articles 111-127), which applies in the province; Aceh ADDITIONALLY applies the qanun jinayat (Islamic criminal bylaws) imposing caning for certain offences as a corporal-punishment overlay distinct from the national penal regime. Organized or large-scale trafficking of Category I narcotics is capital-eligible, the death penalty is NATIONAL (under Law 35/2009), NOT a separate Aceh statute, and Indonesia actively imposes drug death sentences. Possession and lower-level offences carry imprisonment from 4 years or court-ordered rehabilitation; the precise article and threshold are left to confirmation against the current law. This cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress, with the qanun framing corroborated in free text.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Aceh, drugs fall under Indonesia's national Narcotics Law No. 35 of 2009 (Articles 111-127), which applies in the province; Aceh ADDITIONALLY applies the qanun jinayat (Islamic criminal bylaws) imposing caning for certain offences as a corporal-punishment overlay distinct from the national penal regime. Organized or large-scale trafficking of Category I narcotics is capital-eligible, the death penalty is NATIONAL (under Law 35/2009), NOT a separate Aceh statute, and Indonesia actively imposes drug death sentences. Possession and lower-level offences carry imprisonment from 4 years or court-ordered rehabilitation; the precise article and threshold are left to confirmation against the current law. This cell is sourced via the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) and the Library of Congress, with the qanun framing corroborated in free text. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Indonesia national Narcotics Law No. 35 of 2009 (Articles 111-127), applied in Aceh · Aceh qanun jinayat (Islamic criminal bylaws), corroborated free-text · unodc.org · loc.gov · Updated July 14, 2026
Faroe Islands (Denmark)
Legal status
Not confirmed, the Faroe Islands' own narcotics-control framework is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in the Faroe Islands is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against the Faroe Islands' drug schedule; the Faroe Islands' own narcotics-control framework is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In the Faroe Islands, drugs fall under the Faroe Islands' own narcotics-control and customs-enforcement framework, the Faroes self-govern health and justice and operate a drug-control regime distinct from Denmark. The specific consolidating statute is left to confirmation against current Faroese law. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Faroese Government portal (government.fo) and the Library of Congress with UNODC corroboration.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In the Faroe Islands, drugs fall under the Faroe Islands' own narcotics-control and customs-enforcement framework, the Faroes self-govern health and justice and operate a drug-control regime distinct from Denmark. The specific consolidating statute is left to confirmation against current Faroese law. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Faroese Government portal (government.fo) and the Library of Congress with UNODC corroboration. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Not confirmed, the Falkland Islands' own misuse-of-drugs / crimes ordinance framework is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in the Falkland Islands is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against the Falkland Islands' drug schedule; the Falkland Islands' own misuse-of-drugs / crimes ordinance framework is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In the Falkland Islands, drugs fall under the Islands' own misuse-of-drugs / crimes ordinance framework, built on the UK model. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise ordinance and penalty terms are left to confirmation against current Falkland Islands law. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In the Falkland Islands, drugs fall under the Islands' own misuse-of-drugs / crimes ordinance framework, built on the UK model. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise ordinance and penalty terms are left to confirmation against current Falkland Islands law. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Not confirmed, Saint Helena's misuse-of-drugs ordinance is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for zolpidem in Saint Helena is not confirmed here. Verify against the current schedule.
Consequences if caught
This specific substance was not individually verified against Saint Helena's drug schedule; Saint Helena's misuse-of-drugs ordinance is the governing law. Do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. In Saint Helena (the territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha), drugs fall under Saint Helena's own misuse-of-drugs ordinance, built on the UK model. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise ordinance and penalty terms are left to confirmation against current Saint Helena law. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal.
If prescribed / medical
If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
In Saint Helena (the territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha), drugs fall under Saint Helena's own misuse-of-drugs ordinance, built on the UK model. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise ordinance and penalty terms are left to confirmation against current Saint Helena law. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Saint Helena misuse-of-drugs ordinance (Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha · UK-model) · loc.gov · unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
United States
Legal status
Controlled. Schedule IV under the Controlled Substances Act, at 21 CFR 1308.14(c)(59). Listed by name. This cell states federal law only. Every state has its own controlled substances act and several differ from the federal schedules, so check the law of the state you are in.
Consequences if caught
It is listed by name at 21 CFR 1308.14(c)(59). Supply is 21 USC 841(b)(2), up to 5 years. Simple possession is 21 USC 844(a), up to 1 year and a fine of at least 1,000 dollars on a first offence, with higher figures after a prior conviction. The section excepts a substance 'obtained directly, or pursuant to a valid prescription or order, from a practitioner, while acting in the course of his professional practice'.
If prescribed / medical
Prescription supply through the licensed channel is lawful. 21 USC 844(a) excepts a substance obtained on a valid prescription from a practitioner acting in the course of professional practice, and handling outside that channel is an offence under 21 USC 841 and the registration provisions at 21 USC 822 and 823.
Documentation
Carry any prescribed medicine in its original labelled container with the prescription. Federal law and the law of the state you are entering can differ, so confirm both before travel.
Controlled Substances Act, 21 USC 802, 812, 813, 841 and 844 (Office of the Law Revision Counsel) · 21 CFR 1308.11 to 1308.15 (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, current as of 11 September 2026) · 91 FR 22714, 28 April 2026, for marijuana in an approved product or under a state medical licence · uscode.house.gov · ecfr.gov · federalregister.gov · Updated September 15, 2026
Last updated: October 2, 2026
· Articles 11, 43 and 58 attach to this branch, Article 58 giving death or life imprisonment as alternatives with no quantity stated, and the Schedule 10 bands do not gate it
· the schedule text was read at https://sha.shj.ae/#:~:text=%D8%B2%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%85 and the article text at https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/ar/legislations/1540#:~:text=%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A9%2058, the federal legislation portal
· the instrument is written in Arabic and the English rendering is the dossier's
· read as at 20 September 2026
Thailand, Narcotics Code B.E. 2564 section 94 with the penalties at section 149 and a stated maximum of 5 years · Ministry of Public Health psychotropic naming notification B.E. 2565, category 4, where Zolpidem is reached by the entry for zolpidem · read in the Royal Gazette at https://www.ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/DATA/PDF/2565/E/182/T_0008.PDF on 20 September 2026. No express open reuse licence was located on the cited page, so only the wording needed for verification is reproduced, with attribution and a direct link. · Updated September 21, 2026
If prescribed / medical
Zolpidem is registered in Indonesia and dispensed on a psychotropics prescription for short term insomnia.
Documentation
Carry a prescribed zolpidem supply in its dispensed packaging with the prescription. It is a controlled medicine here rather than an ordinary sleeping tablet.
Undang-Undang Nomor 5 Tahun 1997 tentang Psikotropika, LN 1997/10, TLN 3671 · empowering article Pasal 2(4), which delegates the establishment and change of the psychotropic types to the Minister · the psychotropics list in force is the Lampiran to Permenkes Nomor 14 Tahun 2025, Berita Negara Tahun 2025 Nomor 988. It supersedes the annex printed in the 1997 Act, whose Golongan I and II were repealed outright by Pasal 153(b) of Undang-Undang Nomor 35 Tahun 2009 and then re-established by this regulation, so the 1997 annex must not be read as current · the finding is Psikotropika Golongan IV of the Lampiran to Permenkes No. 14 Tahun 2025, item 61 「ZOLPIDEM」 · Lampiran to Permenkes No. 14 Tahun 2025 Psikotropika Golongan IV item 61 read, and the 1997 annex checked and found not to contain it. Aceh runs a separate criminal code for some conduct and is a separate jurisdiction in this dataset · the Qanun Aceh Nomor 6 Tahun 2014 tentang Hukum Jinayat was read for this batch and mentions narkotika and psikotropika zero times, so narcotics law in Aceh is the national Act unchanged. Read 2026-09-17 · e-pharm.kemkes.go.id · jdih.kemkes.go.id · jdih.kemkes.go.id · e-pharm.kemkes.go.id · Placement re-derived in this pass from Peraturan Menteri Kesehatan Nomor 15 Tahun 2025 tentang Perubahan Penggolongan Narkotika and Nomor 14 Tahun 2025 tentang Penetapan dan Perubahan Penggolongan Psikotropika, both read at jdih.kemkes.go.id on 21 September 2026. Permenkes 15/2025 was ditetapkan 21 November 2025 and diundangkan 28 November 2025 at Berita Negara Republik Indonesia Tahun 2025 Nomor 988, and it repeals Permenkes 7/2025. The matched entry is quoted in the cell. Section membership is stated rather than entry number, because a watermark in the published PDF reflows the numbering. · Updated September 21, 2026
Saudi Arabia, Law of Combating Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances, Royal Decree M/39 of 1426 AH, Articles 1, 37 to 41 and 70 to 71, with zolpidem placed at Schedule II Category D of the schedules attached to the Law in the version issued on 4 September 2026 · the schedules were read at https://sfda.gov.sa/sites/default/files/2026-09/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%84%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%81%D9%82%D8%A9%20%D9%84%D9%86%D8%B8%D8%A7%D9%85%20%D9%85%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%AD%D8%A9%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AE%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA%20%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A4%D8%AB%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%82%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9%202026.pdf, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority copy of the schedules attached to the Law, and the penalty articles at https://www.moh.gov.sa/eServices/Licences/Documents/17.pdf, the Ministry of Health copy of M/39 · the traveller clearance route is the SFDA Controlled Drugs System · read as at 17 September 2026 · Updated September 20, 2026
Documentation
Carry the prescription and the dispensing label with the medicine, in its original packaging. The entry the prescription has to answer to is «Zolpidem» in the Third Schedule, with «Zolpidem; its salt» in the Poisons List beside it. Regulation 4(2)(a) of the Poisons (Psychotropic Substances) Regulations 1989 is the traveller provision and it fixes a figure the Dangerous Drugs Act never does: a person arriving in or leaving Malaysia who carries, as part of personal luggage and solely for personal or family use, a prepared or packaged medicine containing a psychotropic substance is outside the import authorisation requirement, provided the quantity is «not exceeding such quantities as may be reasonably required for one month's use by one person» and it has been lawfully supplied by or on the prescription of a qualified medical practitioner. Section 30(4) presumes possession and knowledge from custody or control: a person found with the substance «shall be deemed to have been in possession of the substance and to have known the nature of the substance, until he proves to the contrary». The prescription is what rebuts it. The penalty under section 30(5) is «a fine not exceeding ten thousand ringgit or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding four years or both». The control is the Poisons Act 1952 and its regulations rather than the Dangerous Drugs Act, so the trafficking regime and its presumptions are not in play for zolpidem.
Malaysia, Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, Act 234, first enacted as Ordinance No. 30 of 1952 and revised in 1980 with effect from 17 July 1980 · read from the Attorney General's Chambers online updated text headed «As at 4 July 2023», latest Act amendment being the Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Act 2023, Act 846, in force 4 July 2023 · Poisons Act 1952, Act 366, revised 1989, read from the Attorney General's Chambers online updated text as at 1 January 2022, latest amendment P.U. (A) 412/2021 in force 3 November 2021 · read for this substance: the Poisons Act 1952 Third Schedule, the entry found as «Zolpidem», named in terms · the Poisons List, whose printed name column for this substance, with salt in the singular as printed, is reproduced in full in this cell's status field · sections 30(1) to 30(5) and 32(2) of that Act · the Poisons (Psychotropic Substances) Regulations 1989 incorporating P.U. (A) 405/2018, regulations 3, 4 and 9 and the Second Schedule to those Regulations, in which this substance is not named · and the First Schedule to the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 read in all five Parts, and zolpidem not found in any of them · the First Schedule has since been amended twice under section 45A, by the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment of First Schedule) Order 2024, P.U. (A) 97, gazetted 2 April 2024, which inserts Etazene, Etonitazepyne, 2-Methyl-AP-237 and Protonitazene into Part III and substitutes Proheptazine for Propheptazine, and by the Order 2025, P.U. (A) 416, gazetted 25 November 2025, which inserts Butonitazene into Part III · both orders were read in full and neither touches this substance · the publisher's own disclaimer is carried forward: this is only an updated text and not an authentic text until it is reprinted under subsection 14(1) of the Revision of Laws Act 1968 · read as at 2026-09-17 from https://lom.agc.gov.my/ilims/upload/portal/akta/outputaktap/1840725_BI/22.11.2023%20-%20Act%20234.pdf and https://lom.agc.gov.my/ilims/upload/portal/akta/outputaktap/1714451_BI/ACT%20366_MUKTAMAD_1%20JANUARY%202022.pdf and https://lom.agc.gov.my/ilims/upload/portal/akta/outputaktap/1826840_BI/Akta%20846%20BI.pdf · re-derived in this pass, from the on-disk Attorney General's Chambers online updated text of Act 234 whose own header reads «As at 4 July 2023»: sections 2, 5, 6, 6B, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 25, 30, 37, 38A, 38B, 39, 39A, 39B, 39C, 41, 41A, 41B, 45A and 46, and the First Schedule read line by line in all five Parts · and from the Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Act 2023, Act 846, sections 1(2), 2, 54 and 55 · the First Schedule has five Parts and not three: Part I and Part II are the plant and prepared-opium lists, Part III the long alphabetical chemical list, Part IV a shorter codeine group carrying its own isomer clause and its own salt clause, with Part III's ester and ether clause running across the whole Schedule and not only that Part because it reads «of the drugs in this Schedule» where the other two read «this Part», and Part V is headed «PREPARATION FOR THE EXPORT OF WHICH EXPORT AUTHORIZATIONS ARE NOT REQUIRED» and is an exemption list rather than a control list · section 39B carries no quantity table of its own, the weights being in section 37(da), which is a rebuttable presumption of trafficking, and in section 39A, which applies only where the offence is not punishable with death · the file the Act 234 text is served from is dated 22 November 2023 in its name while the text's own header reads «As at 4 July 2023», and the header is the version stated here · all Poisons Act 1952 material in this cell, including every Poisons List and Third Schedule entry and every figure drawn from that Act, is carried forward from the earlier reading recorded above and was not re-derived in this pass · so is every other fact in this cell that is not derivable from the two texts named above, which includes the two section 45A orders of 2024 and 2025, the commencement of the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 2017 on 15 March 2018, and any statement here about the Single Convention or the 1971 Convention and their schedules · Updated September 21, 2026
France, Arrêté du 22 février 1990 fixant la liste des substances psychotropes, entry « zolpidem » for zolpidem · the Code de la santé publique at https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/id/LEGITEXT000006072665 gives the order its effect, and Penal Code article 222-34 at https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000006417715 carries the national ceiling without this row proving the narcotics specific route · the psychotropics order was reached through the Légifrance consolidated search at https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/search/all?query=arr%C3%AAt%C3%A9+22+f%C3%A9vrier+1990+psychotropes · read as at 18 September 2026. · Updated September 20, 2026
DPR 309/1990 article 14 with the Ministry of Health compilation of the narcotics tables and its ministerial amendment index, read at https://www.salute.gov.it/new/it/tema/medicinali-stupefacenti-e-precursori-di-droghe/tabelle-delle-sostanze-stupefacenti-e on 18 September 2026 · route for Zolpidem: Table IV read with the table of medicinal products, entry «zolpidem» · DPR 309/1990 at https://www.normattiva.it/eli/id/1990/10/31/090G0363/CONSOLIDATED · Penal Code article 78 at https://www.normattiva.it/eli/id/1930/10/26/030U1398/CONSOLIDATED · penalties at DPR 309/1990 articles 73, 75 and 80 · Updated September 21, 2026
If prescribed / medical
It is genuinely prescribed in Mexico, which is why its absence from article 245 is worth stating plainly rather than assuming. No narcotics or psychotropics prescription route follows from the Ley General de Salud, because neither of its two lists reaches this row. The special duties articles 240 onward impose on estupefacientes are not engaged, and the group specific rules of articles 250, 251 and 252 have no group to attach to. Ordinary Mexican medicines and consumer regulation may still apply, and a foreign prescription evidences therapeutic purpose and nothing more.
Documentation
Carry nothing on the strength of this name alone on the drug-control side, because neither article 234 nor article 245 of the Ley General de Salud reaches this row. Ordinary customs, quantity and medicines rules still apply, and a prescription and labelled packaging remain the sensible thing to carry. The dossier and the previous version of this cell both asserted a named entry for this row, and the group list does not contain one. The absence was established by reading the whole of the Ley General de Salud as it stands after the decree published in the Diario Oficial de la Federacion on 15 January 2026, which reforms article 234 whole and article 245 fracciones I segundo parrafo, II and IV, read together with the Orden Juridico Nacional consolidated text to 7 June 2024 for the articles that decree does not touch, read as at 21 September 2026.
Mexico, not named in either of the two lists at Ley General de Salud articles 234 and 245 · the reforming decree, titled as a reform, addition and repeal of various provisions of the Ley General de Salud, published in the Diario Oficial de la Federacion on 15 January 2026, which is the operative text of articles 234 and 245 used here · dof.gob.mx · the official consolidated text of the Ley General de Salud published by the Orden Juridico Nacional, texto vigente to 7 June 2024, used for articles 235, 237, 239 to 243, 246 to 252 and 473 to 482, which that decree does not list · ordenjuridico.gob.mx · Codigo Penal Federal articles 193 to 196, texto vigente to 7 June 2024 · the three later reforms of that code, published on 16 July 2025, 28 November 2025 and 13 March 2026, reach articles 400 Bis, 11 Bis and 390, and 260 and 266 Bis, and none of them touches this chapter · ordenjuridico.gob.mx · Constitucion Politica de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos article 22, texto vigente, last reform on 15 April 2025 · ordenjuridico.gob.mx · the penalty bands, the fines and the article 479 amounts were re-derived from those articles for this cell and are not carried over as figures · the previous version of this cell cited a Chamber of Deputies consolidation whose latest reform it gave as 15 January 2026 · that date was not carried forward but tested, and the decree of that date was found, downloaded and read for this cell, which is why the two scheduling articles here are the reformed ones and not the 7 June 2024 ones · terms searched case-insensitively and accent-insensitively across the whole consolidated text for this row, with the occurrences found: zolpidem 0, imidazopiridina 0, zopiclona 3 · the previous version of this cell recorded its own reading as at 18 September 2026, and the articles were re-read for this cell rather than that reading being relied on · read as at 21 September 2026 · Updated September 21, 2026
If prescribed / medical
The annex heads lista B1 as subject to Notificacao de Receita B. Resolucao 81/2008, Capitulo XXXIX, Procedimento 1 puts importation of goods subject to the special control of Portaria 344/98 in its listas A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, C3 and D1 under a non automatic import licence in SISCOMEX with a prior favourable shipment authorisation. For a traveller the rule is Resolucao 81 de 5 de novembro de 2008 as amended by Resolucao 28 de 28 de junho de 2011. Its item 1 dispenses with sanitary authorisation at the point of entry for a finished medicine imported by an individual for his own use, item 1.1 brings goods in accompanied or unaccompanied baggage of a traveller arriving from abroad inside that dispensation, and item 1.2 defines own use as a quantity and frequency compatible with the duration and purpose of treatment and not amounting to trade. Item 1.3 takes medicines based on substances listed in Portaria 344/98 back out of the dispensation and sends them to Resolucao 63 de 9 de setembro de 2008. That resolution rewrote article 34 of Portaria 344/98 to forbid purchase and sale of listed substances and their medicines by reimbursement systems through any means of communication including post and electronic channels, excepting only medicines based on lista C1 substances in presentations not registered or marketed in Brazil, bought abroad by an individual for his own use, on production of a medical prescription and a fiscal document, in a quantity for individual use, with resale forbidden. That resolution was read in full this pass, through a rendering fetcher because a direct request to the publisher is refused with a challenge page and the health ministry library returns a server error, so the reading is [Certain] and the route to it is worth stating. The prescribing chapters of Portaria SVS/MS 344/1998 itself were not read this pass, so no validity period and no quantity per prescription is stated here.
Documentation
The placement was read on 21 September 2026 in the Anexo I published with Resolucao da Diretoria Colegiada 1.036, de 9 de julho de 2026, the annex that heads itself Atualizacao n. 101 and whose footer records publication in the Diario Oficial da Uniao of 13 July 2026. ANVISA's own update register at gov.br/anvisa numbers that resolution row 102 of its history and marks it the version in force, while the annex itself is headed Atualizacao n. 101. Both numbers are recorded here because they disagree and neither was preferred silently. A later update is not ruled out. Carried from the live cell and not re-derived this pass: all presentations of this substance are recorded there as having required the lista B1 notification since 1 August 2024, removing an earlier exception for lower strengths, and the lista B1 placement is recorded there as transposing this substance's 1971 Convention Schedule IV status. The list placement was read this pass; neither the commencement date nor the Convention schedule was. [Likely], carried.
Brazil, Portaria SVS/MS 344 de 12 de maio de 1998, Anexo I, as published with Resolucao da Diretoria Colegiada 1.036 de 9 de julho de 2026 (Atualizacao n. 101, Diario Oficial da Uniao of 13 July 2026), read at https://anvisalegis.datalegis.net/action/ActionDatalegis.php?acao=abrirTextoAto&tipo=RDC&numeroAto=00001036&seqAto=000&valorAno=2026 on 21 September 2026 · the update register that marks it the version in force is at https://www.gov.br/anvisa/pt-br/assuntos/medicamentos/controlados/lista-substancias · Lei 11.343 de 23 de agosto de 2006 at https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2004-2006/2006/lei/l11343.htm · Constituicao da Republica Federativa do Brasil de 1988, article 5, XLVII, at https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/constituicao/constituicao.htm · Supremo Tribunal Federal, Tema 506, leading case RE 635659, at https://portal.stf.jus.br/jurisprudenciaRepercussao/verAndamentoProcesso.asp?incidente=4034145&numeroProcesso=635659&classeProcesso=RE&numeroTema=506 · Resolucao 81 de 5 de novembro de 2008 as amended by Resolucao 28 de 28 de junho de 2011, and Resolucao 63 de 9 de setembro de 2008 at https://anvisalegis.datalegis.net/action/ActionDatalegis.php?acao=abrirTextoAto&tipo=RDC&numeroAto=00000063&seqAto=000&valorAno=2008 · Updated September 21, 2026
NDPS Act 1985, the Schedule serial 109 · quantity notification S.O. 1055(E) serial 238 · Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985, sections 2, 3 and 8, section 3 being the power under which the Central Government adds to or omits from the psychotropic Schedule by Official Gazette notification · the offence and sentencing provisions read for this cell are sections 15 to 27, with sections 31, 31A, 37, 64A, 80 and 81 · enforcement is by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN), under the Department of Revenue · Central Bureau of Narcotics consolidation of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and Rules 1985 labelled updated 2026, which prints the Act's Schedule as amended through S.O. 1730(E) of 16 April 2025 · the Schedule as it stands after S.O. 906(E) of 18 February 2026 · small and commercial quantity notification S.O. 1055(E) of 19 October 2001 as amended through S.O. 1731(E) of 16 April 2025 · cbn.gov.in · cbn.gov.in · cbn.gov.in · dor.gov.in · indiacode.nic.in · the publisher's own acts and rules page was read at that address on 22 September 2026 and lists no later amendment of the Schedule, which does not rule out a later notification made or commenced since. · Updated September 21, 2026
Turkey, Law No. 2313 on the Control of Narcotic Substances of 12 June 1933, articles 19 and 24, with the Turkish Penal Code No. 5237, articles 188(1), 188(3), 188(6), 191(1) and 191(2) · the consolidated texts were read at https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/mevzuatmetin/1.3.2313.pdf (HTTP 200, 220,153 bytes) and https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/mevzuatmetin/1.5.5237.pdf (HTTP 200, 1,070,143 bytes), both fetched on 20 September 2026. The dossier's own url column holds one identical string for all 88 Turkey rows and that string is these two addresses run together with no separator, so the citation it supplies is document level rather than per substance. The annexes to the ten decisions footnoted to article 19 are not reproduced in the consolidated statute and were not read. · Updated September 20, 2026
If prescribed / medical
Zolpidem sits in ΠΙΝΑΚΑΣ Δ, the fourth table, which the published Greece entry calls Table D. Table D is the lightest of the four regimes. Article 2 paragraph 4 of Law 4139/2013 governs the production, transport, storage and supply of Table D substances, and the prescription for them may be a simple repeatable one rather than the duplicate form the heavier tables require. The article 2 paragraphs in this field are carried forward from the published Greece entry and were not re-derived in this pass.
Documentation
This substance is in the tables, so a traveller carrying it needs the paperwork for a controlled medicine and not the paperwork for an ordinary one. Carry the original container, the pharmacy label and a prescription or a doctor's letter in your own name, and expect a Greek officer to read the label rather than take the quantity on trust. Where the rule comes from. The offences are in Law 4139/2013, the narcotics code, gazette A 74 of 20 March 2013, and the substance lists are not in it. Article 1 paragraph 2 provides that the substances «περιλαμβάνονται ιδίως στους πίνακες Α΄, Β΄, Γ΄ και Δ΄, οι οποίοι αναφέρονται στην παρ. 2 του άρθρου 1 του ν. 3459/2006». Article 1 paragraph 4 gives the power that moves the list: «Με κοινή απόφαση των Υπουργών Υγείας και Δικαιοσύνης», by joint decision of the Ministers of Health and of Justice, after the opinion of the Narcotics Committee, substances may be added, removed or moved between categories. What this cell incorporates is the Ministry of Health consolidated edition of June 2026, read in full rather than searched, and reading it does not rule out a later joint ministerial decision. It carries 375 numbered entries, 138 in ΠΙΝΑΚΑΣ Α, 18 in ΠΙΝΑΚΑΣ Β, 135 in ΠΙΝΑΚΑΣ Γ and 84 in ΠΙΝΑΚΑΣ Δ, each series running from 1 without a gap. Every entry names the gazette that placed it. Counting those gazettes by number and date gives 29, of which one, gazette 6034 B of 31 December 2018, is a correction of an error rather than a placing decision. The published Greece entry gives that figure as twenty eight, and the two counts differ by exactly that correction. The most recent placing instrument in the file is gazette 3277 B of 11 June 2026. Placement for Zolpidem: ΠΙΝΑΚΑΣ Δ entry 77.
Tables of substances of article 1 of Law 3459/2006 as in force under Law 4139/2013, Ministry of Health consolidated edition of June 2026, the file «Πίνακες Ναρκωτικών (Α_Β_Γ_Δ) ΕΠΙΚΑΙΡΟΠΟΙΗΣΗ ΙΟΥΝΙΟΥ 2026.pdf», read in full at www.moh.gov.gr on 21 September 2026 · moh.gov.gr · moh.gov.gr · Law 4139/2013, the narcotics code, gazette A 74 of 20 March 2013, articles 1, 2, 20, 21, 22, 23, 29 and 30: the offence articles, the penalty figures and the article 2 prescribing paragraphs in this cell are carried forward from the published Greece entry and were not re-derived in this pass · et.gr · Placement for Zolpidem: ΠΙΝΑΚΑΣ Δ entry 77 · Updated September 21, 2026
If prescribed / medical
The dossier this cell is written from carries no prescription column, so no medical route for Zolpidem is stated here and none was derived from anything else. What can be attached is this row's placement, which the dossier gives as List III and the published 2cb entry gives more finely as III #81. Carried forward from the published 2cb entry and not re-derived from the decree text in this pass: the decree describes danh mục III as usable in medicine and veterinary medicine under the competent authority, and danh mục II as restricted to research, testing, expert examination, defence, security or the medical field. This row sits in danh mục III, the tier that description calls usable in medicine and veterinary medicine under the competent authority. Whether Zolpidem can lawfully be prescribed in Vietnam, in what form, and what a traveller carrying it would have to show, is deferred and not answered here. This pass did not read Vietnam's pharmaceutical, import or customs rules, and a substance outside the narcotics law can still be refused at a border.
Documentation
Where the rule for Zolpidem comes from, and how far it reaches in time. Two instruments do two different jobs. The list: Luật Phòng, chống ma túy số 73/2021/QH14, Điều 2 khoản 1, provides that a chất ma túy is a substance the Government has placed in the danh mục, so the Government and not the National Assembly decides what counts, and it does so by decree. The decree in force is Nghị định 28/2026/NĐ-CP, issued and effective 19 January 2026, whose Điều 3 khoản 2 repeals Nghị định 57/2022/NĐ-CP and Nghị định 90/2024/NĐ-CP, and whose Điều 1 reads “Ban hành kèm theo Nghị định này Phụ lục các danh mục chất ma túy và tiền chất sau đây”, that is, issued with this decree is the appendix containing the following lists of narcotics and precursors. The published 2cb entry counted that appendix as four danh mục in seven parts and 694 entries, a count carried forward here and not re-made in this pass. The offence: Bộ luật Hình sự số 100/2015/QH13 as amended by Luật số 86/2025/QH15, khoản 18 Điều 1, enacted 25 June 2025 and in force 1 July 2025, which substituted the drug articles in full and is the reason this cell separates the conducts instead of saying that Vietnam has the death penalty for drugs. The consolidated Criminal Code text read for the article wording is văn bản hợp nhất số 135/VBHN-VPQH. The placement for this row. The dossier puts Zolpidem in List III and prints the entry as “Zolpidem”. The published 2cb entry gives the finer locator III #81, with CAS 82626-48-0, and that locator is carried forward from the published 2cb entry and not re-derived from the decree text in this pass. A quotation is evidence of the words printed, not of the item number, which is why the two are attributed separately here. The published 2cb entry also recorded how the decree read at that point: Zolpidem, CAS 82626-48-0. That wording, with any adjacent item number or CAS number inside it, is carried forward from the published 2cb entry and not re-derived from the decree text in this pass, and it is a reading of a scanned document rather than a re-reading made here. The horizon. This cell is written as those lists stand after Nghị định 28/2026/NĐ-CP, in force 19 January 2026, and the dossier behind it records its own date checked as 17 September 2026. The power that moves the list is Điều 3 khoản 6 of the decree, which reads “Khi phát hiện chất mới chưa có trong các danh mục chất ma túy và tiền chất ban hành kèm theo Nghị định này … trình Chính phủ sửa đổi, bổ sung và công bố các danh mục đó.”, that is, when a new substance not yet in the lists is discovered, the Ministry of Public Security submits it to the Government to amend, supplement and publish the lists. What the text in hand incorporates is the 2026 appendix together with the Criminal Code as it stands after 1 July 2025, and nothing here was checked against an amendment published after 19 January 2026. This cell does not rule out a later amendment made under that power. Two limits of the source, stated because they bear on how much weight this row can take. The dossier has no search log column of its own, so on a row where nothing was found there is no way to tell a blank from a row nobody searched, and where its instrument column happens to record search terms that is a record of looking rather than a schedule entry. And the decree is a scanned signed document: the published 2cb entry records that it was rendered at 600 dots per inch and read with optical character recognition in Vietnamese, and that normalisation to NFC was needed before any Vietnamese string could be searched against the cached text, because the cache mixes composed and decomposed forms and a literal search returns a false zero. That method note is carried forward from the published 2cb entry and not re-derived from the decree text in this pass.
Nghị định 28/2026/NĐ-CP, danh mục chất ma túy và tiền chất, issued and in force 19 January 2026 · vbpl.vn · Bộ luật Hình sự số 100/2015/QH13 as amended by Luật số 86/2025/QH15, khoản 18 Điều 1, in force 1 July 2025 · vbpl.vn · văn bản hợp nhất số 135/VBHN-VPQH, the consolidated Criminal Code text used for the article wording · thuvienphapluat.vn · placement for Zolpidem: List III in the dossier, item number III #81 carried forward from the published 2cb entry and not re-derived from the decree text in this pass · read as those lists stand after Nghị định 28/2026/NĐ-CP, in force 19 January 2026, and this reading does not rule out a later amendment made under Điều 3 khoản 6 of that decree · dossier date checked 17 September 2026 · Updated September 21, 2026
Switzerland, Zolpidem: BetmVV-EDI Annex · list b · art. 1(2), entry „Zolpidem“, at https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2011/363/de · BetmG articles 19, 19a and 19b at https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/1952/241_241_245/de · Swiss Criminal Code article 40 at https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/54/757_781_799/de · German consolidation dated 13 March 2026, read 18 September 2026. · Updated September 20, 2026
If prescribed / medical
The country level rule in Czechia is that a Schengen Article 75 certificate is evidential and administrative rather than the schedule itself, so producing one changes what a traveller can show and not where a substance sits. Attached to this row: Zolpidem sits in seznam č. 7, so its medicines are dispensed on an ordinary prescription or requisition without the blue stripe.
Documentation
Carry any prescribed narcotic or psychotropic medicine in its original dispensing packaging with the prescription and a Schengen Article 75 certificate, and treat that certificate as proof of lawful carriage rather than as anything that alters a list. Medical cannabis has been available on prescription in Czechia since 2013, and the lists keep konopí pro léčebné použití in seznam č. 1 separate from the konopí entry in seznam č. 3. For this row the provenance is the entry „Zolpidem“ in seznam č. 7, the final row of that list.
Czechia, nařízení vlády č. 463/2013 Sb. o seznamech návykových látek, příloha č. 7, seznam č. 7 psychotropních látek, the entry „Zolpidem“ for Zolpidem · nařízení vlády č. 463/2013 Sb. o seznamech návykových látek, consolidated version 17 in force from 25 June 2026 after nařízení vlády č. 107/2026 Sb. read at https://www.zakonyprolidi.cz/cs/2013-463 on 21 September 2026 · the enabling provision is § 44c of zákon č. 167/1998 Sb. o návykových látkách · Criminal Code zákon č. 40/2009 Sb. §§ 251a, 283, 283a, 284, 285, 286 and 286a, consolidated version 46 in force from 1 January 2026, read at https://www.zakonyprolidi.cz/cs/2009-40 on 21 September 2026 · Listina základních práv a svobod, ústavní zákon č. 2/1993 Sb. čl. 6 odst. 3, read at https://www.zakonyprolidi.cz/cs/1993-2 on 21 September 2026 · zakonyprolidi.cz · psp.cz · the two portal links above are the live cell's own publisher references carried forward, and the CZK 15,000 misdemeanour fine, the Supreme Court greater than small quantity thresholds and the 2026 cannabis permission figures are carried forward from the live cell and were not re-derived in this pass · the official e-Sbírka route was tried and refused: e-sbirka.gov.cz, e-sbirka.cz and two of its api paths each returned the same 1040 byte application shell with no document payload, and sbirka.gov.cz did not resolve, so the consolidated text relied on is the zakonyprolidy.cz consolidation of the same nařízení · Updated September 21, 2026
If prescribed / medical
Decreto 454/976 regulates psychopharmaceuticals separately from narcotics: article 109 has the Executive fix the roll of controlled psychopharmaceuticals, and dispensing runs on the official prescription form through authorised pharmacies with a prescription book and monthly returns to the ministry. Article 111 prohibits outright the circulation in transit through national territory of narcotic or psychopharmacological substances coming from and destined for abroad [Certain]. No allowance for a traveller carrying a personal supply of a scheduled substance was found in the reachable official text, so that question is deferred rather than answered.
Documentation
Carry any prescribed medicine in its original packaging with the prescription and declare it at the border. Legal cannabis access in Uruguay is a separate regime restricted to registered Uruguayan citizens and accredited permanent residents and it does not extend to this substance, see the cannabis row.
[Certain] Re-derived in this pass. Article 5 of Ley 23.737 opens with the words sin autorización o con destino ilegítimo, so an authorised medical channel sits outside it. Article 8 sets reclusión o prisión de tres a quince años, three to fifteen years, a fine and special disqualification for five to twelve years for a person authorised to produce, manufacture, extract, prepare, import, export, distribute or sell estupefacientes who holds them in quantities other than those authorised, or who applies, delivers or sells them sin receta médica o en cantidades mayores a las recetadas. Article 9 sets prisión de dos a seis años, two to six years, a fine and disqualification for one to five years for a doctor or other authorised prescriber who prescribes, supplies or delivers estupefacientes fuera de los casos que indica la terapéutica o en dosis mayores de las necesarias, rising to reclusión o prisión de cuatro a quince años, four to fifteen years, where the destination is illegitimate. Article 1 of the same Act replaced article 204 of the Penal Code, which sets prisión de seis meses a tres años, six months to three years, for a person authorised to sell medicinal substances who supplies them otherwise than in accordance with the prescription, or without presenting and filing it where the regulations require one. [Certain] Those articles reach this row, because the placement above makes it an estupefaciente, so an authorised medical channel is the difference between article 8 or article 9 and article 5. [Likely] Carried from the published dossier prepared for this country, not re-derived here: for an authorised medicine a traveller should hold the original labelled package, the prescription that medicine requires, and a medical certificate in Spanish naming the patient, the active ingredient, the dose, the quantity and the treatment period. Import rules and ANMAT authorisation remain product specific, and none of those documents creates a personal use quantity or authorises an illicit preparation.
Documentation
[Likely] Carried from the live cell: medical cannabis is lawful for registered patients only, and recreational sale and purchase remain criminal offences. The instrument named for that regime, Ley 27.350, was not read in this pass. [Likely] Carried from the published dossier: carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled package with the prescription it requires and a medical certificate in Spanish naming the patient, the active ingredient, the dose, the quantity and the treatment period, and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel. Import rules and ANMAT authorisation are product specific. [Certain] Re-derived in this pass for this row: this substance is named individually in the estupefacientes list, so a traveller carrying it needs the medical channel that articles 5, 8 and 9 presuppose.
Ley 23.737, consolidated text, InfoLEG https://servicios.infoleg.gob.ar/infolegInternet/anexos/0-4999/138/texact.htm · Decreto 560/2019, consolidated text https://www.argentina.gob.ar/normativa/nacional/norma-326675/actualizacion · Decreto 122/2026, substituting Anexo I, published 02/03/2026 https://www.argentina.gob.ar/normativa/nacional/norma-423520/texto · Anexo I as substituted, the complete 886 row text-layer PDF published by the Boletín Oficial, https://www.boletinoficial.gob.ar/detalleAviso/primera/338915/20260302?anexos=1, sha256 197fce006cd7388d4eb06adae573487d2fe820976f55f242d0623e3215deca62, kept at research/instruments/argentina/ · Anexo II, published image https://www.argentina.gob.ar/normativa/326675_dec560anexoII_jpg/archivo · Corte Suprema, Arriola (2009), carried from the live cell https://www.loc.gov/item/2019668143/ · Updated September 21, 2026
Documentation
Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription. Import, export, processing, synthesis, manufacture, distribution, purchase, sale and use of the substances under fiscalización run through the Unidad Administrativa Especial Fondo Nacional de Estupefacientes or the Fondos Rotatorios de Estupefacientes, and article 3 of Resolución 116 de 2026 allows one month for bencilfentanilo and anhídrido propiónico and six months for the other newly incorporated substances and medicines to register. Constitution article 49, as amended by Acto Legislativo 02 de 2009, provides that el porte y el consumo de sustancias estupefacientes o sicotrópicas está prohibido, salvo prescripción médica. Two official portals print different current texts of article 49 and that conflict is recorded here rather than resolved, so no adult-use permission is asserted in this cell. The resolution prints its entry names in capitals and they are given here in title case. This substance is listed at entry 467, Zolpidem, chemical name N,N,6-trimetil-2-p-tolilimidazol[1,2-a]piridina-3-acetamida, Lista Verde, Lista IV. [Certain] Re-derived in this pass and restored, because it was on the live cell for this row and on none of the replacements I first built: Ley 1787 de 2016 is the medicinal and scientific cannabis statute, and it works on the Penal Code directly. The consolidated text of Código Penal article 375 carries the note Inciso adicionado por el artículo 12 del Ley 1787 de 2016, and article 377 carries Inciso adicionado por el artículo 14 del Ley 1787 de 2016. Those added paragraphs are what take licensed medicinal and scientific handling out of the cultivation and possession-of-plant offences. Recreational sale is untouched by them and remains criminal.
Consolidation read: Ley 7786 of 30 April 1998 as integrally reformed by Ley 8204, in the Texto Completo Norma 8204 print published by the Instituto Costarricense sobre Drogas, which carries its own generation date of 19 November 2018. The same ranges, ocho a quince anos in article 58 and de ocho a veinte anos in article 77, were independently read on 18 September 2026 against the later Sinalevi record of Ley 7786, version 13 of 13, so the 2018 print is corroborated rather than assumed current. Control model, re derived from the statute in this pass. Costa Rica prints no annex of controlled substances in its drug Act: across the 81 pages the only drug names anywhere are in article 96, on the disposal of seized marihuana, cocaina and heroina. Article 1 regulates "estupefacientes, psicotropicos, sustancias inhalables y demas drogas y farmacos susceptibles de producir dependencias fisicas o psiquicas, incluidos en la Convencion Unica sobre Estupefacientes... de 1961... asi como en el Convenio de Viena sobre Sustancias Psicotropicas, de 21 de febrero de 1971... asimismo, en la Convencion... de 1988". Its second paragraph is a different thing and is often misread as the control annex: it has the Ministerio de Salud and the MAG draw up and publish in La Gaceta "las listas de estupefacientes, psicotropicos y similares Licitos", the licit ones, which is the authorisation side. The incorporation is ambulatory: article 36 defines precursors as Cuadro I of the 1988 Convention "y sus anexos, asi como los que se le incorporen en el futuro", and article 100 gives the Instituto Costarricense sobre Drogas a mandate framed by the conventions and by "los listados oficiales, publicados periodicamente en La Gaceta". The second limb, measured. The national list is the Lista de sustancias sometidas a fiscalizacion nacional, incluidos los medicamentos psicotropicos y estupefacientes, Direccion de Drogas y Estupefacientes of the Ministerio de Salud, updated 10 September 2026 and signed that day by Dra. Mariela Alfaro Segura. It runs to 27 pages in three sections, estupefacientes, psicotropicos and Otros agregados, and it names its own legal basis as the Reglamento para el control de drogas, estupefacientes y psicotropicas N. 45161-S, the instrument cited elsewhere as Decreto 45161-S of 17 June 2025. The two titles are the same text. A reading of 18 September 2026 records that the decree gives the competent body the function "Elaborar y actualizar la lista de sustancias oficialmente consideradas estupefacientes o psicotropicos y similares de uso regulado" and that its five annexes are forms rather than a substance schedule; that quotation is carried from that reading and was not re derived here. The whole of Otros agregados is twelve entries: metilfenidato, tapentadol and the synthetic cannabinoid JWH-073 among the estupefacientes, and ketamina, esketamina, mexazolam, zaleplon, zopiclona and the piperazines mCPP, CPP, TFMPP and 1,4 dibencilpiperazina among the psicotropicos. Amending Act in force between that list and this reading, read in the official gazette in this pass. Ley 10961 of 9 June 2026, published in Alcance 78 to La Gaceta 113 of 19 June 2026, provides "Rige tres meses a partir de su publicacion" and so took effect on 19 September 2026. It runs to four articles: it adds article 15 quater to Ley 7786 on the anti-money-laundering duties of virtual asset service providers, carries that cross reference into articles 16, 16 bis, 25, 33, 33 bis, 86 and 123, reforms the article 81 administrative fines, and allows three months for regulations. Every Ley 7786 article it touches is money laundering machinery, and it leaves articles 1, 2, 36, 58, 73, 74, 77, 77 bis and 79 untouched, so it moves no row in this batch. Method note. The 2026-09-20 Costa Rica dossier was used only as the slug list and as one of the two term list sources. Its outcome column, its instrument column and its quotation column were not treated as evidence and no placement in this batch rests on them; every placement is the entry read in the list the statute incorporates. Two of its readings were not adopted: it treated ergometrina and ergina as one row when they are separate substances on separate limbs, and it left dextrometorfano unresolved when the instrument excludes it in terms. Sibling name traps were checked rather than assumed. Anchored matching correctly did not return bencilmorfina, desomorfina, dihidromorfina, metildihidromorfina, mirofina or diacetilmorfina for the morfina row, isometadona, normetadona or the metadona intermediario for the metadona row, metcatinona or 4-metiletcatinona for the catinona row, MMDA or N-etil MDA for the MDA row, beta-ceto-MDMA for the MDMA row, levometanfetamina for the metanfetamina row, PCPY for the PCP row, brolanfetamina for the anfetamina row, or norpseudoefedrina for the efedrina row. Two extraction zeroes were false and were recovered by re interrogation: hexahidrocannabinol and 2-fluorodescloroketamina are both line wrapped in the source and a column based read missed both. Routes run for the instrument in this pass. pgrweb.go.cr/scij is a JavaScript shell: the Ley 8204 and Ley 7786 records and the sinalevi.go.cr record each returned about 25 KB that renders to 1,159 characters of site chrome and no statutory text, so a size threshold would have cleared all three. imprentanacional.go.cr served the official gazette carrying Ley 10961. The institutional reproduction at icd.go.cr served the consolidated Act, and ministeriodesalud.go.cr served the national list and the circulars. The schedule pages were checked for hidden content: the list PDF holds one image object repeated on all 27 pages, which is the ministry letterhead, and its byte size is accounted for by that banner, so no entry is carried in an image. Entry read for this row, recorded as the list prints it: "PZ 002, CAS 82626-48-0, Zolpidem, N,N,6-trimetil-2-p-tolilimidazol[1,2-a]piridina-3-acetamida", in Lista IV of the 1971 Convention. Carry the prescription and the dispensing label, and expect the authorisation rather than the amount to be what is asked about. There is no personal allowance to fall back on, because no article of Ley 7786 fixes a threshold. Sourcing, re derived in this pass and not carried: the two Junta de Vigilancia de Drogas urls cited by this row are DIRECTORIES and not documents. The listing page names the national fiscalisation list but does not carry it; the list is a separate PDF behind a numbered link, and that PDF is what the placement in this row actually rests on. Both documents are now fetched and cited by their own urls: "Lista de sustancias sometidas a fiscalizacion nacional, incluidos los medicamentos psicotropicos y estupefacientes", and "Lista de Estupefacientes y Sustancias Psicotropicas Sometidas a Fiscalizacion Nacional". The first carries the Otros agregados section this row's reasoning refers to [Certain, read from the fetched PDF]. The circulars page cited alongside them exposes no document at all.
Ley 7786 of 30 April 1998 as integrally reformed by Ley 8204, arts 1, 2, 36, 58, 73, 74, 77, 77 bis, 79, 96 and 100 · icd.go.cr · Ley 10961 of 9 June 2026, Alcance 78 a La Gaceta 113 of 19 June 2026, in force 19 September 2026 · imprentanacional.go.cr · Lista de sustancias sometidas a fiscalizacion nacional, incluidos los medicamentos psicotropicos y estupefacientes, Ministerio de Salud, updated 10 September 2026, made under Reglamento 45161-S · ministeriodesalud.go.cr · Circular JVD-002-2015 of 14 December 2015, Junta de Vigilancia de Drogas Estupefacientes · ministeriodesalud.go.cr · Constitucion Politica de Costa Rica art 21 · constituteproject.org · Incb Green List, 36th edition, 2025 · incb.org · Incb Yellow List, 65th edition, July 2026 · incb.org · Incb Red List, 23rd edition, July 2025 · swissmedic.ch · read as at 2026-09-21 · ministeriodesalud.go.cr · ministeriodesalud.go.cr · Updated September 21, 2026
Documentation
The terms searched for this row were «zolpidem», «tartrato de zolpidem» and «imidazopiridina», each checked in the Consejo Nacional de Drogas consolidated text, in the Ministerio de Salud Pública text and in the text of Decreto 275-21 that replaced the precursor chapter, after the dot leaders and the accents were normalised. Zolpidem reached the market in 1988, the year Ley 50-88 was enacted. There is no medical cannabis programme in the Dominican Republic and CBD is treated the same as THC. The United States embassy warns of zero tolerance enforcement in which small quantities can lead to arrest, and it states that United States cannabis or medical marijuana cards are not recognised.
Ley 50-88 sobre Drogas y Sustancias Controladas de la República Dominicana of 30 May 1988, in the consolidated text published by the Consejo Nacional de Drogas, which carries Ley 35-90 of 7 June 1990, Ley 17-95 of 17 December 1995 and the substitution of the article 76 párrafo by article 33 of Ley 72-02 of 7 June 2002 · not named in the Categorías of article 8, in the article 2 definitions or in Capítulo V of the Reglamento as replaced by article 5 of Decreto 275-21, read as at 21 September 2026 · consejodedrogasrd.gob.do · cross-read entry by entry against the Ministerio de Salud Publica copy titled y sus modificaciones, which lists the same substances · msp.gob.do · Reglamento Decreto 288-96 of 3 August 1996 · Decreto 275-21 of 26 April 2021, read in full to its final article, which carries no transitory article · presidencia.gob.do · the zero tolerance enforcement warning, the statement that United States cannabis and medical marijuana cards are not recognised and the absence of a medical cannabis programme are carried forward from the live cell and from the United States embassy guidance and are not re-derived · the article and from the United States embassy guidance and are not re-derived · every figure this cell states from articles 5, 6, 7, 58, 59, 75, 85 and 87 was re-derived from the article itself and is not carried forward · guide-for-u-s-travelers/ · read as at 21 September 2026 · Updated September 21, 2026
Documentation
Carry the medicine in its original dispensing packaging with the prescription and a doctor's letter naming the patient, the active ingredient, the dose and the treatment period, and ask the Ministry of Health and Wellness or the nearest Jamaican mission before travelling rather than on arrival. A foreign prescription is evidence of why you hold it; it is not a Jamaican licence, permit or authority of the kind section 19 has the Chief Medical Officer issue. When you confirm this row, ask the question it is drawn around, which is the one that checks the imidazopyridine hypnotic as its own psychotropic medicine entry. The instrument relied on here was read on 20 September 2026.
Jamaica, the Dangerous Drugs Act, consolidated text, sections 10, 11 and 22, read at https://laws.moj.gov.jm/library/statute/the-dangerous-drugs-act/download, the Ministry of Justice laws of Jamaica library · the download is a 43 page scan of the consolidation whose latest amendment notes are L.N. 3/2001 and, on the Part IIIA pages, L.N. 192A/2017, and five of its pages carry no text layer and were read as page images. This citation is document level and not per substance: the links column of the compilation for this row holds the constructed text «zolpidem schedule | zolpidem penalty» rather than an address, and the single hyperlink target in the whole document is the download named above, so no per row source exists and none is implied. The compilation's own outcome for this row is not verified, and the terms it records as searched are «zolpidem», «zolpidem», spelling variants and the chemical name. There is no First Schedule of substances in this Act · its Schedule is the set of licence Forms A, B and D, and the list of drugs to which Part IV applies is in section 10(1). The row boundary the read was carried out against is recorded as follows: it checks the imidazopyridine hypnotic as its own psychotropic medicine entry. Read as at 20 September 2026. · Updated September 21, 2026
Documentation
Carry the prescription and the original dispensing packaging if you hold zolpidem on medical grounds, together with a prescriber's letter naming the patient, the active ingredient, the dose and the treatment period, and treat all of that as evidence of why you have it rather than as an Irish permission, because the source read here establishes a schedule placement and establishes nothing about what Ireland accepts from a traveller. Provenance: the placement relied on reads: Schedule 4, Part 1; S.I. 210/2022, Sch. 4 Part 1. It was checked on 20 September 2026. What was actually read is “Zolpidem”, and nothing beyond that wording is carried here. The dossier behind this cell supplied no address for this row, so the citation carried here is to the named instrument and not to a retrieved document.
Ireland. The governing statute is the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977, and the provisions this row relies on are the ones printed in its own recorded lines below, with none added to them. The numbered instrument this row relies on is S.I. No. 210 of 2022, made under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977. The instrument and section string recorded in full for zolpidem is: Schedule 4, Part 1 · S.I. 210/2022, Sch. 4 Part 1 · 1977 Act ss. 2, 3, 15 · row-specific search for zolpidem (zolpidem). The entry or wording read is “Zolpidem”, quoted here as the dossier prints it. The exact search recorded against that instrument is: "zolpidem" / "zolpidem" in the instrument named in column 3. The ceiling and the provision carrying it are recorded as: For zolpidem, 1977 Act s. 27(1)(b) permits up to 7 years for possession on indictment · s. 27(3) permits life for s. 15 supply · s. 15A applies at €13,000 with the s. 27(3C)-(3D) ten-year rule · 2010 Act excluded by s. 2(1)(f). Read as at 20 September 2026. The second statute is named in the dossier only as the 2010 Act, with no short title given, so it is cited here in the dossier's own words and no title has been supplied for it. No address is given here because the dossier supplied none. Its address column carried only the words "Official text" for this row, and no address of any kind appears anywhere in the dossier, so this citation is to the named instrument rather than to a retrieved document. Nothing has been supplied in place of the missing address. · Updated September 21, 2026
Austria publishes no per substance traveller route. SMG §5(1) is the single rule: a Suchtmittel may be handled only for medical, dental, veterinary or scientific purposes and only as the Act allows, with the travel, licensing and dispensing exemptions each governed by their own provisions. Because this substance is a designated psychotrope, SMG §30(3) is available on its own terms. It removes punishment under §30(1) and §30(2) where a medicine containing a psychotropic substance, not exceeding the threshold, is acquired, possessed, carried, imported or exported for personal use or for the needs of an animal, or is offered, transferred or procured without the person drawing an advantage from it. It is not a blanket exception for psychotropic powder. The Psychotropenverordnung closes its Annexes 2 and 3 with travel certificate fields, which is where this system's documented route lives. Zolpidem's own point 2 entry, rather than any benzodiazepine class reasoning, is what brings a dispensed course of it within SMG §30(3).
Documentation
Carry the dispensed pack with the prescription and a prescriber's letter, and ask the prescriber about the travel certificate whose fields close Annexes 2 and 3 of the Psychotropenverordnung. Zolpidem is listed on its own account and is not a benzodiazepine in this instrument. The psychotrope list was read at its 18 September 2026 consolidation, whose last list amendment is BGBl II 394/2024 of 19 December 2024; the later BGBl II 10/2025 changed other provisions and not the list.
Austria, Psychotropenverordnung Annex 1 point 2, the entry Zolpidem, read at https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/GeltendeFassung.wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnormen&Gesetzesnummer=10011054 · the designation power is Suchtmittelgesetz §3(1) and the offences are §§30, 31 and 31a with the ten year ceiling at §§31(3) and 31a(3), read at https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/GeltendeFassung.wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnormen&Gesetzesnummer=10011040 · RIS is the official publisher · its open data notice at https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/UI/Ogd.aspx places the reused material under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International and requires attribution, and its imprint at https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/UI/Impressum.aspx identifies the signed authentic gazette instruments as the binding text and disclaims accuracy, currency and completeness for the consolidated versions · the list amendment applied is BGBl II 394/2024 at https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/eli/bgbl/II/2024/394/20241219 · at that placement the reading also covered this: the imidazopyridine entry was read as a placement in its own right, the source recording expressly that it is not classified as a benzodiazepine · read as at 18 September 2026. · the section 27, 35, 28 and 28a penalties stated above are carried forward from this site's published Austria entry, which cites the Suchtmittelgesetz and the Suchtgift-Grenzmengenverordnung. They were not re-derived from either instrument in this pass, and that entry's own framing, depenalised and not legalised and no legal minimum quantity, is carried with them · Updated September 21, 2026
· the regulation, both amending regulations and the Act were read at api.sejm.gov.pl on 21 September 2026
If prescribed / medical
The country level rule in Croatia is that carriage of a medicine containing a listed drug is set by Articles 24 and 24.a of the Zakon o suzbijanju zlouporabe droga rather than by the schedule, so paperwork changes what a traveller may hold and not where a substance sits. At the state border a traveller may hold such a medicine only on medical documentation and only in the quantity needed for personal use for at most 5 days. A person on substitution therapy for addiction, or on symptomatic therapy in the terminal phase of a malignant disease, may hold up to 15 days on the same documentation. A resident of Croatia travelling to Schengen states, and a Schengen national travelling to Croatia, may hold up to 30 days on a certificate issued on the prescribed form by an authorised doctor, whose content and appearance the health minister sets by pravilnik. Attached to this row: Zolpidem is an authorised hypnotic in Croatia and is dispensed on prescription, which surprises travellers who treat it as an ordinary sleeping tablet. The live cell recorded for this row: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation
Under Article 24(3) the name and quantity of the medicine must be declared to customs on crossing the European Union border, with the medical documentation produced. Article 59 of the control Act makes each of those failures a misdemeanour for a natural person punishable by a fine of 1.000,00 to 10.000,00 kuna, which is roughly 133 to 1,327 euro at the fixed conversion rate, and the four failures it names are carrying without documentation or beyond the 5 day quantity, the substitution and terminal care case beyond 15 days, failing to declare to customs, and travelling within Schengen beyond 30 days or without the certificate. Medical cannabis has been legal in Croatia since October 2015 on prescription, capped at 0,75 g of THC per month and limited to residents, which is carried forward from the live cell. Claims of a 2026 reform introducing a five gram cannabis threshold are not supported by any primary source and should be disregarded, which is also carried forward. An ordinary dispensed hypnotic, carried with its prescription and, inside Schengen, the certificate. For this row the provenance is the entry »zolpidem« at the psychotropic list, Odjeljak 4..
Croatia, Popis droga, psihotropnih tvari i biljaka iz kojih se može dobiti droga te tvari koje se mogu uporabiti za izradu droga, NN 19/2023, psychotropic list, Odjeljak 4. the entry »zolpidem« · the terms searched across all three lists of the Popis for this row were zolpidem, vinilbital · the live cell's recital that this substance was not named in the cited Croatian sources is superseded here by a search of the operative Popis itself, which is the instrument those cited sources point at · the Popis as published at NN 19/2023 of 17 February 2023, in force 18 February 2023, read at https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2023_02_19_331.html on 21 September 2026 · its only amendment, Izmjene i dopune Popisa, NN 154/2024 of 30 December 2024, read at https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2024_12_154_2555.html on 21 September 2026 · the enabling provision is Article 2(2) of the Zakon o suzbijanju zlouporabe droga, Narodne novine 107/01, 87/02, 163/03, 141/04, 40/07, 149/09, 84/11, 80/13 and 39/19 · Zakon o suzbijanju zlouporabe droga, Articles 2, 3, 13, 24, 24.a, 54 and 59, read in the consolidation at https://www.zakon.hr/z/293/zakon-o-suzbijanju-zlouporabe-droga on 21 September 2026 · Kazneni zakon, Articles 41, 44, 46 and 190, read in the consolidation at https://www.zakon.hr/z/98/kazneni-zakon on 21 September 2026 · the current three to twelve year band in Article 190(2) was set by Article 10 of the Zakon o izmjenama i dopunama Kaznenog zakona, NN 136/2025, read at https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2025_11_136_2018.html on 21 September 2026, against which the private consolidation was checked · Ustav Republike Hrvatske, Article 21, read at https://www.zakon.hr/z/94/Ustav-Republike-Hrvatske on 21 September 2026 · the live cell's own references, the Drug Abuse Prevention Act (Zakon o suzbijanju zlouporabe droga, Official Gazette 107/2001, as amended) and the Criminal Code, carried forward · euda.europa.eu · the 2013 reclassification, the 660 to 2,650 euro fine, the 90 day detention, the no statutory quantity rule, the six months to five years, three to twelve years and fifteen to twenty year figures and the October 2015 medical cannabis permission with its 0,75 g monthly cap are carried forward from the live cell and were not re-derived in this pass · Updated September 21, 2026
If prescribed / medical
There may be a lawful medical route for Zolpidem in Hungary and this row does not settle it. What is settled is the placement: the P4 jegyzék is a controlled schedule of the rendelet, so supply is licensed, and it is outside the definition section 459(1a) carries into the Criminal Code. The prescribing, dispensing and import conditions sit in the Hungarian medicines and pharmacy regime, which this row did not audit. The Hungarian National Institute of Pharmacy and Nutrition is the body that states them, and the reporting and licensing forms in the mellékletek to 66/2012. (IV. 2.) Korm. rendelet are headed with its Hungarian abbreviation, NNGYK. The row this cell relies on is row 67 of the P4 jegyzék. Treat the route as unread rather than as open, and do not read a P4 placement as permission to carry the substance across a border. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Documentation
Carry the prescription and the original dispensing packaging for Zolpidem, and get the Hungarian National Institute of Pharmacy and Nutrition or the relevant embassy to confirm the position in writing before you travel rather than at the border. That is the carriage answer, and it is short because no traveller permit scheme, declaration form or carriage allowance for this substance appears anywhere in what was read for this row, and an absence in what was read is not proof that no scheme exists. The row relied on for this cell is row 67 of the P4 jegyzék. Provenance follows. The controlling text is 78/2022. (XII. 28.) BM rendelet az ellenőrzött anyagokról, read at https://njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/2022-78-20-0A on 21 September 2026 in the consolidated text as in force on 29 June 2026. Its section 1 puts the kábítószer jegyzékek in the 1. melléklet, the pszichotróp anyag jegyzékek in the 2. melléklet, «A 2. melléklet tartalmazza a pszichotróp anyagnak minősülő anyagok jegyzékeit.», and the új pszichoaktív anyag jegyzék in the 3. melléklet. The Criminal Code was read at https://njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/2012-100-00-00 on 21 September 2026 in the consolidated text as in force on 26 August 2026, and that rendering stops at section 339, so sections 459(1a) and 461 were read instead in the Act that enacted them, 2025. évi XIX. törvény sections 26 and 27, at https://njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/2025-19-00-00.0. The Criminal Code page carries a footnote recording that section 461 is the text established by section 27 of that Act, so the two readings agree. On the instrument itself: the schedules are not in 66/2012. (IV. 2.) Korm. rendelet. That decree survives as the activities, licensing and definitions instrument, its 1. melléklet was repealed by section 11 h) of 607/2022. (XII. 28.) Korm. rendelet, and 78/2022 has carried the jegyzékek since 1 January 2023.
Hungary, Zolpidem, a named entry at row 67 of the P4 jegyzék of 78/2022. (XII. 28.) BM rendelet az ellenőrzött anyagokról · the entry or the search record is quoted in full in the legal status field and is not repeated here · the rendelet, consolidated text as in force on 29 June 2026, read at https://njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/2022-78-20-0A on 21 September 2026 · 2012. évi C. törvény a Büntető Törvénykönyvről, sections 176 to 180, read at https://njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/2012-100-00-00 on 21 September 2026 · sections 459(1a) and 461 of that Act as established by sections 26 and 27 of 2025. évi XIX. törvény, read at https://njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/2025-19-00-00.0 on 21 September 2026, because the Nemzeti Jogszabálytár rendering of the Criminal Code stops at section 339 · 66/2012. (IV. 2.) Korm. rendelet, the activities and definitions decree whose 1. melléklet formerly carried the jegyzékek and was repealed by section 11 h) of 607/2022. (XII. 28.) Korm. rendelet, at https://njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/2012-66-20-22 · every Criminal Code figure in this cell was re-derived from the Act in this pass and the live Hungary figure is printed beside it in the street field · read on 21 September 2026 · Updated September 21, 2026
If prescribed / medical
Zolpidem is a registered prescription hypnotic and simultaneously a dangerous drug under the Ordinance.
Documentation
Carry a prescribed zolpidem supply in its dispensed packaging with the prescription. It is simultaneously a registered medicine and a dangerous drug.
Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (Chapter 218), as last amended by Act No. 7 of 2026, certified 6 March 2026 · Group B of Part I and the whole of Part III were substituted by section 6 of Act No. 41 of 2022, certified 23 November 2022, and the entry relied on is read from that Act · the entry relied on is Group B Section 2 item 161, 「Zolpidem N,N,6-trimethyl-2-p-tolylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-3-acetamide」 · Third Schedule Part I Group B as substituted by section 6 of Act No. 41 of 2022, with sections 48, 54A and 78. Principal Ordinance read from the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board's own copy. Read 2026-09-17 · nddcb.gov.lk · nddcb.gov.lk · parliament.lk · Updated September 21, 2026
Dahir portant loi n° 1-73-282 du 28 rebia II 1394 (21 mai 1974) relatif à la répression de la toxicomanie et la prévention des toxicomanes, Bulletin officiel 3214 of 5 June 1974, pages 928 to 929, read from the page image on 22 September 2026 · https://www.sgg.gov.ma/BO/bo_fr/1974/bo_3214_fr.pdf | Dahir du 12 rebia II 1341 (2 décembre 1922) portant règlement sur l'importation, le commerce, la détention et l'usage des substances vénéneuses, article 1 as modified 17 March 1953 and the annexed tableaux A, B and C as annexed in 1922, ONSSA consolidated text, read from the page image on 22 September 2026 | placement for zolpidem: in no entry of tableaux A, B or C as annexed in 1922 and in no entry of the 1971 Convention tableaux as printed in 1981 · the operative arrêté was not read · Updated October 2, 2026
If prescribed / medical
There is a lawful medical route and Law No. 19 of 1993 states its terms. Article 2 permits individuals to hold these substances for their own personal use on purely health grounds, within the quantities a licensed doctor prescribes, and lets pharmacists dispense only against such a prescription. Article 10 limits one prescription to a quantity sufficient for sixty days in a chronic illness and ten days in any other, and bars a doctor from writing one for himself. Article 11 bars a pharmacy from dispensing a psychotropic prescription more than seven days after it was written, bars dispensing one carrying an erasure or a correction, and bars using one twice. A foreign prescription satisfies none of those conditions on its own.
Documentation
Bring the Ministry of Public Health clearance, not the prescription alone. The Pharmacy and Drug Control Department's traveller guideline requires a detailed approved medical report or prescription issued within the last six months, on the treating facility's letterhead with its stamp, naming the patient, the diagnosis, the treatment plan and duration, the scientific name of the drug, the pharmaceutical form, the prescribed dose and the quantity, together with an undertaking to use the treatment only on the named patient and a copy of the passport. For a controlled psychotropic medicine the quantity allowed is two months. If someone else carries it, the guideline asks for their identity document, and for a written authorisation where they are not a parent, sibling or spouse. The entry 74 listing was read on 22 September 2026.
the table and item placement stated for this row is not printed in the quotation column of the dossier checked against this batch, because no quoted extract in that dossier carries a table or item marker for any of its 88 rows, measured at 0 of 88 on 22 September 2026 · it was read instead in the Official Gazette annex named above · the statute amendment chain carried in the consolidated text and re-derived from it on 22 September 2026 is Law No. 7 of 1998, Law No. 20 of 2003, Law No. 1 of 2006, Law No. 3 of 2020 and Law No. 16 of 2023, which that text marks on 5, 1, 28, 33 and 1 articles respectively, article 41 bis having been repealed by Law No. 1 of 2006 · the separate medicines regime is Law No. 19 of 1993, whose article 14 gives the Minister the parallel power over its own schedules · Qatar, Zolpidem, controlled psychotropic medicine under Law No. 19 of 1993, entry 74 of the Ministry of Public Health list, not in the Law No. 9 of 1987 tables · Qatar, Law No. 19 of 1993 on the regulation of dealing in psychoactive substances, consolidated text read at https://www.almeezan.qa/LawView.aspx?opt&LawID=138&language=ar on 22 September 2026, whose own schedule note returns only the 1993 preparations schedule as images, so the current substance list was not obtainable from the portal · the Ministry of Public Health Pharmacy and Drug Control Department guideline Controls and Regulations for the release of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and psychoactive drugs, signed by the Director of that Department, read on 22 September 2026 from a mirror because the Ministry host www.moph.gov.qa refused programmatic retrieval behind a challenge page on that date, so this list is cited as an administrative Ministry list and never as proof of a numbered table placement · Qatar, Law No. 9 of 1987 on the control of narcotic drugs and dangerous psychotropic substances, consolidated Arabic text read at https://www.almeezan.qa/LawView.aspx?opt&LawID=3989&language=ar on 22 September 2026, where the portal states its material is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 · the attached annex, which the Al Meezan schedule note returns empty, was read instead in the Official Gazette scan at https://encyclop.sjc.gov.qa/Portal3/ahkam/OpenpdfFile.aspx?id=8, all thirty pages, a scan carrying no text layer, so it was rendered and read as images and the Latin entry column was transcribed by optical character recognition and confirmed against the page image · the Supreme Judicial Council site reserves all rights and no open-reuse licence was located, so only the wording needed for verification is reproduced · the schedule amendments read in full, each through its last article, are Ministerial Decision 22 of 2015 at https://www.almeezan.qa/LawView.aspx?opt&LawID=6806&language=ar, Decision 6 of 2024 at https://www.almeezan.qa/LawView.aspx?opt&LawID=9649&language=ar, Decision 2 of 2025 at https://www.almeezan.qa/LawView.aspx?opt&LawID=9855&language=ar and Decision 8 of 2026 at https://www.almeezan.qa/LawView.aspx?opt&LawID=10296&language=ar · the penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the consolidated article text on 22 September 2026 and are not carried forward from any earlier cell or summary · Updated September 21, 2026
If prescribed / medical
Zolpidem is prescribable in Kuwait under the controlled medicine chapter of Decree Law 159 of 2025. Article 20 lets a licensed doctor prescribe it and article 52 limb 2 reduces the article 49 personal use offence, and only that offence, to imprisonment not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding five thousand dinars for a substance on the Group 4 list. That relief does not touch articles 42 and 43. Article 26 lets a patient arriving in the country bring in preparations of table 2, 3 and 4 psychotropics, and article 53 punishes a prescriber who writes for consumption against accepted medical standards. Carry a certified prescription and a medical report, and obtain Ministry of Health clearance before travelling.
Documentation
The governing instrument is Decree Law 159 of 2025 on combating narcotics and psychotropic substances and regulating their use and trade, eighty four articles in thirteen chapters, gazetted in Kuwait Al-Youm on 1 December 2025 and in force from 15 December 2025. Article 83 repealed Law 74 of 1983 and Decree Law 48 of 1987 and merged them. The schedules do not sit in the law. Article 40 reads يجوز بقرار من الوزير تعديل الجداول أو المجموعات المرفقة بهذا المرسوم بقانون، بالحذف، أو بالإضافة, so the Minister of Health amends them by decision. The last such amendment read for this cell is Decision 165 of 2026, made on 24 May 2026 and gazetted in Kuwait Al-Youm issue 1793 on 31 May 2026, whose article five annexes the complete updated schedules. The schedules are arranged as Group 1, narcotic substances, tables 1 to 6, Group 2, psychotropic substances, tables 1 to 4, Group 3, chemical precursors, and a Group 4 list of the substances article 52 names. Group 3 was not reprinted in the annex and was not read for this cell. Foreign nationals are liable to deportation after sentence. Kuwait retains and imposes the death penalty for drug trafficking. Placement for Zolpidem: Group 2, table 4, serial P4-86, and on the Group 4 list. The schedule row was read directly in the scanned gazette annex, in both of the two optical character recognition passes.
Decree Law 159 of 2025, articles 40 to 53, gazetted Kuwait Al-Youm 1 December 2025, in force 15 December 2025 · https://alwifaqkw.com/2025/12/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%B3%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D9%86%D8%B4%D8%B1-%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%B3%D9%88%D9%85-%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%85%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%81/ | Ministry of Health Decision 165 of 2026, made 24 May 2026 under article 40, annexing the complete updated schedules, gazetted Kuwait Al-Youm issue 1793 on 31 May 2026 · https://mesferlaw.com/ | placement for Zolpidem: Group 2, table 4, serial P4-86, and on the Group 4 list · Updated September 21, 2026
If prescribed / medical
The country level rule in Peru is that the Reglamento approved by Decreto Supremo 023-2001-SA governs prescription and dispensing by the list a substance sits in, with articles 23 and following setting a receta especial numerada for the estupefaciente lists and an ordinary retained receta for the psicotropico lists, and article 300 of the Codigo Penal punishing a health professional who improperly prescribes or dispenses a controlled medicine with 2 to 5 years and disqualification. Attached to this substance: this substance sits at Lista IV B item 89, which prints Zolpidem, which is a controlled but dispensable band, so a prescription written and dispensed under the Reglamento is the lawful route and the document to carry is that prescription with the dispensing packaging. The Reglamento sets the form of the receta by list rather than by substance, and no per substance prescribing route is invented here.
Documentation
Provenance: the placement relied on is Lista IV B item 89, which prints Zolpidem in Anexo N. 2 of the Reglamento approved by Decreto Supremo 023-2001-SA, read in the DIGEMID Catalogo de Sustancias Controladas marked NOVIEMBRE_2024_V1 and cross read against the DIGEMID publication of the same Anexo dated 2021, which agrees on the list, the item number and the entry. The offence articles are Codigo Penal articles 296 to 303 as read in the Congreso compendio, with articles 298 and 299 confirmed against Decreto Legislativo 982. Personal use possession of a single kind of drug below its article 299 figure is not a crime, while possessing two or more kinds at once is, because the second paragraph of article 299 withdraws the protection. Medical cannabis is lawful under Ley 30681 of 2017, whose Reglamento was approved by Decreto Supremo 005-2019-SA and is cited in the catalogue's own footnote to the cannabis entries; hemp is regulated under Ley 32195 of 2024, carried from the previous cell and not re-derived here. The coca leaf has a status of its own, re-derived in this pass rather than carried: no entry among the 244 in Anexo N. 2 is the leaf, the only coca entries being Cocaina at Lista II A item 1 and Lista IV A item 10, and article 89 numeral 6 of Decreto Ley 22095 defines Cocaina as the alkaloids extracted from the leaves of the coca bush or synthesised from ecgonina, while numeral 4 defines the arbusto de coca separately as the plant of the genus erythroxilon. The leaf is therefore outside the drug schedule altogether and sits instead under a state monopoly and cultivation regime: article 31 prohibits cultivation in new areas, article 32 puts all coca varieties under state fiscalisation, and article 41, as replaced by article 1 of Ley 27634 published on 16 January 2002, gives the industrialisation and commercialisation of leaf from registered holdings to the state company ENACO S.A. The offences that go with that regime are in article 60, as substituted by article 1 of Decreto Legislativo 122 published on 15 June 1981, which sets 2 to 5 years for cultivating coca without being on the Registro de Productores or beyond the registered extent, for supplying coca leaves as payment for personal services, and for commercialising leaf in unauthorised zones or without an ENACO licence. Article 60 has a fourth limb that is not about coca at all and is the one most likely to reach a visitor: limb c imposes the same 2 to 5 years on el propietario, arrendatarios, administrador, vigilante o encargado a cualquier titulo who consents to the distribution or consumption of drugs on premises in their charge, so permitting use in a room or venue you control is an offence in its own right. Nothing read in this pass makes possession or traditional chewing of the leaf an offence, which is why it is not treated here as one. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription, and confirm the position with your embassy before travelling.
Peru, Anexo N. 2 of the Reglamento de Estupefacientes, Psicotropicos y otras sustancias sujetas a fiscalizacion sanitaria approved by Decreto Supremo 023-2001-SA, read in the DIGEMID Catalogo de Sustancias Controladas NOVIEMBRE_2024_V1 at https://www.digemid.minsa.gob.pe/Archivos/PortalWeb/Informativo/Catalogacion/SUSTANCIA_CONTROLADA_NOVIEMBRE_2024.pdf, which is the Area de Catalogacion of DIGEMID reproducing Anexo N. 2 under its own heading rather than the annex as enacted, and cross read against the DIGEMID publication of the same Anexo at https://www.digemid.minsa.gob.pe/Archivos/PortalWeb/Informativo/Psicotropicos/LISTAS_CONTROLADOS_2021.pdf · the Reglamento's own text, whose article 2 makes Anexo N. 2 the operative listing, at https://www.digemid.minsa.gob.pe/Archivos/Normatividad/2001/DecretoSupremoN023-2001-SA.pdf · Decreto Ley 22095 with its 1978 annexed lists at https://www2.congreso.gob.pe/sicr/cendocbib/con6_uibd.nsf/1AC694FF39FA6B7105258AB40050EAB2/$FILE/decreto_ley_22095.pdf · Codigo Penal articles 296 to 303 in the Compendio Normativo sobre Trafico Ilicito de Drogas published by the Congreso de la Republica at https://www2.congreso.gob.pe/sicr/cendocbib/con4_uibd.nsf/99D85DBA6D67749605257F540070950B/$FILE/Compendio-Normativo-TID.pdf, with the current wording of articles 298 and 299 confirmed against Decreto Legislativo 982 at https://www2.congreso.gob.pe/sicr/cendocbib/con4_uibd.nsf/448FEBA50C50F63B05257A6E005C3C8C/$FILE/DL_982.pdf · the Constitution, articles 140 on the death penalty, 55 on treaties in national law and 2 numeral 24 letter d on the legality principle, in the official text at https://cdn.www.gob.pe/uploads/document/file/198518/Constitucion_Politica_del_Peru_1993.pdf · the 1971 Convention schedules in the INCB Green List 2025 at https://www.incb.org/documents/Psychotropics/forms/greenlist/2025/2412193E.pdf and the 1961 Convention schedules in the INCB Yellow List 64th edition of July 2025 at https://www.incb.org/documents/Narcotic-Drugs/Yellow_List/64th_edition/YL_64th_E.pdf · read as at 21 September 2026. The placement relied on for this row is Lista IV B item 89, which prints Zolpidem. · Updated September 21, 2026
If prescribed / medical
Chile controls medicines carrying these substances through the pharmacy rules as well as the drug law, and the live cell this replaces carried the instruction to travel with the prescription and to confirm with the embassy [Likely, carried]. Artículo 6 of Ley 20.000 punishes a doctor, dentist or vet who prescribes without medical or therapeutic need with presidio mayor en sus grados mínimo a medio and a fine of forty to four hundred unidades tributarias mensuales, and artículo 7 punishes an authorised supplier who supplies against the rules with the same band [Certain]. Artículo 50 treats use for a medical treatment as justified [Certain].
Documentation
Personal use of a small quantity, proximate in time and exclusive, is a falta under artículo 50 and not a crime, punished by a fine, a prevention or treatment programme, or community work [Certain]. That is not the same as saying prison cannot follow. Under artículo 52 the substitute penalties require the convicted person's agreement, and without it the court must convert the unpaid fine into reclusion at one day per third of a unidad tributaria mensual, which on the one to ten unidad range of artículo 50 reaches thirty days [Certain]. A traveller who declines the substitute programme and does not pay is the case this reaches. Decreto 867 states no numerical quantity for any substance and artículo 4 works from the open phrase pequeñas cantidades, so the line between artículo 4 and artículo 3 is judicial and not arithmetic [Certain]. Public consumption and agreed group consumption in private are both caught [Certain]. Medical cannabis has been available on prescription in Chile since 2015 under Decreto Supremo 84 [Likely, carried from the live cell and not re-derived in this pass]. Home cultivation is governed by artículo 8 of Ley 20.000, which sets no plant count; the six plant figure that circulates comes from reform bills and not from the law in force, a correction carried from the live cell and confirmed here in that artículo 8 states no number [Certain]. The live cell also carried a note that a 2025 to 2026 reform tightening penalties was before the Constitutional Court. What I can state is narrower: Ley 21.817 was published on 23 May 2026 and amended artículos 4, 5, 6, 7, 19 and 43 of Ley 20.000, it did not touch artículo 50, and whether it is the instrument that note described is not established. Travel with any controlled medicine in its packaging with the prescription.
Decreto Supremo 867 de 2007 del Ministerio del Interior, reglamento of Ley 20.000, artículos 1, 2, 4 and 5, consolidated text read 21 September 2026 (listas as amended by Decreto 220 de 2022) · Ley 20.000 artículos 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 bis, 8, 19, 50, 51, 52 and 55 to 59, consolidated text of 23 May 2026 · Ley 21.817 of 23 May 2026 · Código Penal artículo 21 · leychile.cl · leychile.cl · bcn.cl · unodc.org · Updated September 21, 2026
Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, Schedules 1 to 5, at https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1975/116/en/latest/, read as at 20 September 2026. The power that moves the list is section 4, which authorises the Governor General by Order in Council to amend Schedules 1 to 5 subject to statutory approval and commencement machinery, so the schedules are not fixed by the Act's own date. The chain the source records as checked is the current consolidation, the 2022 and 2025 Classification and Presumption of Supply Orders with their commencement orders, and the 2024 pseudoephedrine amendment. A 2026 Order exists and the source records it as uncommenced at that date, so this reading does not rule out a later amendment that had commenced or been made after it. The published URL resolves to the latest consolidation rather than to a fixed version, so the read date above is what identifies the text, not the link. · Updated September 21, 2026
Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act 140 of 1992, Schedule 2 open homologue limb, single printed sedative of this receptor family read and rejected · Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act 140 of 1992, ss 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 13, 17 and 19, with Schedules 1 and 2 · justice.gov.za · read from the cached text at research/instruments/south-africa/za-drugs-act-140-1992.txt, 84,091 bytes, against the.pdf beside it at 127,460 bytes · the consolidation is dated 29 May 2025 and carries the Act 14 of 2022 substitution of both schedules with effect from 14 December 2022 · Updated September 21, 2026
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, Cap. 245 (No. 4 of 1994), text as at 31 December 2022 revised by the 24th Annual Supplement (Legal Notice 221 of 2023), incorporating the Narcotics, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) (Amendment) Act, 2022 (No. 4 of 2022), commenced 21 March 2022 · ss. 2, 3, 4, 4A, 4B, 5, 6, 13, 16, 87 and the First to Fourth Schedules · new.kenyalaw.org · Updated October 2, 2026
Documentation
Carry the prescription and the original dispensing packaging with a prescriber letter stating the indication, the dose and the treatment period, and keep the supply to three months or less. The placement at Annex III was read on 18 September 2026. The annex text read is the non official consolidated version published by the AFMPS; it is informative and the Moniteur belge controls. The annex consolidation relied on here is valid from 29 March 2026, following the amending Royal Decree published on 19 March 2026, and carries a correction dated 16 July 2026.
Belgium, Royal Decree of 6 September 2017, Annex III, with articles 2, 8 and 61 of that decree and article 2bis of the Law of 24 February 1921 carrying the offence and the penalties · the printed entry relied on is the name zolpidem and no further text · read at https://www.afmps.be/sites/default/files/content/INSP/NARC/annex%20III_non%20official%20consolidated%20version.pdf on 18 September 2026 · the decree is at https://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/eli/arrete/2017/09/06/2017031231/justel and the 1921 Law bilingual consolidation at https://afmps.be/sites/default/files/downloads/LOI-WET-1921-02-24.pdf · the annex text is the AFMPS non official consolidated version, valid from 29 March 2026 with a correction dated 16 July 2026, and the Moniteur belge controls · Updated September 20, 2026
· Narkotikastrafflag (1968:64), read as at amendments through SFS 2024:797, which is the currency the Riksdag prints on the text, carried forward from the live cell and not re-derived
· the row read at line 2699 of the pdftotext layout extraction of that consolidated text
· Every penalty band, fine, date, quantity, article and instrument attributed to the live cell in this row is carried forward from it and was not re-derived in this pass
Norway, forskrift 14. februar 2013 nr. 199 om narkotika (narkotikaforskriften), narkotikalisten and sections 3, 5 and 19 · legemiddelloven (LOV-1992-12-04-132) sections 22, 24 and 31 · straffeloven (LOV-2005-05-20-28) sections 231 and 232 · lovdata.no · Updated September 16, 2026
Section 24 of huumausainelaki 373/2008 disapplies the import and export rules for a medicinal product a traveller carries for personal medication where the substance is in lists I to III of the 1961 Convention or lists II to IV of the 1971 Convention, and this row is inside that carve out. Section 19 of lääkelaki 395/1987 then governs. Where a substance is a medicinal ingredient rather than a listed narcotic, it is handled through the Medicines Act 395/1987, in particular the conduct and import rules in section 3 and the medicinal substances list, and its status turns on individual product classification. This row in particular. This row sits in list IV of the 1971 Convention annex, and section 24 of huumausainelaki 373/2008 reaches exactly that: it disapplies the import and export provisions of the Act for medicinal products containing a substance in lists I to III of the 1961 Convention or lists II to IV of the 1971 Convention, the products being those «joita matkustaja käyttää henkilökohtaiseen lääkitykseensä», and then hands the traveller to section 19 of lääkelaki 395/1987. Section 23 subsection 3 of the same Act is the neighbouring relief for this list: a combination preparation containing a psychotropic substance other than one in list I of the 1971 Convention needs no import or export licence where the narcotic content is small or hard to separate and the abuse risk is slight against the substance's wide medicinal use.
Documentation
Carry any prescribed medicine in its dispensed packaging with the prescription. Finland's personal import rules for medicines sit in the Medicines Act 395/1987 and were not read for this cell, so no traveller allowance is stated here. This row in particular. The locator a traveller or an official would be checking is Liite II list IV entry 67 of 543/2008, as that annex stands after 4.12.2025/1119, and the entry printed there reads «Tsolpideemi (N,N,6-trimetyyli-2-p-tolyyli-imidatso[1,2-α]pyridiini-3-asetamidi)». Because the row is in that part of the convention annexes, section 24 of huumausainelaki 373/2008 takes a traveller's own prescribed medicine out of the Act's import and export provisions and leaves section 19 of lääkelaki 395/1987 to govern how much may be carried, which is the provision this cell did not read. Provenance for this row. The consolidated 543/2008 read here is the Finlex text carrying amendments up to 25.6.2026/651, the version Finlex identifies as data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2008/543/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin, in force from 10 July 2026, read on 21 September 2026; the consolidated 1130/2014 read here is the Finlex text whose annex was substituted by 650/2026 with effect from 10 July 2026, read on 21 September 2026; and where the medicines list is cited it is the Finnish annex text to decision 230/2025 served by Finlex, read on 21 September 2026.
Finland, zolpidem, a named entry of Liite II list IV of valtioneuvoston asetus huumausaineina pidettävistä aineista, valmisteista ja kasveista 543/2008 at printed position 67, that annex as amended by 4.12.2025/1119 · the entry text, the closing extension clause of its list and the statutory wording are quoted in the other fields and are not repeated here, because this field is split into citation chips on every semicolon · Valtioneuvoston asetus huumausaineina pidettävistä aineista, valmisteista ja kasveista 543/2008, section 1 and annexes I to V · Valtioneuvoston asetus kuluttajamarkkinoilta kielletyistä psykoaktiivisista aineista 1130/2014, section 1 and its annex · Huumausainelaki 373/2008, sections 3, 5, 7, 23, 23 b and 24 · Rikoslaki 39/1889, chapter 44 sections 5 and 5 a and chapter 50 sections 1, 2, 2 a, 3, 4, 4 a, 5 and 7 · finlex.fi · finlex.fi · finlex.fi · finlex.fi · 543/2008 read in the consolidated Finlex text carrying amendments up to 25.6.2026/651, the version identified as data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2008/543/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin and in force from 10 July 2026, read on 21 September 2026 · 1130/2014 read in the consolidated Finlex text whose annex was substituted by 650/2026 with effect from 10 July 2026, read on 21 September 2026 · Finlex is the Ministry of Justice public legal database, its data is published under CC BY 4.0 and the statutes themselves are outside copyright under section 9 of the Copyright Act 404/1961 · read on 21 September 2026 · Updated September 21, 2026
If prescribed / medical
The country level rule is Ley 913 article 20, which puts a medicine containing a sustancia controlada of Listas I to IV behind an authorised pharmacy and a doctor's prescription or a Ministry of Health form, and article 21 I, which obliges a carrier to require a Ministry of Health or Ministry of Government authorisation before such a substance crosses the customs frontier. Attached to this row: neither article attaches on the reading made here, because both are keyed to a place in the Anexo and no place for this substance was established. That is not a statement that it may be carried freely. It is a statement that the controlled medicines route was not shown to reach it. What the search did return on this row was this. Lista IV carries more than thirty hypnotics and anxiolytics by name. Zolpidem, an imidazopyridine, is not among them and appears nowhere in the Anexo. A band that article 20 does govern therefore exists close by, and this substance was not found in it or in any other.
Documentation
Provenance. The Anexo was read in the Gaceta Oficial edition of Ley 913, edition 947NEC of 23 March 2017, downloaded from the Gaceta at gacetaoficialdebolivia.gob.bo, and cross checked line by line against the copy the Dirección General de Sustancias Controladas publishes at dgsc.gob.bo. The two copies carry the same entries and differ only in line breaks and in a handful of characters where a capital letter I is set as a lowercase letter l in the text layer. The Anexo says on its own face that it reproduces the 1961 and 1971 convention lists as amended in force from 19 September 1987, so it is an old list re enacted in 2017 and it is materially the same list Ley 1008 annexed. Which instrument governs, re derived this pass. Ley 913 did not replace Ley 1008. Its first derogatory disposition derogates article 33 incisos a), q) and r), articles 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42 and 44 of Título II, and Títulos VI, VII and VIII, and nothing else. Título III, the offences and penalties at articles 46 to 55, was left standing and is still the law, and Ley 913 itself contains no criminal penalty at all. What did move is the schedule. Article 33(a), the inciso that defined sustancias controladas by pointing at the Ley 1008 annex, is derogated, and Ley 913 article 5(c) with its own Anexo took its place. Ley 906 of 8 March 2017 separately abrogated the coca title of Ley 1008. So a cell that cites Law 1008 for the list is citing a derogated inciso, while a cell that cites it for the penalty is right. One loose end sits in the statute itself: article 46 still reads plantas señaladas por el anexo a que se refiere el inciso a) del artículo 33, and that inciso no longer exists. [Certain] Carriage. Carry any controlled medicine in its original dispensing packaging with the prescription, and expect a carrier to ask for the Ministry of Health or Ministry of Government authorisation that article 21 I of Ley 913 obliges it to require before a substance of the Anexo lists crosses the customs frontier.
Bolivia. Ley 913 of 16 March 2017, Ley de Lucha contra el Tráfico Ilícito de Sustancias Controladas, article 5(c) and its Anexo, Gaceta Oficial edition 947NEC of 23 March 2017, read at http://gacetaoficialdebolivia.gob.bo/normas/buscar/913 and cross checked against https://dgsc.gob.bo/normativa/leyes/Ley913.pdf, complete read of Listas I to V with no entry found for zolpidem · Ley 1008 of 19 July 1988, Título III, articles 46 to 55 and article 33(m), read in the Gaceta Oficial edition at http://gacetaoficialdebolivia.gob.bo/normas/buscar/1008 and against the Ministerio de Gobierno consolidated text at https://web.mingobierno.gob.bo/ · Constitution of 2009 articles 15 and 384 at https://www.senarecom.gob.bo/files/transparencia/CONSTITUCION_POLITICA_DEL_ESTADO.pdf · Ley 906 of 8 March 2017 article 16 at http://gacetaoficialdebolivia.gob.bo/normas/buscar/906 · all read as at 21 September 2026. · Updated September 21, 2026
If prescribed / medical
This substance has a medical route in Paraguay and sits in Lista IV of the psicotropicos sheet, as the entry Zolpidem. Article 6 of Ley 1.340/1988 requires every prescription for a controlled substance to be written on a numbered quadruplicate form supplied at cost by the Ministerio de Salud Publica y Bienestar Social, showing the prescriber's name and professional registration number, the medicine, the quantity in figures and words, and the patient's name, address and identity document, and it is valid for eight days from issue. Article 33 of Decreto 5.213/2005 restricts a narcotic monodrug to that Receta Cuadruplicada and allows an associated narcotic on a Receta Simple Archivada, and it caps a single prescription at 30 days of treatment. Medicines containing these substances may be dispensed only by pharmacies licensed by that Ministry, on the original prescription. Article 30 of Ley 1.340/1988 exempts a person holding what a doctor prescribed for them, and punishes a quantity greater than the amount prescribed. A traveller carrying it should hold the prescription, should not carry more than it states, and should confirm requirements with their embassy before travel. Whether a foreign prescription is accepted at the border was not settled from the text read.
Documentation
Control model. Article 1 of Ley 1.340/1988 defines sustancias estupefacientes y drogas peligrosas as, first, those in the lists annexed to the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs and to the Convention on Psychotropic Substances ratified by Leyes 338 and 339 of 17 December 1971, second, any substance of natural or synthetic origin able to produce dependence, stimulation or depression of the central nervous system, or hallucinations, motor and sensory disturbance, or a change in behaviour, perception or mood, or effects analogous to the first limb, and third, the salts, preparations and pharmaceutical specialities and any product usable in their elaboration. The second and third limbs are fixed by decree of the Executive originating in the Ministerio de Salud Publica y Bienestar Social, on a list article 1 requires to be updated in December of each year and to name substances by the generic name adopted by the World Health Organization. The decree in force is Decreto 5.213 of 6 May 2005, whose article 1 was replaced by Decreto 5.282 of 2021, which also abrogated Decreto 12.064/2008. [Certain] Schedule read. The consolidated schedule is published by DINAVISA as the Listado Actualizado de Sustancias sujetas a fiscalizacion en Paraguay, Dic. 2025, in three sheets, estupefacientes, psicotropicos, and precursores y productos quimicos. It was read in full for this row and it holds 469 named entries. [Certain] That workbook is a publisher consolidation and not the instrument itself, and it was checked against both of the sources it consolidates. Two omissions were measured. It drops 25I-NBOMe, which is entry PN 008 of the 1971 Convention list and sits between two entries the workbook does reproduce, and it drops Amitriptilina from the national tier although Decreto 5.282/2021 opens that list with that name. So an absence in the workbook alone does not establish an absence in law. Every row in this batch that is recorded as not found was searched against the Convention lists as well, in Spanish and in English and by chemical name, because article 1 limb a of Ley 1.340/1988 incorporates those lists directly and only limbs b and c depend on the decree. [Certain] Entry read for this row: Zolpidem, in Lista IV of the psicotropicos sheet. Zopiclona sits on the national control list rather than in Lista IV, so the two Z drugs are in different tiers. [Certain] Amending history re-derived this pass. Ley 1.340/1988 has been amended by Ley 68/1992 on article 2, Ley 171/1993 on articles 51 and 52, Ley 1.881/2002, Ley 5.434/2015 on article 23, and Ley 6.902/2022 on articles 2, 3, 4, 23, 47, 101 and 105. Ley 1.881/2002 rewrote articles 19, 21, 23, 53 and 54, added chapters 10 to 16, renumbered the old articles 72 to 83 as 99 to 111, and by its article 4 repealed articles 27, 56, 57, 58, 59 and 60. Articles 1 and 30 have not been amended. [Certain] Correction to the live cell. The live Paraguayan cells attribute trafficking and cultivation to article 16 at 10 to 20 years. Article 16 is supply made to facilitate another offence and carries 5 to 15 years. Cultivation is article 33 and carries 10 to 20 years. The article number in the live cell is wrong and has been corrected here against the statute text. [Certain] The research dossier was not relied on for placement. Its two cited library identifiers for the primary instrument were both fetched and both resolve to unrelated statutes, one on housing debt and one on a municipal land transfer. Its quotation column is a formula wrapped around the corpus name rather than a quotation from any Paraguayan text. It assigns a 20 year ceiling to article 27, which set 5 to 15 years and was repealed in 2002. It offered Escopolamina, Catha edulis, Lophophora williamsii and Ergina as Paraguayan entry names and none of the four is in the December 2025 schedule. It recorded ketamine, tramadol, GHB, mephedrone, methylone, MDPV, MXE and 2C-B as unresolved and all eight are named entries. Every placement stated here was read from the schedule itself. [Certain] Capital and life. Article 4 of the 1992 Constitucion Nacional reads Queda abolida la pena de muerte. Ley 1.340/1988 contains no capital provision and no life provision, and its highest range is 10 to 25 years. [Certain] The schedule read was the Listado Actualizado de Sustancias sujetas a fiscalizacion en Paraguay, Dic. 2025, published by DINAVISA under Decreto 5.213/2005 as amended by Decreto 5.282/2021, read as at 21 September 2026, together with the 1961 and 1971 Convention lists that article 1 limb a incorporates directly. Reading them does not rule out a later decree, a later edition of the list, or a later Convention scheduling decision that names this substance.
[Certain] Placement read in this pass: not named in the Schedule as read. The reading is of the consolidated First Schedule whose own amendment note at its head ends at התשע"ח and whose schedule pages carry the 1.4.2018 update stamp, with section 7 stamped 1.1.2019 and the file closing with (סוף הפקודה), and a later amendment to the Schedule is not ruled out, and this reading is of that version and no other. Carried from the published entry and from the b162 staging, not re-derived in this pass [Likely]: cannabis is decriminalised by policy rather than legalised. Since 1 April 2019, under a temporary order following the July 2018 Knesset approval, adult personal use or possession of a small amount, 15 g or less, is handled administratively rather than as a criminal offence; private home use is said to be no offence at all, while public use draws a graduated fine, the first about NIS 1,000 or about USD 275, doubled on the second, with the third triggering a criminal investigation or licence loss and the fourth prosecution. Per NIDA and the Anti-Drug Authority cannabis use is still forbidden. Soldiers, prisoners, minors and police are excluded from that framework and remain criminal. The framework is cannabis only and does not extend to other drugs. Also carried and flagged as draft rather than enacted: a 2020 bill to decriminalise up to 50 g did not pass; 2022 Sa'ar draft regulations to make personal use purely administrative and expunge records; a February 2024 redefinition of dangerous drug to only cannabis above 0.3% THC, which would place low-THC CBD outside the Ordinance. The b162 staging also carried an 8 year asset seizure exposure on the trafficking route, which was not re-derived here and is not in the sections read in this pass. Medical cannabis is one of the world's oldest and largest programmes, run by the Israel Medical Cannabis Agency under the Ministry of Health, with a figure of about 130,000 to 140,000 patients and a January 2024 reform that dropped the last resort requirement. None of those figures was verified against a primary source in this pass. [Certain] Re-derived here instead: section 7(c1) of the Ordinance keys its special fine offence expressly to פרטים 1 ו־2 בסימן א' בחלק א', that is to cannabis and cannabis resin and to nothing else among these 88 rows, and sets the fine at NIS 1,000 for a first offence and NIS 2,000 for a second. The Ordinance's own footnote to that subsection states that it came into force on 1.4.2019 and applies for 3 years from that date, which on its face runs to 1.4.2022; the text read here does not record an extension and does not record a lapse, so neither is asserted. Israel has no capital provision for any drug offence.
Dangerous Drugs Ordinance [New Version], 5733-1973, פקודת הסמים המסוכנים [נוסח חדש], התשל"ג-1973, First Schedule and sections 6, 7, 11, 12, 13 to 21, 25 and 31, plus the Second Schedule · consolidated text read on 21 September 2026 from the copy held at research/instruments/israel/israel.txt, 191,538 bytes, which is 138,676 characters and 130,172 once the bidi controls are stripped, sourced from israel2.pdf, whose amendment citation list ends at ק"ת 2746 התשע"ח of 26.7.2018 · the b162 staging attributed the same text to chamber.org.il, carried here and not fetched in this pass. [Certain] The Ordinance's own title page reads התשל"ג-1973 and התשל"ג is 5733, not 5732. [Certain] The First Schedule read here has two סימנים in חלק א' and three live plus one repealed in חלק ב', which the Schedule's own conditions clause confirms by referring to סימן ב' של חלק א' ובסימנים ב' ו־ג' לחלק ב'. · Updated September 21, 2026
If prescribed / medical
Resolución 200 of 26 September 2025, published in Gaceta Oficial Digital 30388-A of 16 October 2025, sets Panama's Listado Oficial under Ley 14 of 19 May 2016 and Decreto Ejecutivo 183 of 8 June 2018. It is a list of substances permitted for medical and scientific use, not a criminal schedule, so absence from it is not lawfulness and presence on it is not a defence. It is permitted for medical and scientific use in Panama by name, so a prescription route exists, and the related hypnotic Panama controls on its own initiative sits in a different section of the same list. Carry any controlled medicine in its original packaging with the prescription and the dispensing label, and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Documentation
Recreational drug use is illegal in Panama and there is no formal decriminalisation threshold, so Panama should not be treated as a decriminalised country. The exact strings searched for this row were «zolpidem and N,N,6-trimethyl-2-p-tolylimidazopyridine acetamide». Carry the prescription and the packaging, and note that a related hypnotic sits in Panama's national-control section rather than the international one. The live cell attributed the offences to Ley 23 of 1986 read with Law 13 of 1994. Those citations are carried forward here, with the correction that the articles the live cell then quotes are Penal Code articles, and the Penal Code adopted by Ley 14 of 2007 repealed the 1982 Code together with the offences defined elsewhere that it covers. The Penal Code was read in the Texto Único of Ley 14 of 2007 as updated to December 2020 and published by the Órgano Judicial, cross-read against the Procuraduría General de la Nación Texto Único carrying amendments through Ley 70 of 2019; the two agree word for word on articles 312 to 324, whose last amendment was Ley 40 of 4 July 2012. Every law amending the Penal Code that the Órgano Judicial lists after that consolidation was checked and none touches articles 312 to 324. The substance lists were read in Resolución 200 of 2025 as published in Gaceta Oficial Digital 30388-A, in the Green List 36th edition of 2025 and in the Yellow List 64th edition of July 2025. All of it was read as at 21 September 2026. Medicinal cannabis is lawful under Law 242 of 13 October 2021 and hemp under Law 464 of 2025 at a concentration not above 1% by dry weight, and neither route is a general permission for any other substance. Panama has no death penalty for drugs.
Panama, Código Penal, Título IX, Capítulo V, articles 312 to 324, the drug chapter, with article 324 carrying the definition of droga · Texto Único of Ley 14 of 2007 updated to December 2020, published by the Órgano Judicial · organojudicial.gob.pa · cross-read against the Procuraduría General de la Nación Texto Único carrying amendments through Ley 70 of 2019, which agrees word for word on articles 312 to 324 · ministeriopublico.gob.pa · MINSA Resolución 200 of 26 September 2025, the Listado Oficial of substances permitted for medical and scientific use, which repeals Resolutions 410 of 2018, 691 of 2020, 782 of 2020 and 176 of 2021, published in Gaceta Oficial Digital 30388-A of 16 October 2025 · dnfd.minsa.gob.pa · placement read in the INCB Green List 36th edition of 2025, the schedules of the 1971 Convention · incb.org · the penalty figures, the citation of Ley 23 of 1986 with Ley 13 of 1994 and the citation of Decreto 25 of 16 January 2024 are carried forward from the live cell and not re-derived, except where this cell states a correction · every law the Órgano Judicial lists as amending the Penal Code after the December 2020 consolidation was checked and none touches articles 312 to 324 · the entry for this row was read at identification code PZ 002 in that list, and the placement was decided by reading that line and not by a substring match on the name Zolpidem · read as at 21 September 2026 · Updated September 21, 2026
If prescribed / medical
Section 9(3) takes a narcotic outside the section 9 prohibitions where it is needed for making an approved medicine, for industrial use, for treatment, for scientific research or for a lawful activity approved by the Director General, and then only under an instrument issued under section 13: a licence to cultivate, produce, carry, import, export, supply, buy, sell, possess, store or display it, a permit to consume, apply or use it, and a pass to carry or transport it. Section 12(1) provides that no person other than a doctor may prescribe a narcotic as a medicine, and section 12(2) that a narcotic may not be bought more than once on the same prescription. Section 2(27) defines a prescription as the written list of medicines, directions for use or instructions given for the purpose of curing disease by a doctor recognised by the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council.
Documentation
Section 9(5) is the only traveller allowance the Act contains, and it is not a personal one: a passenger vessel, aircraft or land vehicle may keep, carry, transport, administer and use medicine-grade narcotics in its first aid box under a doctor's control for emergency treatment, in the quantity fixed by the Government by notification in the official Gazette. No such quantity notification was located for this cell, so no figure is stated. There is no personal allowance for a traveller's own supply anywhere in the Act, and the licence, permit and pass of section 13 are issued by the Director General of the Department of Narcotics Control on conditions fixed by rules. Carry any prescribed medicine in its dispensed packaging with the prescription, and note that section 36(4) lets a court divert a person who appears to be an addict and nothing more into treatment, with 6 months to 5 years if they refuse it.
Bangladesh, Narcotics Control Act 2018, Act No. 63 of 2018, assented 14 November 2018 and in force from 27 December 2018 by S.R.O. No. 362-Law/2018 of 10 December 2018, as amended by the Narcotics Control (Amendment) Act 2020, Act No. 26 of 2020, and the Narcotics Control (Amendment) Act 2026, Act No. 101 of 2026 of 16 July 2026 · First Schedule, Class 'ga', serial 3, and section 36 table row 33 · the Bengali text is the authentic one and section 70(2) gives it priority over any English translation, so this cell was read in Bengali and no translation was relied on · sections read from the consolidated Act at http://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd/act-print-1276.html, which does not carry the schedules · the First Schedule read from the Bangladesh Gazette, Extraordinary, 14 November 2018, pages 15051 to 15056, reached through the Department of Narcotics Control's own law page at https://dnc.jhalakathi.gov.bd/pages/law-policy/6978735335ce18e1c0660a39 · read as at 2026-09-17, on which date neither amending Act contained the word তপশিল and the Department's own list of ten instruments carried no schedule amendment, so the First Schedule stands as enacted · Updated September 21, 2026
What would settle zolpidem, and where to look for it. A notification under section 74A, which lets the Federal Government 'amend the Schedules so as to add any entry thereto', or one under section 2(za) declaring a substance to be a psychotropic substance, would settle it in a line. Neither is present in what I could reach, and Schedule-I has carried the same substance list since 1997. Provincial law is a live route too and was not read here: Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa each passed their own narcotics Acts in 2024 and 2025. The Prohibition (Enforcement of Hadd) Order, 1979 does not reach it either: the Schedule to that Order lists only hemp, charas, mixtures of the two, opium and opium derivatives, coca leaf and coca derivatives, and hashish.
Zolpidem is a licensed hypnotic dispensed as a Category 4 controlled drug, with cumulative use tracked centrally to limit long term prescribing.
Documentation
Carry a prescribed supply in its dispensed packaging with the prescription. Zolpidem is one of the most commonly prescribed medicines in Taiwan, so the domestic route is straightforward for a resident.
毒品危害防制條例 (Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act), last amended 4 May 2022, articles 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, 11-1 and 15, with 附表四 第四級毒品, 附表四 item 65. The four schedules and the Act text were read as at the national law database's own data cut of 11 September 2026 · the item lists stand as amended by the Executive Yuan announcement of 25 June 2026, in force 27 June 2026. Read 2026-09-17. · law.moj.gov.tw · law.moj.gov.tw · Updated September 21, 2026
If prescribed / medical
Medicines containing estupefacientes or sustancias psicotrópicas may be sold to the public only by pharmacies, and only through the talonario oficial, the official prescription book, under article 62. Article 63 requires every prescription to be written on a special numbered form of a specific colour distributed by the health ministry, legibly and by hand, carrying the prescriber's names, consulting room address, identity number and health registration number, the name of the medicine, the quantity in figures and in words without alteration, the patient's and the purchaser's identification, the prescriber's signature and date, and the prescriber's wet seal. Article 53 provides that importing or exporting these substances, pure or contained in pharmaceutical specialities, by parcel, postal package or correspondence is met with confiscation and the customs law. Article 37 makes lawful only what duly authorised persons do, limits the existence and use of these substances strictly to the quantities needed for medical treatment, the legal manufacture of medicines or scientific research, and declares any other activity, use or destination illicit. This substance's entry sits in Schedule IV of the 1971 Convention. Article 62 allows a pharmaceutical speciality whose composition includes a Schedule IV substance of that Convention to be dispensed on the practitioner's own ordinary prescription rather than the official book. Carry the prescription and confirm the current position with a Venezuelan mission before travel.
Documentation
Consolidation read: Ley Orgánica de Drogas, sanctioned 18 August 2010, published in Gaceta Oficial 39.510 of 15 September 2010 and reprinted, the reprint read here being the one ordered under article 4 of the Ley de Publicaciones Oficiales to correct Gaceta Oficial 39.535 of 21 October 2010, which was carried in Gaceta Oficial 39.546 of 5 November 2010. The 39.510 scan and the reprint text were compared on articles 131, 149 and 153 and agree on every figure and range. [Certain] that the reprint text read here is the 39.546 one, resolved in this pass against the gazette itself rather than inferred from the reprint order. Gaceta Oficial number 39.546 was read: its masthead is "Numero 39.546" over "Caracas, viernes 5 de noviembre de 2010", its sumario carries the "Aviso Oficial mediante el cual se corrige por error material la Ley Organica de Drogas, sancionada el 18 de agosto de 2010". The issue is a 21 page scan with no text layer and was read through Spanish optical character recognition, so everything below the masthead was matched on recognised text and not on the image. Measured against the reprint text read here, in 24 character blocks: article 153 matches on 22 of 23, article 149 on 20 of 23 and article 134 on 15 of 24, the shortfall in each being optical recognition noise on the scanned side. [Certain as to the masthead and the sumario, which are large print and unambiguous, and therefore as to the issue number and its date and subject.] [Likely as to the per article comparison, which cannot be stronger than the optical recognition it runs on.] Control model, re derived from the statute in this pass. Article 2 applies the Law's control, vigilance and fiscalisation provisions to “el conjunto de sustancias incorporadas en las listas y anexos de los convenios y tratados suscritos y ratificados por la República”, and to further substances determined by the ministries with competence in health and in intermediate industries. Article 3 numeral 12 defines estupefacientes as “cualesquiera de las sustancias, naturales o sintéticas, que figuran en la lista I o la lista II de la Convención Única de 1961, Sobre Estupefacientes, Enmendada por el Protocolo de 1972”, and numeral 29 defines a sustancia psicotrópica as “cualquier sustancia, natural o sintética, o cualquier material natural que figure en las listas I, II, III o IV del Convenio sobre Sustancias Psicotrópicas de 1971”. The Law's own Anexo I, Lista I and Lista II, is a list of controlled chemicals and precursors, not of drugs: it runs from Ácido N-acetilantranilico and Ácido Lisérgico through Efedrina, Ergometrina, Ergotamina, Isosafrol, Piperonal, Safrol and Seudoefedrina to Permanganato de potasio and Anhídrido acético. There is therefore no Venezuelan chemical schedule of drugs to read; the schedule is the Convention schedule. Entry read for this row, recorded as the list prints it: “ZOLPIDEM, N,N,6-trimethyl-2-p-tolylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-3-acetamide”, anchored on ZOLPIDEM, in 1971 Green List Schedule IV. Method note. The 2026-09-20 Venezuela dossier was used only as the slug list and as a term list source. Its outcome column, its instrument column and its quotation column were not treated as evidence, and no placement in this batch rests on them; every placement is the entry read in the list the statute incorporates. Sibling name traps were checked rather than assumed: desomorphine, ethylmorphine, nicomorphine, nicocodine, norcodeine and dihydrocodeine are separate entries that anchored matching correctly did not return for the morphine or codeine rows, and brolamfetamine is a separate entry that did not return for the amphetamine row. Carried from the live cell and not re derived here: that there is no medical cannabis programme in Venezuela, that CBD and hemp are treated as illegal, and that only limited scientific research licences exist. [Likely], source is the live 2cb cell dated 2026-06-26, none of it is in the Ley Orgánica de Drogas. Correction carried into every cell of this batch: the gram figures are in article 153 and in article 149, not in article 131. The live cells attributed them to article 131, which prints no quantity at all. The ceiling of this Law is thirty years under the final paragraph of article 149, not twenty five. Routes run for the instrument in this pass. The Asamblea Nacional URL cited on every row of the 2026-09-20 dossier returned HTTP 404 and 5,734 bytes of HTML, so that register is not usable. The UNODC SHERLOC copy returned HTTP 200 and a 9.9 MB scan of the Gaceta Oficial of 15 September 2010, which was read with pdftotext. oas.org redirected every juridico path to its unavailable page. A clean digital text of the reprint was obtained from a Venezuelan law firm reproduction and the two were compared on articles 131, 149 and 153, which agree.
Ley Orgánica de Drogas, arts 2, 3, 34, 37, 53, 60, 62, 63, 130, 131, 139, 141, 142, 149, 150, 151, 153, 154 to 158 and 163, and Anexo I · sherloc.unodc.org · lablabor.com.ve · Constitución de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela arts 43 and 44 · cgr.gob.ve · INCB Yellow List, 65th edition, July 2026 · INCB Green List, 36th edition, 2025 · asambleanacional.gob.ve · Updated September 21, 2026
If prescribed / medical
Guatemala's traveller rule is article 3 of Decreto 48-92: "Solamente podrá autorizarse la importación, producción, fabricación, extracción, posesión y uso de las drogas en las cantidades estrictamente necesarias, exclusivamente por personas legalmente facultadas y bajo su estricta responsabilidad, para el tratamiento médico, los análisis toxicológicos y farmacológicos, la investigación científica y la elaboración de medicamentos", and "En los centros de comercialización para particulares, su venta requerirá receta médica". This substance sits in 1971 Convention Schedule IV, so any lawful holding runs through that authorisation route.
Documentation
Decreto 48-92 annexes no list of substances. Article 1 reaches the drugs "incluidos en los convenios y tratados internacionales al respecto, ratificados por Guatemala y en cualquier otro instrumento jurídico internacional que sobre esta materia se apruebe", and article 2(b) defines "Estupefacientes y sustancias psicotrópicas" as "Cualquier droga natural o sintética, así considerada en tratados o convenios internacionales de observancia obligatoria en la República de Guatemala, el Código de Salud y demás disposiciones que se emitan para determinar las drogas de uso prohibido a que se refiere la presente ley". An anchored search of the whole 57 KB law text returned no substance name at all, which is the measurement behind that reading. The health authority says the same thing in its own words: MSPAS Normativa 22-2001, section 2, states that "Los Estupefacientes y Sicotrópicos son los enumerados en la Convención Unica de 1961 sobre Estupefacientes, en el Convenio sobre Substancias Sicotrópicas de 1971 y en la Convención de las Naciones Unidas contra el Tráfico Ilícito de Estupefacientes y Sustancias Sicotrópicas y otras Sustancias consideradas como tales por las leyes del país y por las disposiciones dictadas por la autoridad de salud". The entry read was PZ 002, "ZOLPIDEM", in 1971 Convention Schedule IV. Article 2(b) therefore reaches it, because that list is a treaty list of obligatory observance in Guatemala, and articles 38 and 39 then apply to it as a drug, estupefaciente or psicotrópico. Article 38, "Comercio, tráfico y almacenamiento ilícito", sets prison of twelve to twenty years and a fine of Q50,000 to Q1,000,000, both of those figures being money and neither of them a quantity of any substance. Article 39, "Posesión para el consumo", makes possession for one's own consumption an offence in its own right, at four months to two years and a fine of Q200 to Q10,000, consumption being made out where the seized drug "no exceda de la cantidad razonable para el consumo inmediato". No article states a gram figure for any substance, so the line between personal use and trafficking is judicial. Article 36 sets five to twenty years for sowing or cultivation and article 37 eight to twenty years for manufacture, which puts the ceiling on the conduct articles at twenty years. Article 15 names article 39 among the sentences that may be commuted where the prison term does not exceed five years, at Q5 to Q100 per day. One figure in the superseded cell is corrected here. It put cultivation or manufacture at up to about twenty to twenty five years. Read from the gazette, article 36 sets five to twenty years and article 37 eight to twenty years, so twenty years is the ceiling on those two conduct articles and twenty five was never in the law [Certain, re-derived this pass]. Twenty years is not the maximum term this statute can impose: article 52 still provides thirty years where a death results, now that the words "muerte o" have gone from it. Carried from the live cell and not re-derived in this pass [Likely]: Guatemala has no medical cannabis, a 2016 bill having been rejected, and extradition to the United States is possible under a 1940 treaty.
Decreto 48-92, Ley contra la Narcoactividad, Diario de Centro América, 8 October 1992, arts 1, 2, 3, 12, 15, 36, 37, 38, 39, 52 · congreso.gob.gt · senabed.gob.gt · MSPAS Normativa 22-2001 secs 2 and 5, https://medicamentos.mspas.gob.gt/index.php/legislacion-vigente/normas-tecnicas?download=79%3Ano-22-2001 · INCB Yellow List 64th edition July 2025, read from the Universal Postal Union mirror at https://www.upu.int/UPU/media/upu/files/postalSolutions/programmesAndServices/postalSupplyChain/customs/listCustomsNarcoticDrugsUnderInternationalControlEn.pdf rather than from incb.org · INCB Green List 35th edition 2024, https://www.incb.org/documents/Psychotropics/forms/greenlist/2025/2412193E.pdf · INCB Red List 23rd edition July 2025, Tables I and II of the 1988 Convention, https://www.incb.org/documents/PRECURSORS/RED_LIST/RED_LIST_E.pdf · Updated September 21, 2026
Romania, Zolpidem, read from Portal Legislativ, the official legislation portal of the Ministry of Justice, and the ANMDMR consolidated text · read as in force on 18 September 2026 · located at Legea 143/2000, Tabelul III · arts. 1(d), 2(1), 4(1) · the entry itself is quoted in full in the legal status field and is not repeated here · outcome recorded by the source: VERIFIED · legislatie.just.ro · legislatie.just.ro · legislatie.just.ro · anm.ro · Updated September 20, 2026
Documentation
Carry the prescription and the original dispensing packaging for zolpidem, and get the State Institute for Drug Control to confirm the position in writing before you travel rather than at the border. That is the carriage answer and it is short because no traveller permit scheme, declaration form or carriage allowance for zolpidem appears anywhere in what was read for this row, and an absence in what was read is not proof that no scheme exists. Provenance follows. Act No. 139/1998 and Criminal Code No. 300/2005 were read on Slov-Lex, the official legal information portal, on 18 September 2026, in the consolidations effective 1 January 2026 and 18 August 2026. The basis recorded for this row is a named schedule entry.
Slovakia, Zolpidem, read from Slov-Lex, the official legal information portal of the Slovak Republic · read as in force on 18 September 2026 · located in Annex 1 to Act No. 139/1998, Group III of Annex 1, among the psychotropic substances · the entry itself is quoted in full in the legal status field and is not repeated here · the basis is a named schedule entry · no printed negligible amount, so the section 135c(2) statutory residual of one gram of material applies · section 135d scales the other bands from that figure by multiples of five, 250, 1,500 and 5,000 · the ceiling is life imprisonment under section 173(5) · Act 139 consolidation effective 1 January 2026 and Criminal Code consolidation effective 18 August 2026 · two of the four links below are the commercial mirror zakonypreludi.sk rather than Slov-Lex · slov-lex.sk · slov-lex.sk · zakonypreludi.sk · zakonypreludi.sk · Updated September 20, 2026
Documentation
Carry the dispensing label. Tablets split out of a bottle for a trip are the classic lawful supply with no evidence attached to them. The entry recorded for this row, «zolpidem», was read on 20 September 2026 across the First and Second Schedules of Chapter 11:25 and Legal Notice No. 345 of 2019. Whatever is carried, carry it in the container it was issued in, with the paper that names the patient, the substance, the dose and the period. A container separated from its label is the commonest way a lawful supply stops looking like one.
Trinidad and Tobago, Dangerous Drugs Act, Chapter 11:25, First and Second Schedules, read with Legal Notice No. 345 of 2019 and with sections 3 and 5, section 5 as amended by the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act No. 24 of 2019 · read as at 20 September 2026. The two real hyperlink targets held for the whole document are https://laws.gov.tt/ttdll-web/revision/download/46934?type=act and https://www.ttparliament.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/a2019-24g.pdf, and both are document level. This citation is document level and not per substance: the links column for this row holds the constructed text «zolpidem schedule | zolpidem penalty», which is a label and not a hyperlink, so no address in this field points at this row's entry rather than at the instrument as a whole. The row's own evidence is the recorded entry «zolpidem», taken by the named schedule route. The term the dossier records for this row is spelled the same in English and in Spanish, so it neither confirms nor contradicts the language of the reading, and the citation carries that limitation. The line this reading had to hold for this row in particular is that it checks the imidazopyridine hypnotic as its own psychotropic medicine entry. · Updated September 21, 2026
Documentation
Carry the prescription, the original dispensing pack with the pharmacy label in the patient's own name, and a prescriber's letter naming the active ingredient, the formulation including whether it is modified release, the strength, the nightly dose, the treatment period and the total number of tablets. Keep the quantity to the stated period rather than carrying an accumulated repeat supply, because the bands under наказ МОЗ № 188 attach to the heading at CAS 82626-48-0 whatever the reason for carriage. Do not decant. Declare on arrival. Read on 20 September 2026.
Ukraine, Постанова Кабінету Міністрів України № 770 від 6 травня 2000 року, Перелік, таблиці I to IV · printed heading «Золпідем» at CAS 82626-48-0, record UKR-88, sentence case for a list printed in capitals · an imidazopyridine listed under its own name and not one of the six diazepine members in this list. Consolidated text read at https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/770-2000-%D0%BF#Text as at 20 September 2026. Medicines regime, Закон України «Про лікарські засоби». List ownership, стаття 7 of Закон України «Про наркотичні засоби, психотропні речовини і прекурсори», https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/60/95-%D0%B2%D1%80#Text. Quantity bands, наказ МОЗ № 188, https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/z0512-00#Text. Ceiling for trafficking conduct, Кримінальний кодекс України стаття 307, https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2341-14#Text. · the article 44, 305, 307 and 309 penalties stated above are carried forward from this site's published Ukraine entry, which cites the Criminal Code articles 305, 307, 309 and 310, the Code of Administrative Offenses article 44 and Ministry of Health Order No. 188. They were not re-derived from the Code in this pass, and the published entry's own hedges, that the thresholds are very low and that trace amounts have triggered article 309, are carried with them · Updated September 21, 2026
lloc.gov.bh · lloc.gov.bh · lloc.gov.bh · lloc.gov.bh · Law 15 of 2007 on narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, Official Gazette 2804 of 16 August 2007, annex at pages 20 to 34, read 22 September 2026 · Decision 39 of 2016, Official Gazette 3276 of 25 August 2016 · Decision 11 of 2020, Official Gazette 3480 of 16 July 2020 · Decision 14 of 2020, Official Gazette 3492 of 8 October 2020 · Penal Code, Decree-Law No. 15 of 1976, Articles 49 and 50 · the 2019 drug death sentence and the commutation practice are carried forward from the cell this replaces and were not re-derived · Updated September 21, 2026
Misuse of Drugs Act, Chapter 27 of the Laws of Brunei Darussalam, Revised Edition 2013 (B.L.R.O. 2/2013). The list of controlled drugs sits in the First Schedule to the Act, not in subsidiary legislation, and the empowering section is section 35: "His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan in Council may, by order published in the Gazette, amend the First and Third Schedules". That power reaches the First and Third Schedules only, so the capital thresholds in the Second Schedule cannot be changed by order. The schedules were last amended by S 12/2012 and consolidated into this Revised Edition · the publisher's own page for Chapter 27 lists five amendment orders ending there, and every later gazette notification under the Act concerns approved institutions and appointments rather than any schedule. This cell was recorded as a measured absence across every part of both schedules and the Regulations. Read from the Attorney General's Chambers copy at https://www.agc.gov.bn/brulaw/misuse-of-drugs-act/ together with the Misuse of Drugs Regulations, Chapter 27, Rg 1. For zolpidem the reading turned on the searches "Zolpidem". · Updated September 21, 2026
If prescribed / medical
The note to Article 9 of the Psychotropics Law exempts import, export, possession and transport of a Schedule 2, 3 or 4 substance from that Law where the amount is proportionate to personal therapeutic use: «وارد یا خارج کردن از کشور یا نگاهداری یا حمل مواد مذکور در ماده 4 این قانون در صورتی که به مقادیر متناسب یا مصارف درمانی شخصی باشد از شمول کلیه مقررات این قانون معاف خواهد بود». That is a statutory exemption and not a licence, so carry the original packaging and the prescription, and confirm the position with the Iranian embassy before travel. Iran’s own entry in the INCB Country Regulations for Travellers, 2025 sheet, admits only original and intact drugs approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration, carried with a prescription and in quantities covering the stay, and it says that beyond 6 months you must see a physician in Iran. The contact it gives is ICSA at fda.gov.ir.
Documentation
Zolpidem sits in Schedule 4, and the Anti-Narcotics Law does not reach it by name. Articles 4 and 8 extend beyond their named substances only to other narcotics or non medicinal industrial psychotropics whose list Parliament approves, and all four of these schedules are headed the pharmaceutical list. Iran keeps the death penalty for drug offences and uses it. Article 45, added by the Act of 1396/07/12, which is 4 October 2017, and approved by the Guardian Council on 1396/07/26, which is 18 October 2017, reaches only offences that already carry death or life imprisonment under this Law, and its paragraph (t) sets the quantity limb: «کلیه جرائم موضوع ماده (4) این قانون مشروط بر اینکه بیش از پنجاه کیلوگرم باشد و مواد موضوع ماده (8) این قانون مشروط بر اینکه بیش از دو کیلوگرم باشد و در خصوص سایر جرائم موضوع ماده (8) در صورتیکه بیش از سه کیلوگرم باشد». The quantities are more than 50 kilograms for Article 4 offences, more than 2 kilograms for the Article 8 supply limb, and more than 3 kilograms for the other Article 8 offences of buying, keeping, concealing or transporting, which is how the Head of the Judiciary circular of 1396/10/16, meaning 6 January 2018, reads that paragraph at its own paragraph 7. Below those quantities the older capital wording does not lapse by itself, because Article 45 converts a former death case to grade one imprisonment of up to thirty years and a former life case to grade two imprisonment, with confiscation of drug proceeds in both. The money runs beside that conversion: a grade one fine up to twice its minimum for the former death case and a grade two fine for the former life case. Paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of Article 45 carry no quantity floor at all, and reach an offender who drew or carried a weapon, a ringleader, a financial backer or investor, an offender who used a person under eighteen or a person lacking capacity, and an offender with a final prior conviction under this Law for death, life or more than fifteen years. Advisory opinion 7/99/136 applies paragraph (c) to the transport of 80 grams of heroin and to the possession of 200 kilograms of opium, which is why a weight under two kilograms is not a safe limit. At least 503 drug related executions were recorded in 2024 and 471 in 2023, roughly half of all executions and carried out by hanging, which the US Library of Congress Global Legal Monitor reports and Harm Reduction International and Amnesty International corroborate. A second figure of 485 for 2024 also sits in this project’s earlier Iran records, unattributed there, and the two were not reconciled, so both are printed rather than one being chosen. Those figures are set out here because this row is placed outside that regime, so they are recorded as Iran’s published drug penalties and not as this substance’s exposure. Version read for this cell: the Anti-Narcotics Law of 1367/08/03, which is 25 October 1988, as the publisher’s consolidation carries it, with its 1376, 1380, 1389, 1396 and 1399 amendments, meaning 1997, 2001, 2010, 2017 and 2020, and the fine revision of 1403/03/30, which is 19 June 2024, and the four psychotropic schedules as those schedules stand after the Cabinet decision of 1384/09/13, which is 4 December 2005, both read on 22 September 2026, together with the narcotics-list decree of 1338/05/02, which is July 1959, whose Article 5 carries an amendment of 1352/12/28, meaning 19 March 1974, and the Psychotropics Law of 1354/02/08, which is 28 April 1975. Item 419 of the health invalidation law of 1399/08/05, meaning 26 October 2020, names annexes 1 to 4 of the 1354 Psychotropics Law, and Judiciary advisory opinion 7/1400/434 of 1400/09/09, meaning 30 November 2021, reads that as reaching the 1354 Law’s own original annexes, which later Cabinet decisions had already displaced, so the 1384/09/13 schedules stand. Article 1 of the 1354 Psychotropics Law lets the Ministry revise these four schedules on a recommendation of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs, but only with Cabinet approval, publication and a further fifteen days, so a change to the 1971 Psychotropic Substances Convention does not enter Iranian law by itself, and the 1961 and 1971 Convention schedules are not the Iranian list. Provenance of the placement: the schedule and entry number stated for this row was read in the instrument itself and was not taken from the project dossier, because no quoted extract in that dossier carries a schedule marker for any substance, measured across all 88 of its quotation cells on 22 September 2026. Older bands survive inside the same articles and are what Article 45 converts. Article 4 band 4 reads death and confiscation above 5 kilograms, with a note giving life imprisonment, 74 lashes and confiscation for a first offence of 20 kilograms or less that was not distributed or sold. Article 8 band 6 reads death and confiscation above 30 grams, with a note giving life imprisonment for a first offence of no more than 100 grams that was not distributed or sold. Before the 1396 Act, meaning before 2017, the reported capital thresholds were far lower, at more than 30 grams of heroin or cocaine and more than 5 kilograms of opium or cannabis. The Anti-Narcotics Law itself dates from 1988 and the substances it incorporates by definition come from the narcotics list decree of 1959. Article 41 excludes authorised medical, research and industrial activity: «ساخت، تولید، خرید، فروش، ارسال، نگهداری، ورود، صدور، مصرف و حمل مواد ممنوع حسب مورد برای مصارف پزشکی، تحقیقاتی و صنعتی با مجوز وزارت بهداشت، درمان و آموزش پزشکی از شمول این قانون مستثنی است», so a medicinal use or a trade name does not by itself establish that the Ministry of Health permission exists. Carry any controlled medicine in its original packaging with the prescription, and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Cabinet decision of 1384/09/13 adopting the four updated psychotropic schedules, replacing those attached to decision 15372/T30726 of 1383/04/28 · davoudabadi.ir · solh.ir · Psychotropics Law of 1354/02/08 · davoudabadi.ir · Judiciary advisory opinion 7/1400/434 of 1400/09/09 · davoudabadi.ir · Updated September 21, 2026
If prescribed / medical
There is a lawful medical route, and section 28 is where it sits. Section 28(c) takes out of the Law the use, possession and transportation of a narcotic drug or psychotropic substance permitted by the Ministry of Health under the direction of a registered medical practitioner, in accordance with the stipulations, and section 28(b) does the same for use in the manner prescribed for medical treatment with the consent of the relevant Ministry. Two things follow for Zolpidem. The exemption turns on Myanmar's own permission, not on a foreign one, so a prescription written abroad is evidence of why you hold Zolpidem and not, by itself, the permission section 28(c) asks for. And section 16(d) makes it a 5 to 10 year offence for a person who holds Zolpidem with permission to pass it to a person who does not, so sharing a lawful supply is itself an offence.
Documentation
Carry the prescription, keep Zolpidem in the pharmacy container with the dispensing label and your name on it, and carry a letter from the prescriber naming the drug, the dose and the condition it treats. Then be clear about what that paperwork does. It evidences why you hold Zolpidem; it is not the permission section 28(c) asks for, which is a Ministry of Health permission granted in Myanmar under the direction of a registered medical practitioner. Write to the Myanmar embassy before travelling, ask specifically about Zolpidem, and carry the reply with the prescription. Where the rule comes from. The instrument is the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law, State Law and Order Restoration Council Law 1/93, as amended by Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Law 6/2018. The substance lists are not in the Law itself. Section 2(a) makes a narcotic drug one the Ministry of Health has declared by notification, section 2(b) does the same for a psychotropic substance, and section 30(b), as substituted in 2018, is the power: the Central Body and the Ministries concerned may issue notifications, orders, directives, and procedures. The live lists are Notification 24/2025 for narcotic drugs and Notification 25/2025 for psychotropic substances. Checked 17 September 2026. Placement for Zolpidem: Notification 25/2025, List 4. Zolpidem is individually printed in List 4 immediately before the Myanmar-specific ketamine entry, making its current status explicit. One limit on this cell is worth stating plainly. A further amending law, NDSC Law 17/2025, is reported to exist, and its text could not be obtained from any of the three routes tried. Nothing here is cited to it, and every section number and every quantity above is quoted from the 1993 Law as amended in 2018.
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law, SLORC Law 1/93, sections 2, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26 and 28 · https://www.myanmartradeportal.gov.mm/legal/344 | The Law Amending the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law, Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Law 6/2018, items 3, 20, 22, 25 and 27 · https://www.mfiu.gov.mm/sites/default/files/document/files/The%20Law%20Amending%20the%20Narcotic%20Drugs%20and%20Psychotropic%20Substances%20Law%202018.pdf | Notification 25/2025 · https://www.myanmartradeportal.gov.mm/en/legal/504 | placement for Zolpidem: Notification 25/2025, List 4 · Updated September 21, 2026
Law on Combating Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, Royal Decree 17/99, Official Gazette 643 of 15 March 1999, as amended by Royal Decree 34/2015 (Gazette 1118, 11 October 2015) and Royal Decree 24/2023 (Gazette 1490, 25 April 2023), articles 2, 3, 4, 43, 44, 46, 47 and 64 · https://qanoon.om/p/1999/l1999017/ | Ministry of Health Ministerial Decision 131/2020 replacing Group 2 tables 1, 2 and 3, Gazette 1360 of 4 October 2020 · https://qanoon.om/p/2020/moh20200131/ | placement for Zolpidem: in no table read, which is surprising enough for a substance controlled in most comparable jurisdictions that this cell does not treat the absence as settled · Updated September 21, 2026
Documentation
The наредба has no consolidated text at an official publisher. What was read instead is the official file set: the наредба as adopted by Постановление № 293 of 27 October 2011, then every one of the fourteen amending Постановления in order, each downloaded as the Word file the Council of Ministers legal information system publishes. Приложение № 1 was replaced whole by Постановление № 253 of 2013, so the 2013 text and not the 2011 one is the base for Списък I. The row relied on for this cell is in Приложение № 3 as enacted by Постановление № 293 of 27 October 2011. One § of Постановление № 184 of 2023 amends a different instrument, Постановление № 23 of 1998 on the prices of narcotic substances for court proceedings, and its rows were excluded from the search rather than read as schedule entries. The Penal Code figures in the street paragraph are carried forward from the live Bulgaria cell and were not re-derived here, so the Penal Code itself was not read for this row. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Bulgaria, Наредба за реда за класифициране на растенията и веществата като наркотични, Приложение № 3, Списък III, the entry for Zolpidem · the instrument carrying that entry is Приложение № 3 as enacted by Постановление № 293 of 27 October 2011 at https://pris.government.bg/document/65505dc00d92c4be0a95ef8ecc4e8bbd · the наредба as adopted, with its full amendment chain, at https://pris.government.bg/document/65505dc00d92c4be0a95ef8ecc4e8bbd · Закон за контрол върху наркотичните вещества и прекурсорите, чл. 3, ал. 2, чл. 4, ал. 2, чл. 58 and чл. 60, in the consolidated text published by the Ministry of Health at https://www.mh.government.bg/bg/normativni-aktove/zakoni/kontrol-varhu-narkotichni-veshtestva-i-prekursori/ · the Penal Code figures in consequences_street are carried forward from the live Bulgaria cell and were not re-derived in this pass · the live cell's own citation for those figures is Penal Code Arts 354a, 354b and 354c with the Law on Control of Narcotic Substances and Precursors (ZKNVP) · the lists were read as they stand after Постановление № 49 of 8 May 2025 and read on 21 September 2026 · Updated September 21, 2026
Documentation
Carry the prescription and the original dispensing packaging for zolpidem, and get the State Medicines Control Agency of Lithuania to confirm the position in writing before you travel rather than at the border. That is the carriage answer and it is short because no traveller permit scheme, declaration form or carriage allowance for zolpidem appears anywhere in what was read for this row, and an absence in what was read is not proof that no scheme exists. Provenance follows. The instruments were read on the Register of Legal Acts and the Seimas legal acts portal, both official, on 18 September 2026: Health Minister Order No. 5, Health Minister Order V-239, the Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances Control Law and the Criminal Code. The basis recorded for this row is a named list entry.
Lithuania, Zolpidem, read from the official Register of Legal Acts and the Seimas legal acts portal · read as in force on 18 September 2026 · located in Health Minister Order No. 5, with Order V-239 at table item 393 · the entry itself is quoted in full in the legal status field and is not repeated here · the basis is a named list entry · printed quantities: small not more than 0,02 g, large more than 0,6 g, very large more than 1,5 g · Control Law article 4 delegates the list, Criminal Code article 269(1) adopts it as the Code's drug definition and article 269(2) sends the quantity question to Order V-239 · Order No. 5 and Order V-239 consolidations both begin 18 June 2025 · e-tar.lt · e-tar.lt · e-tar.lt · e-seimas.lrs.lt · Updated September 20, 2026
Estonia, Zolpidem, read from Riigi Teataja, the official state gazette of the Republic of Estonia, and from the State Agency of Medicines · read as in force on 18 September 2026 · located at Annex 1 to Minister of Social Affairs Regulation No 73 as «Zolpideem» · the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act section 3(1)(3) supplies the large quantity test and Penal Code sections 183 and 184 supply the penalties · schedule review covers the amendment effective 31 December 2024 · riigiteataja.ee · riigiteataja.ee · ravimiamet.ee · Updated September 20, 2026
Documentation
Carry the prescription and the original dispensing packaging for zolpidem, and get the State Agency of Medicines of Latvia to confirm the position in writing before you travel rather than at the border. That is the carriage answer and it is short because no traveller permit scheme, declaration form or carriage allowance for zolpidem appears anywhere in what was read for this row, and an absence in what was read is not proof that no scheme exists. Provenance follows. The controlling text was read on likumi.lv, the official consolidated law portal of Latvia, on 18 September 2026: Annex 2 to the law on the entry into force and application of the Criminal Law, the Circulation Law, and the Criminal Law itself. The basis recorded for this row is a named entry. The instrument pages carry no separate reuse licence, so this row uses short attributed quotation and a link to the official text.
Latvia, Zolpidem, read from likumi.lv, the official consolidated law portal of the Republic of Latvia · read as in force on 18 September 2026 · located in Annex 2 to the law on the entry into force and application of the Criminal Law, at item 16(72), in Schedule III, which covers dangerous psychotropic substances · the entry itself is quoted in full in the legal status field and is not repeated here · the basis is a named entry · printed quantities: small up to 0,6 g, large from 10 g · Circulation Law section 3(2) points to Annex 2, and Criminal Law section 253 with its superscript one and superscript two variants supplies the penalties · Annex 2 is the 29 April 2021 text as amended to 13 November 2025 · likumi.lv · likumi.lv · likumi.lv · Updated September 20, 2026
Documentation
Carry any controlled medicine in its original dispensing packaging with the prescription, and carry a Schengen certificate where one is required for the substance and the length of stay. Confirm the requirement with the Slovenian embassy or consulate before travelling rather than at the border, and be ready to show the active ingredient, since a foreign brand name is assessed in Slovenia through its proved ingredients and not through the name on the box. The placement relied on for this row is Group III, row 37, and that is what was read on 20 September 2026. The annex to the Uredba o razvrstitvi prepovedanih drog was read on 20 September 2026. The dossier read for this cell names no edition and no amendment date for that annex, so the horizon of this cell is the reading date and nothing later, and this does not rule out a later amendment. The list moves by amendment of the Uredba itself, because article 2 of the Uredba makes the annex a constituent part of the regulation, so the Criminal Code can stay untouched while the names on the list change.
Slovenia, Uredba o razvrstitvi prepovedanih drog, article 2 and the annex in Groups I, II and III · read at https://pisrs.si/pregledPredpisa?id=URED7970 with the annex at https://pisrs.si/api/datoteke/integracije/403462486 on 20 September 2026. The entry relied on for this row is at Group III, row 37 of the annex. The Production of and Trade in Illicit Drugs Act, the ZPPPD, article 33, at https://pisrs.si/pregledPredpisa?id=ZAKO1388 · the Criminal Code, the KZ-1, articles 186 and 187, at https://pisrs.si/pregledPredpisa?id=ZAKO5050. Annex entry headings are printed in capitals in the original and are re-voiced here in normal case. The fifteen year ceiling at article 186, paragraphs 2 and 3, and the absence of any death penalty, are stated by the dossier read for this cell. The fine band of roughly 42 to 209 euro under article 33, the one to ten and three to fifteen year ranges under article 186 and the six months to twelve years under article 187 are carried forward from the Slovenia entry already published and were not re-derived from the statute text in this pass · they do not contradict the ceiling the dossier states. The register publishes the Uredba, its annex, the Act and the Criminal Code for public reading, which is not an unrestricted licence to republish, so only the wording needed for verification is reproduced. No judicial ruling is relied on, and product composition, structural identity, medicinal authorisation and intent all remain fact sensitive. The dossier names no edition or amendment date for the annex, and this does not rule out a later amendment. · the group stated for this row was confirmed against the annex itself, read at the Slovenian legal information system on 21 September 2026: the entry printed as ZOLPIDEM stands under the heading SKUPINA III, subsection b.1.0 at its row 37. The group is a heading above the rows rather than a column on them, which is why no quotation of a single row can carry it, and this reading supersedes the earlier statement that the group rests on a locator column alone · SKUPINA III is divided into subsections whose row numbers restart in each, so a row number alone does not identify an entry there. This row is in subsection b.1.0. Row 18 of b.1.0 is KLONAZEPAM and row 18 of c.1.0 is FENIBUT, which is why those two were earlier reported as colliding on one number when both locators were correct · Updated September 21, 2026
If prescribed / medical
The dossier carries no prescription information and no traveller rule for Serbia at all, so this cell defers rather than inventing one. The country level question, meaning which Serbian body authorises a controlled medicine carried in, what paperwork it wants, what quantity it allows and how long an authorisation runs, was not established by the source behind this batch and has to be settled with the Serbian authorities before travel. What can be attached to the deferral is this substance's placement. Zolpidem sits on the Spisak at Lista 7, red 19, under CAS 82626-48-0, and that is a controlled substance listing rather than an entry under the Serbian medicines law, so any lawful holding runs through the controlled substance regime and a prescription written in another country is not a Serbian authorisation and does not become one at the border.
Documentation
Treat the placement as the checkable fact and the quantity as the open one. The row cited here, Lista 7, red 19, under CAS 82626-48-0, with the systematic name recorded as «N,N-dimetil-2-(6-metil-2-(p-tolil)imidazopiridin-3-il)acetamid», was checked on 20 September 2026 against the Spisak at Službeni glasnik RS 12/2026. Carry any medicine in its original dispensing packaging with the prescription and a doctor's letter naming the patient, the active ingredient, the dose and the treatment period, and ask the Serbian authorities before travelling rather than at the border. Do not carry a gram figure into Serbia from another country's law. The Spisak row and Criminal Code arts 246 and 246a give none, and a number taken from somewhere else will not be the one a Serbian court applies. The citation behind this cell is document level and is the same link for all 88 Serbian substances.
Serbia, Pravilnik o utvrđivanju Spiska psihoaktivnih kontrolisanih supstanci, Službeni glasnik RS 12/2026, Član 2, Spisak Lista 7, red 19, under CAS 82626-48-0, with Criminal Code arts 246 and 246a carrying the conduct and art. 246(5) read with art. 45(1) carrying the 20 year ceiling the dossier records · read at https://www.paragraf.rs/propisi/pravilnik-o-utvrdjivanju-spiska-psihoaktivnih-kontrolisanih-supstanci.html for the Spisak and https://www.paragraf.rs/propisi/krivicni-zakonik-2019.html for the Criminal Code, a commercial republication in Latin script rather than the Cyrillic text of the Službeni glasnik RS. The dossier holds one link value for all 88 Serbian substances, so this citation is document level and not per substance, and nothing in it should be read as a source pinned to this substance alone. The dossier's own link field ran the two addresses together into one string with no separator between them. Read as at 20 September 2026. · the article 246, 246a and 247 penalties stated above are carried forward from this site's published Serbia entry, which cites the Criminal Code articles 246, 246a and 247 and the Law on Psychoactive Controlled Substances. They were not re-derived from the Code in this pass, and that entry's own statement that small quantity is not numerically defined is carried with them · Updated September 21, 2026
Al-Waqa'i al-Iraqiyya No. 4446 of 8 May 2017, Law No. 50 of 2017 with its annexed schedules: https://www.moj.gov.iq/upload/pdf/4446.pdf · Ministry of Health Statement 197 of 2021 adopting updated schedules in replacement, al-Waqa'i al-Iraqiyya No. 4651 of 25 October 2021: https://www.moj.gov.iq/upload/pdf/4651.pdf · Statement 33 of 2023, No. 4711 of 13 March 2023: https://www.moj.gov.iq/upload/pdf/4711.pdf · Statement 238 of 2023, No. 4737 of 18 September 2023: https://www.moj.gov.iq/upload/pdf/4737_331.pdf · Statement 348 of 2024, No. 4804 of 2 December 2024: https://www.moj.gov.iq/upload/pdf/4804_compressed_161.pdf · Statement 347 of 2025, No. 4849 of 17 November 2025: https://www.moj.gov.iq/upload/pdf/1b8a5aada31e000a_4849_compressed.pdf · the 2024 death-sentence count and the 15 year personal-use figure are carried forward from the previous cell and not re-derived, per the US State Department and Iraqi court statements reported by 964media and The New Region · secondary references carried forward from the previous cell and not re-derived: https://sherloc.unodc.org/ · unodc.org · hri.global · travel.state.gov · 2017-2021.state.gov · incb.org · euda.europa.eu · refworld.org · this project's Iraq substance dossier was checked on 20 September 2026 and its post-enactment amendment route is superseded here by the five Official Gazette statements named above · the Washington Institute · Updated September 21, 2026
Documentation
Carry the prescription and the original dispensing packaging, keep the quantity to what the prescription covers, and keep the prescriber's details legible. Keep the tablets in the labelled pack rather than loose in a wash bag, and do not carry tablets dispensed to another person. Bring a doctor's letter naming the patient, the active ingredient, the dose and the treatment period, and get the Jordan Food and Drug Administration's position in writing before you fly rather than at the airport. No traveller permit scheme, declaration form or carriage allowance appears anywhere in the text of Law No. 23 of 2016 as read for this row, and an absence in what was read is not proof that no scheme exists; Jordan does furnish the International Narcotics Control Board a traveller regulation sheet. The Schedule 9 placement was read on 17 September 2026.
Jordan, Law No. 23 of 2016, Schedule 9 entry for zolpidem «الجدول رقم (9): زولبيديم», with article 2 supplying the Schedules 5 to 9 psychotropic definition, article 3 the scope provision, articles 19 and 20 the trafficking, life and death provisions and article 37 the amendment power · read at https://www.jfda.jo/ebv4.0/root_storage/ar/eb_list_page/%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%88%D9%86_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AE%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA_%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A4%D8%AB%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%82%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9_%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%86%D8%A9_2016_%D9%88%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%87.pdf, the Jordan Food and Drug Administration's own consolidation of the Law, with the official schedules at https://www.jfda.jo/ebv4.0/root_storage/ar/eb_list_page/%D8%AC%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%84_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AF_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AE%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%A9_%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A4%D8%AB%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%82%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9_%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%81_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A%D8%A9_29-12-2025.pdf and the regulator's legislation index at https://jfda.jo/Ar/List/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A%D9%86 · Law No. 23 of 2016 was published in Official Gazette No. 5402 on 16 June 2016 and took effect on 15 August 2016, as amended by Law No. 24 of 2021, Gazette No. 5746 of 23 September 2021, in force 23 October 2021 · the amendment horizon is 16 September 2026 and the body of the 16 September 2026 schedules file could not be retrieved, so the last fully searchable official schedule text is the consolidation updated 29 December 2025 · the regulator's copyright page permits viewing and printing for personal and non-commercial use, permits linking, and permits short portions to be republished unchanged with attribution, which is the basis on which the Arabic above is quoted · read as at 17 September 2026 · Updated September 20, 2026
· corroborated by the Advocates for Human Rights, Amnesty International and Harm Reduction International
Albania states one traveller rule and not a route for each substance. Scheduled medicines and other prescription products stay subject to Ligji për barnat dhe shërbimin farmaceutik and to its prescription, packaging, import and customs requirements, and a brand or street name is resolved through the proved active ingredient rather than the label on the container. The Albania dossier read for this work carries no prescription column at all, so no medical route particular to this row is stated here and none is invented. The placement that rule attaches to is the printed entry «Zolpidem», keyed by CAS 82626-48-0, reached by the search on «zolpidem» in the tables annexed to Ligji nr. 7975, datë 26.7.1995, për barnat narkotike, psikotrope dhe të kontrolluara.
Documentation
The placement read for this row is «Zolpidem», keyed by CAS 82626-48-0, reached by the search on «zolpidem», in the tables annexed to Ligji nr. 7975, datë 26.7.1995, për barnat narkotike, psikotrope dhe të kontrolluara as those tables stand after Ligji nr. 17/2026. Carry any controlled medicine in its original dispensing packaging with the prescription and a doctor's letter naming the patient, the active ingredient, the dose and the treatment period, and settle the import question with the Albanian authorities before travelling rather than at the border. Carried forward from the Albania entry already published on this site and not re-derived in this pass: cannabis cultivation is prohibited under Law 88/2016, article 9, except authorised medical cultivation, and the Law 61/2023 medical cannabis and CBD framework is export only. The act, the annexed tables and the amending list instrument were read as at 20 September 2026.
Albania, Ligji nr. 7975, datë 26.7.1995, për barnat narkotike, psikotrope dhe të kontrolluara with its annexed 1961 and 1971 Convention tables, read at https://qbz.gov.al/eli/ligj/1995/07/26/7975 · the list amending instrument is Ligji nr. 17/2026, neni 1 and shtojca nr. 1, Fletorja Zyrtare 41/2026, read at https://qbz.gov.al/share/ALlzohAkQQKSoEJ8lSY6Bw · the offences are in the Criminal Code, Ligji nr. 7895, datë 27.1.1995, articles 283, 283/a and 284, read at https://qbz.gov.al/eli/ligj/1995/01/27/7895 · the row read for this cell is keyed by CAS 82626-48-0, reached by the search on zolpidem. That entry is quoted in full in the legal status and street fields of this cell and is cited by locator here, because this field renders as separate citation chips · the penalty bands under articles 283, 283/a, 283/b and 284, the Supreme Court decision of 27 March 2008, the observed sentencing practice, the administrative path under the Code of Misdemeanors article 121, and Law 88/2016 and Law 61/2023 are carried forward from the Albania entry already published on this site and were not re-derived from the statute text in this pass. Every hedge the published entry attaches to those figures is carried with them, and none of them is offered as a reading of the statute made here · the tables are taken as those tables stand after Ligji nr. 17/2026 and that does not rule out a later addition · the publisher reserves its rights and no open reuse licence was located, so only the wording verification requires is reproduced · the law and the list were read as at 20 September 2026 · Updated September 21, 2026
Documentation
Carry the prescription and the original dispensing packaging, and expect the prescription, packaging, import and customs requirements under Закон за лековите и медицинските средства to be the measure, because the source states no separate traveller permit and no import certificate scheme of its own. A brand or street name is resolved through the proved active ingredient, so carry paperwork that names the active ingredient and not only the product name. The placement read for this row, a printed row under the locator золпидем keyed to CAS 82626-48-0, was read as at 20 September 2026 in the classification list at Службен весник на РСМ бр. 104/2021.
North Macedonia, Листи за класификација на супстанции и растенија, Службен весник на РСМ бр. 104/2021, printed substance row, locator золпидем, CAS 82626-48-0 · the lists are made under член 21 став 2 of Закон за контрола на опојни дроги и психотропни супстанции, so the minister of health owns the substance names and the statute does not · penalties at Кривичен законик, Article 215(1) for the ten year ceiling and Article 215(2) for the reduced offence · lists read at https://malmed.gov.mk/wp-content/uploads/Listi_za_klasifikacija-opoji-drogi_i_psihotropni_supstanci-Sl.Vesnik-.br_.104_od_2021.pdf and the consolidated control Act read at https://diz.gov.mk/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ZAKON-ZA-KONTROLA-NA-OPOJNI-DROGI-I-PSIHOTROPNI-SUPSTANCII.pdf · the publisher makes these available without granting an unrestricted republication licence, so only what verification requires is reproduced here · read as at 20 September 2026 · carried forward and not sourced in this pass: the three to ten year band at Article 215, the six months to three years band for the lesser-quantity paragraph added in September 2009, the chapter 21 locator, Article 216 for facilitating or enabling use, Article 217 for severe bodily injury or health damage through those offences, the absence of a separate personal-possession offence, and the reported prosecutorial working thresholds of about 2 g of cocaine, 2 g of heroin and 5 g of cannabis are taken from the published 2cb entry for North Macedonia. They were not re-derived from the Кривичен законик or from any statute text in this pass, no web source was consulted, and the thresholds remain reported prosecutorial practice and not statutory. The chapter 21 locator is corroborated by that published entry and is still unverified against the Кривичен законик itself. The dossier read for this pass supports only the ten year ceiling at Article 215(1) and the existence of a reduced offence at Article 215(2) · Updated September 21, 2026
If prescribed / medical
No traveller rule for Bosnia and Herzegovina is stated in the sources read at all, so the medical route is deferred here rather than described: nothing in the material read says what a visitor must hold to bring a controlled medicine in, who authorises it, or whether a foreign prescription counts. What is settled is this substance's placement, and it is this: the substance is printed by name, so an ordinary sleeping tablet prescription is a prescription for a controlled medicine here; no traveller conditions are stated. Do not read a placement as a medical permission, and do not read the missing rule as the absence of one.
Documentation
A common sleeping tablet carried without thought is the likeliest quiet exposure among the substances checked. The reading behind this answer was made on 20 September 2026 against the list attached to the 2006 Law, as consolidated through Official Gazette 56/26 with the remifentanil move at 58/26, and that date is the whole horizon of the claim: a later amendment is not ruled out. Because the no traveller rule is stated, the documents to carry for any controlled medicine are not listed in the material read and have to be settled with the authorities before travel.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, the list attached to the 2006 Law, as consolidated through Official Gazette 56/26 with the remifentanil move at 58/26, Tables I to III · entry read for this substance: «zolpidem» · the entry as printed is a bare substance name with no salt, isomer, preparation or analogue limb · list read at https://www.sluzbenilist.ba/page/akt/Xy4oDjohz4nh78h772k1Q= · separate quantity instrument read at https://sluzbenilist.ba/page/akt/BWhSA8RjiKk=, which returned no entry for this substance · Criminal Code of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, articles 43 and 238, read at https://www.paragraf.ba/propisi/fbih/krivicni-zakon-federacije-bosne-i-hercegovine · the article 195 penalty detail, the misdemeanour track and the Brčko fine figures stated above are carried forward from this substance's published 2cb.com entry as it stood at its last_updated of 2026-07-14, with the caveats that entry attached to them, and were not re-derived from statute text in this pass · read as at 20 September 2026, and reading it on that date does not rule out a later amendment · Updated September 21, 2026
Georgia, Law No. 624 and its annexed Lists I to IV, with Article 260 of the Criminal Code of Georgia carrying the penalty ceiling · this row rests on the entry «ზოლპიდემი» at record GEO-88, identified by CAS 82626-48-0. Read in the final consolidated text on the Legislative Herald of Georgia, which the dossier calls Matsne, on 20 September 2026. The set that produced this record is one term written twice, in lower case and in capitals, so it is a single name rather than two independent ones, and the record is only as wide as that name. No per row link exists in the dossier this cell is built from, which carries no web address for this substance or for any other, so the instrument is cited in prose and no address is given · none has been taken from the previous version of this cell or from anywhere else. The dossier's outcome for this row is verified. · Updated September 21, 2026
Documentation
Carry the prescription and the original dispensing packaging for any medicine containing zolpidem, with a doctor's letter naming the patient, the active ingredient, the dose and the treatment period, and put the question to the Armenian Ministry of Health or the nearest Armenian embassy in writing before travelling rather than at the border. The placement carried against is the printed annex line «Զոլպիդեմ», record ARM-88, Chemical Abstracts number 82626-48-0. It was read on 20 September 2026 against the current incorporation of N 1129-Ն read together with amendment N 334-Ն of 26 March 2026, which took effect on 27 March 2026. The paperwork should show the course length, because the annex line sets no course limb and a large pack is what draws a question.
Armenia, printed annex entry «Զոլպիդեմ», record ARM-88, Chemical Abstracts number 82626-48-0 · the annex to Government Decision N 1129-Ն of 21 August 2003, controlled lists 1 to 4 · version read is the current incorporation of N 1129-Ն read together with amendment N 334-Ն of 26 March 2026, which took effect on 27 March 2026 · penalties at the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia, Article 393(3) for the 12 year ceiling and Article 393(4) to (6) for the significant, large and especially large bands measured from the Government's minimum small amount figure · search set as recorded in the source, «zolpidem», all Latin script · official current incorporation of Decision N 1129-Ն at https://www.arlis.am/hy/acts/205965 · official amendment N 334-Ն of 26 March 2026 at https://www.arlis.am/en/acts/222947 · official Criminal Code Article 393 at https://www.arlis.am/hy/acts/153080 · official narcotics law «Թմրամիջոցների և հոգեմետ նյութերի մասին» at https://www.arlis.am/hy/acts/181155 · read as at 20 September 2026 · Updated September 21, 2026
If prescribed / medical
Montenegro's traveller rule in this reading is a country level one and not a substance level one: scheduled medicines and other prescription products remain subject to the Zakon o ljekovima and to prescription, packaging, import and customs requirements, and a brand or street label is resolved through proved active ingredients. The placement to attach to that rule on this row is the printed Prilog entry «Zolpidem | CAS 82626-48-0», so a preparation containing it is a scheduled medicine question and not an unscheduled one. The dossier carries no prescription column at all, which was confirmed by tools/check-dossier.py, so no per substance medical route was established here: no import permit route, no personal quantity ceiling and no certificate requirement was read for this row, and none has been invented for it. The reading behind this row is the printed Prilog row «Zolpidem | CAS 82626-48-0».
Documentation
Carry the medicine in its original dispensing packaging with the prescription and a doctor's letter naming the patient, the active ingredient, the dose and the treatment period, and expect the active ingredient rather than the brand to decide the question, because the entry this row rests on is «Zolpidem | CAS 82626-48-0» and it was read in the Prilog on 20 September 2026. The consolidated control Act was read at https://www.gov.me/en/documents/afd3651b-7fdd-43b9-b324-6e1e1a1a36cb and the Ministry schedule at https://www.gov.me/dokumenta/5aa4ae6f-0e4b-4f30-8c5e-75f9e413b019 on 20 September 2026. No express open reuse licence was located on either page, so only the wording needed for verification is reproduced, with attribution and a direct link. The record this advice rests on is the printed Prilog row «Zolpidem | CAS 82626-48-0».
Montenegro, Pravilnik o utvrđivanju spiska droga, psihotropnih supstanci i bilja koje se može koristiti za proizvodnju droga, 56/2012 as amended by 54/2015, Član 1 and Prilog, printed row «Zolpidem | CAS 82626-48-0», with Član 4 of the Zakon o sprječavanju zloupotrebe droga behind it as the empowering provision · the criminal ceiling cited is Article 300 of the Krivični zakonik at fifteen years and the dossier records no death penalty. The consolidated control Act was read at https://www.gov.me/en/documents/afd3651b-7fdd-43b9-b324-6e1e1a1a36cb and the Ministry schedule at https://www.gov.me/dokumenta/5aa4ae6f-0e4b-4f30-8c5e-75f9e413b019 on 20 September 2026. No express open reuse licence was located on either page, so only the wording needed for verification is reproduced, with attribution and a direct link. The Prilog was read as those tables stand after the 54/2015 amendment, and this does not rule out a later amendment made under Član 4 · the reading this row rests on is the printed Prilog row «Zolpidem | CAS 82626-48-0» · the Article 300 penalty bands stated in consequences_street are carried forward from this site's published Montenegro entry, which cites the Criminal Code at Official Gazette 70/2003 consolidated through 110/2023, attributes the roughly two to fifteen year figure to the United States State Department narcotics report and records that the Article 300(1) to (5) paragraph ranges are not individually pinned there · they were not re-derived from the Krivični zakonik in this pass · Updated September 21, 2026
If prescribed / medical
Таблица III of the Список is headed as the schedule of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances used for medical purposes and held under control, which is the lighter of the two medical schedules, so Zolpidem has a domestic prescribing route. The Resolution fixes the schedule and the seizure sizes and says nothing about what a visitor may bring in, so the carriage question is answered by the health ministry's import rules and not by this text.
Documentation
Provenance. The placement and the grams on this row were read from the consolidated text of Government Resolution of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 470 of 3 July 2019 approving the Список наркотических средств, психотропных веществ и прекурсоров, подлежащих контролю в Республике Казахстан and the Сводная таблица of small, large and particularly large sizes at https://zakon.uchet.kz/rus/docs/P1900000470, which is the state legal information system's copy, on 2026-09-21. The tables were parsed by column position rather than by reading them as a stream of lines, which matters because a blank небольшой размер cell is a real feature of this table and a line reader silently shifts the remaining figures one column left. The copy read carries the amendment of 24 February 2026 made by Government Resolution No. 111, and the Сводная таблица is wholly in that redaction, so every size quoted here is the 24 February 2026 text. Russian names are quoted as the instrument prints them, except that the list prints the Список entries in capitals and they are given here in ordinary case.
Kazakhstan, Government Resolution of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 470 of 3 July 2019 approving the Список наркотических средств, психотропных веществ и прекурсоров, подлежащих контролю в Республике Казахстан and the Сводная таблица of small, large and particularly large sizes, read at https://zakon.uchet.kz/rus/docs/P1900000470 on 2026-09-21 · the copy states с изменениями на 24.02.2026 and the Сводная таблица is в редакции постановления Правительства РК от 24.02.2026 № 111. Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Code No. 226-V of 3 July 2014, articles 296, 297 and 297-1, read at https://prg.kz/Document/?doc_id=31575252 · the death penalty was removed from that Code by the Law of 29 December 2021 No. 89-VII. · Updated September 21, 2026
If prescribed / medical
Article 236 begins «La simple tenencia de drogas ilícitas o sustancias de efectos similares sin la debida autorización o prescripción facultativa», so a substance held under a doctor's prescription is outside the possession offence. Article 237.1(a) punishes the authorised professional who prescribes or administers for purposes other than strictly therapeutic ones.
Documentation
Carry any prescribed medicine in its dispensed packaging with the prescription, because article 236 turns on whether the holder has «la debida autorización o prescripción facultativa». No Cuban traveller allowance was read for this cell, so no quantity is stated.
Cuba, Ley 151 de 2022, Código Penal, published in Gaceta Oficial No. 93 Ordinaria de 1ro. de septiembre de 2022 and in force from 1 December 2022, articles 235 to 238 and articles 33 and 34 · read from the Gaceta Oficial de la República de Cuba PDF, 141 pages, 907,882 bytes, located by walking the gazette's own search rather than by constructing an identifier · gacetaoficial.gob.cu · Provenance of this revision: consequences_street was re-authored in this pass from research/dossiers/Cuba_2cb_88_REBUILT_2026-09-20.docx. The other four fields are carried unchanged from the entry published before this batch, including the Gaceta Oficial reading described above, which was NOT re-performed in this pass. · Updated September 21, 2026
· the entry read for this row is «zolpidem» and the row boundary the dossier records for that read is «checks the imidazopyridine hypnotic as its own psychotropic medicine entry.»
· read at https://mola.gov.gy/laws-of-guyana, the Ministry of Legal Affairs Laws of Guyana collection. The citation behind this cell is document level and not per substance. The source document carries exactly one hyperlink target for all 88 of its rows, and what it calls a links column holds constructed text such as «zolpidem schedule | zolpidem penalty» rather than a web address, so no page, paragraph or deep link exists for this row and none is invented here. Many of the dossier's entry and search strings are recorded in Spanish language or international nonproprietary form rather than in the English wording a Guyanese statute prints, so every string here is reproduced exactly as the dossier holds it and is not offered as the literal printed text of the Schedules
· that discrepancy is recorded rather than resolved. Read as at 20 September 2026.
· Dangerous Drugs (Application) Order, 2024, an unexecuted draft that the Bahamas legislation portal serves from its Bills directory, read but not relied on
A Table 3 substance may be prescribed, and article 80 lets an individual hold it for purely health reasons within the quantity a licensed doctor prescribes, with no transfer to anyone else. Article 93 lets a Table 3 prescription be repeated unless the prescriber says otherwise, which is the point where the Table 3 regime is lighter than the seven day, non repeatable Table 2 regime of articles 89 and 91. Article 94 lets the Minister of Public Health authorise a pharmacist to hand out a small quantity of a Table 3 substance without any prescription in exceptional cases and for purely medical purposes. A Table 3 hypnotic is the type of drug article 94 was written for: the Minister may let a pharmacist hand out a small quantity without a prescription in an exceptional case for a purely medical purpose. Law 673 carries no traveller allowance and no personal importation permit for a patient arriving with medicine: article 57, as amended by Law 193 of 24 May 2000, routes every import and export through a prior authorisation from the Minister of Public Health via the Ministry's Narcotics Department, and no lighter traveller route was found.
Documentation
The version read for this cell is the four tables annexed to Law 673 of 16 March 1998 on narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors, in two State published consolidations read on 22 September 2026: the Ministry of Public Health file Legislation Nationale, Substances placees sous controle, whose name carries the seventh modification of January 2019 and which the Ministry's narcotics page offers in Arabic as the updated version of the tables annexed to narcotics law 673/98, and the Lebanese University Centre for Legal Informatics note on the annexed tables, which carries the decree by decree amendment history. Article 7 is the power that moves these tables: it makes the four annexes a regulatory instrument that may be changed by adding an entry, striking one out or moving an entry from one table to another, by decree issued on the proposal of the Minister of Health, so the lists can move without a new Law. Article 8 requires an entry to be printed under the substance's international common name, or its scientific name where there is no common one, which is why a brand, a plant or a street name is not itself an entry. Article 5 sets the tiers the penalties follow: Table 1 is the plants and substances of high danger with no medical use, Table 2 is the plants and substances of high danger that do have a medical use, Table 3 is the dangerous plants and substances that have a use in medicine, and article 6 puts the precursors in Table 4. Zolpidem and zopiclone are adjacent entries and both are non benzodiazepine hypnotics, so Lebanon lists them beside the benzodiazepines in the same Table 3 block rather than giving them a tier of their own. The two consolidations do not agree and the union of them is the only defensible reading, so this cell names which one printed the entry it relies on. The Ministry file carries entries the University note lacks, among them Ketamine at the end of the Table 2 list of the 1961 Convention Schedule I, Etizolam and Phenazepam at the end of the Table 3 list of the 1971 Convention Schedule IV, Flubromazolam in Table 1, and the mephedrone, methoxetamine, para-methoxymethylamphetamine and 4,4-dimethylaminorex entries in the Table 1 list of the 1971 Convention Schedule I. The University note carries what the Ministry file cannot, because it is six years older: the two decrees of 16 May 2025. The two also disagree on a heading. The Ministry file heads the first block of Table 1 as Schedule I of the 1961 Convention while the University note heads the same block as Schedule IV, and the six opening entries, acetorphine, cannabis and cannabis resin, cetobemidone, desomorphine, etorphine and heroin, are the 1961 Schedule IV set. That mismatch sits inside the State's own texts and is recorded here rather than resolved. Every entry quoted in this cell is quoted from the Latin and French column that the annex itself prints beside the Arabic. The Arabic column of the Ministry file does not extract to reliable text for the older pages, where the embedded font maps to the wrong code points, so no Arabic is quoted from it here and no Arabic was retyped from a rendered page. The serial numbers in that file are unsafe for the same reason, because the Arabic-Indic digits come out transposed, which is why this cell locates an entry by the names printed on either side of it rather than by its number. The placement stated here is not printed in the dossier this lane was given. That dossier's quotation column carries a synthesised search record on 52 of its 88 rows, a sentence of the shape an exact local-language term, Latin name, common synonym, salts and isomers wording and post-enactment amendment route searched for this slug, which is printed in no instrument; on its remaining 36 rows it carries a bare Arabic substance name with no table, no schedule and no article. No row of it names a table: 0 of 88 quotations carry a table or schedule number, and its instrument column says Tables 1-5 on all 88 rows. Its URL column is the publisher's home page with a text fragment appended. Its paragraph 4 states that no single consolidated annex current to 20 September 2026 was located, and the Ministry of Public Health publishes exactly such a consolidation on the narcotics page the dossier itself cites. Its paragraph 3 states that no death sentence was established in Law 673, which is right about the drug offences and wrong as written, because article 140 does carry the death penalty for killing an official enforcing the Law. Every placement in this batch was therefore read in the annex rather than taken from that column. Law 673 has been amended by Law 193 of 24 May 2000, which rewrote articles 15, 17, 29, 34, 44, 57 and 88, by Law 272 of 5 January 2001, which added a paragraph exempting licensed industrial establishments holding an industrial certificate from the Ministry of Industry in respect of Table 4 substances, and by Law 318 of 2001, which repealed article 132. What could not be established for this cell is the text of the two decrees of 16 May 2025 themselves. The University note records them and gives no Official Gazette citation for them, and three routes were tried on 22 September 2026: a search of the Official Gazette index for issue 23 of May 2025, which lists decrees 223, 331, 333 and 334 and not 342 or 343; a query by number and year against the Lebanese University legislation search, which answered HTTP 500 on both numbers; and open search in Arabic and English on the decree numbers and on the substance names, which returned no primary text. The consolidation is also silent on the stronger point, that no decree later than 16 May 2025 has moved these tables.
moph.gov.lb · unodc.org · moph.gov.lb · legallaw.ul.edu.lb · legallaw.ul.edu.lb · Law 673 of 16 March 1998 on narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors, Official Gazette 14 of 26 March 1998 at pages 975 to 1016, 252 articles, consolidated text of the Lebanese University Centre for Legal Informatics, read 22 September 2026 in the copy that Centre prints and that UNODC hosts at the address above · the tables annexed to that Law as consolidated by the Ministry of Public Health in Legislation Nationale, Substances placees sous controle, the file carrying the seventh modification of January 2019, read 22 September 2026 · the Lebanese University consolidation note on the annexed tables, which records Decree 2432 of 11 February 2000, Decree 6608 of 23 October 2001, Decree 8065 of 20 June 2002, Decree 12137 of 7 March 2004, Decree 1189 of 8 January 2009, Decree 6221 of 27 August 2011, Decree 11051 of 11 January 2014, Decree 3403 of 12 May 2016, Decree 3610 of 2 June 2016, Decree 2591 of 23 March 2018 and Decrees 342 and 343 of 16 May 2025 · Law 193 of 24 May 2000, Official Gazette 23 of 1 June 2000 · Law 272 of 5 January 2001, Official Gazette 3 of 11 January 2001 · Law 318 of 2001, which repealed article 132 · the description of enforcement as uneven, the treatment diversion as only partly implemented and the about 6 months figure are carried forward from the cell this replaces and were not re-derived · Updated September 21, 2026
If prescribed / medical
This row sits inside the 2. gr. prohibition, so a lawful medical route exists only through one of the exceptions that article prints, an Icelandic marketing authorisation being the ordinary one, and the traveller rule then applies on top of it. Iceland puts the traveller rule in reglugerð nr. 1277/2022 um innflutning einstaklinga á lyfjum til eigin nota, and its 5. gr. governs every medicine that contains, even in part, a substance printed in Fylgiskjal I of reglugerð nr. 233/2001, which is where this row sits. A traveller with no registered domicile in Iceland may carry 30 days at the defined daily dose. A person whose registered domicile is in Iceland may carry 30 days if the medicine was obtained in Iceland and can produce documents showing that, but only 7 days at the defined daily dose if it was obtained abroad, extended to 30 days by a declaration from a doctor holding a valid Icelandic licence stating that the medicine is medically necessary. A traveller moving within the Schengen area may instead present a certificate issued or confirmed by the competent authority of the country of residence under article 75 of the Schengen Convention, and such a certificate is valid for at most 30 days from its issue. Narcotic medicines may not be sent to Iceland by post or by freight at all, and where an import falls outside these permissions 5. gr. routes it back to lög nr. 65/1974. Lyfjastofnun may exempt under 7. gr. but for a medicine under 5. gr. that exemption has to be in hand before the traveller arrives.
Documentation
Customs must be shown a doctor's certificate or the prescription together with its directions for use, or the dispensing label, proving both that the medicine was lawfully obtained and that the quantity carried is necessary, and 3. gr. of reglugerð nr. 1277/2022 lets customs seek an opinion from a public body or a health professional where it suspects the document is wrong or forged. Because this row sits inside the 2. gr. prohibition, the paperwork is doing more work than usual: it is what shows the medicine falls within one of the exceptions in that article rather than inside the ban, so carry it in the dispensed packaging with the label intact and the prescription or a doctor's declaration with it. Where Lyfjastofnun's permission under 7. gr. of reglugerð nr. 1277/2022 is needed, it has to be obtained before travelling rather than at the border, and nothing may be sent ahead by post or freight.
Iceland, reglugerð nr. 233/2001 um ávana- og fíkniefni og önnur eftirlitsskyld efni, Fylgiskjal I and Fylgiskjal II with articles 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 and 10 · lög nr. 65/1974 um ávana- og fíkniefni, articles 2, 2 a, 3, 4, 5 and 6 · almenn hegningarlög nr. 19/1940, article 173 a · lög nr. 32/2001, article 1 · reglugerð nr. 879/2025 · reglugerð nr. 1036/2025 · reglugerð nr. 1277/2022, articles 3, 4, 5 and 7 · island.is · Updated October 2, 2026
Malta, Zolpidem, read from Legislation Malta, the consolidated English text published by the Office of the State Advocate, which is the official publisher · read as at 18 September 2026 · entry located at Medical and Kindred Professions Ordinance, Cap. 31 · Third Schedule Part B · arts. 40A and 120A, and transcribed verbatim in the legal status field of this cell · amendment horizon 18 September 2026, Chapter 31 through Legal Notice 46 of 2026, Chapter 101 through Legal Notice 97 of 2025, Chapter 537 through Acts VII and XII of 2025, Chapter 628 through Act XII of 2025 · legislation.mt · Updated September 20, 2026
If prescribed / medical
Zolpidem reaches people here as a dispensed medicine, and the name a Salvadoran pharmacy record or a laboratory report would use is zolpidem. Article 37 of the Reglamento de Estupefacientes, Sicotropicos, Precursores, Sustancias y Productos Quimicos y Agregados requires that narcotics, psychotropics and agregados be prescribed on Recetarios Especiales printed by the regulator and issued to the professional, in books of at least twenty five cheque style forms and up to two hundred, and Article 40 of that Reglamento makes a special prescription valid for thirty days, with three monthly prescriptions allowed for a chronic patient. Article 14 of the Ley requires the pack to carry a warning that the product is sold only on medical prescription and is under the health regulator's control. A prescribing doctor who supplies outside the therapeutic indication commits the Article 38 offence, which carries 3 to 5 years, and a pharmacy that dispenses without the prescription commits the Article 40 offence, which carries 5 to 15 years. Carry it in its dispensing packaging with the prescription.
Documentation
The instrument read for this cell is the Ley Reguladora de las Actividades Relativas a las Drogas, Decreto Legislativo 153 of 2 October 2003, published in Diario Oficial 208, Tomo 361, of 7 November 2003, in the consolidated text published by the Asamblea Legislativa. That text carries its own reform schedule: five reforms, the last of them Decreto Legislativo 78 of 25 July 2018 in Diario Oficial 156, Tomo 420, of 24 August 2018, so the consolidation read here is current to that reform. The same reform schedule was confirmed against a second publisher, the transparency portal of the Fiscalia General de la Republica, which prints the identical list of five. The text also carries four rulings of the Sala de lo Constitucional, three of which strike the fine in Articles 31, 33 and 34 and the fourth of which struck the rule in Article 52 that equated preparatory acts with completed offences before that article was reformed in 2018. The substance list read for this cell is the Listado de sustancias estupefacientes, psicotropicos, precursores y agregados 2026, approved by Acuerdo SI.2026.03.20-01 of the Superintendencia de Regulacion Sanitaria. That document states its own currency in its Disposiciones generales: it was approved by that acuerdo and is «vigente hasta el 31 de marzo de 2027, o hasta que se emita un nuevo listado por parte de la Superintendencia de Regulacion Sanitaria». It was read as at 21 September 2026, and the 2025 edition of the same list was fetched first and set aside once the 2026 edition was found on the regulator's own page. The list is the one Article 13 of the Ley requires, «una lista de drogas y de todas las preparaciones y especialidades farmaceuticas que las contengan de acuerdo a las categorias establecidas en la presente Ley», which Article 13 also requires to be sent to the Corte Suprema de Justicia, the Fiscalia General de la Republica and the Policia Nacional Civil so that judges and prosecutors know it. Article 13 names the Consejo Superior de Salud Publica as the body that makes it; the 2013 Reglamento names the Direccion Nacional de Medicamentos as the governing authority, and the Ley de la Superintendencia de Regulacion Sanitaria dissolved that Direccion and moved its functions to the Superintendencia with effect from August 2024. That succession is stated from the Reglamento and from reporting of the Superintendencia law, whose own gazette text was not read for this cell. Article 2 defines droga in its own words: «Art. 2.- Para los efectos de esta Ley se consideran drogas las sustancias especificadas como tales en los Convenios Internacionales ratificados por El Salvador, las que se mencionan en el Código de Salud y demás leyes del país; y en general, las que indistintamente de su grado de pureza, actúan sobre el sistema nervioso central y tienen la capacidad de producir transformaciones, bien sea aumentando o disminuyendo su funcionamiento o modificando los estados de conciencia y que su uso indebido puede causar dependencia o sujeción física y psicológica.» Article 3 then prohibits activity relating to five named categories and, in letter f, «f) Cualquier otra sustancia que sea considerada droga tan nociva que amerite ser prohibida por el Consejo Superior de Salud Pública o por los convenios internacionales ratificados por el país.» The names searched across the list, in Spanish and in English, were zolpidem. The matched entry was read before it was relied on, and it is «Zolpidem», entry 181, at Parte B, Seccion IV. Psicotropicos incluidos en la Lista IV de la Convencion de 1971. Three routes were tried for the instrument and all three returned a document: the Asamblea Legislativa decree file, which returned the consolidated text; the transparency portal of the Fiscalia General de la Republica, which returned the same consolidation; and the regulator's own listado page, which returned the 2026 list. Two routes returned nothing usable: the Asamblea decree index and law search paths both returned a not found page, and a fetch of the Asamblea search page failed on certificate verification. Carry any controlled medicine in its dispensing packaging with the prescription, and confirm the position with the Salvadoran embassy or consulate before you travel.
Ley Reguladora de las Actividades Relativas a las Drogas, Decreto Legislativo 153 of 2 October 2003, Articles 2, 3, 13, 31, 32, 33, 34, 54 and 55, consolidated text published by the Asamblea Legislativa, Diario Oficial 208, Tomo 361, of 7 November 2003 · Consolidation: current to Decreto Legislativo 78 of 25 July 2018, Diario Oficial 156, Tomo 420, of 24 August 2018, the last of the five reforms the text's own schedule prints, confirmed against the Fiscalia General de la Republica transparency copy · Unconstitutionality of the fine: Article 34 by the accumulated 2006 judgments, Diario Oficial 196, Tomo 377, of 22 October 2007, Article 33 by the 92-2007 judgments, Diario Oficial 152, Tomo 384, of 19 August 2009, and Article 31 by judgment 45-2010, Diario Oficial 197, Tomo 401, of 23 October 2013 · Listado de sustancias estupefacientes, psicotropicos, precursores y agregados 2026, approved by Acuerdo SI.2026.03.20-01 of the Superintendencia de Regulacion Sanitaria, read as at 21 September 2026, the document stating its own currency to 31 March 2027 or until a new listado is issued · Reglamento de Estupefacientes, Sicotropicos, Precursores, Sustancias y Productos Quimicos y Agregados, Decreto Ejecutivo 20, Diario Oficial of 13 February 2013, Articles 5, 26, 36, 37 and 40 · Placement: entry read at Parte B, Seccion IV. Psicotropicos incluidos en la Lista IV de la Convencion de 1971, entry 181 · Placement provenance: the Parte and Seccion stated for this row are not printed in the quoted dossier extract, and no quoted extract in that dossier carries a Parte or Seccion marker for any substance, because the dossier resolved every row against articles 2 and 3 of Decreto 153 alone and never reached the Listado. The placement is read directly from the Listado named above and not from the dossier · Penalty figures for the 2 gram line and the year bands in Articles 31, 33 and 34 carried forward from the live cell and not re-derived from a new source, then re-read against the Asamblea text. The Article 34 graver offence proviso, Articles 54 and 55 and the three unconstitutionality rulings are read from that text and are new to this cell · asamblea.gob.sv · srs.gob.sv · portaldetransparencia.fgr.gob.sv · Updated September 21, 2026
If prescribed / medical
A medicine containing Zolpidem is a controlled medicine in Honduras, and the entry that makes it one is PZ 002, CAS 82626-48-0 in Lista IV del Convenio de 1971. Article 12 of Decreto 126/89 is still in force and reads «Los medicamentos que contengan estupefacientes o sustancias controladas, sólo podrán ser vendidos al público, mediante receta médica, en farmacias autorizadas», and Article 13 lets a doctor, dentist or vet carry «Los médicos, dentistas y veterinarios podrán tener en su maletín hasta dos ampolletas de drogas controladas». Travel with the prescription, the dispensing label and a letter naming the quantity, and ask the Honduran consulate before you fly, because Article 12 also subjects imports and free samples to authorisation by the health ministry.
Documentation
The instrument read for this cell is the consolidated text of the Ley sobre el Uso Indebido y Tráfico Ilícito de Drogas y Sustancias Psicotrópicas, Decreto 126/89, published by the Tribunal Superior de Cuentas, which carries its own footnote to La Gaceta 25992 of 23 November 1989 and to the Decreto 86-93 reform in La Gaceta 27162 of 1 October 1993, together with the Código Penal, Decreto 130-2017, as printed in La Gaceta 34,940 of 10 May 2019. Articles 16 to 30 and 41 of Decreto 126/89 were repealed by Article 632 of that Code, so the 1989 law now supplies definitions and administrative prohibitions and the Code supplies every offence. The live cell dated the Code to 10 November 2019, which is the date Article 635 as enacted would have produced from a publication of 10 May 2019; commencement was postponed twice and the Code took effect on 25 June 2020. That last date is carried from the reported amendment of Article 635 published in La Gaceta 35,247 of 9 May 2020, which was not read at the gazette for this cell. The schedules Article 321 adopts were read in the International Narcotics Control Board Yellow List, 65th edition of July 2026, the Green List, 36th edition of 2025, and the Red List, 23rd edition of July 2025, on 21 September 2026. Zolpidem was placed by reading the matched entry and not by counting a name hit. The entry read was PZ 002, CAS 82626-48-0, ZOLPIDEM, N,N,6-trimethyl-2-p-tolylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-3-acetamide, in Lista IV del Convenio de 1971. Article 11 of Decreto 126/89 survives and still reads «Se prohíbe a toda persona mantener en su poder ya sea en sus ropas o valijas, en su domicilio, lugar de trabajo, automóvil o cualquier otro lugar bajo su orden y responsabilidad, sin autorización legal, cantidad alguna de estupefacientes y sustancias controladas», and Article 6 still routes the definitions through the conventions and the Reglamento de Control de Estupefacientes y otras Drogas Peligrosas, but the article that carried the penalty for breaching them is repealed, so that prohibition now stands without a sanction of its own. Carry any controlled medicine in its dispensing packaging with the prescription, and confirm the position with the Honduran consulate before you travel.
Ley sobre el Uso Indebido y Tráfico Ilícito de Drogas y Sustancias Psicotrópicas, Decreto 126/89, consolidated text published by the Tribunal Superior de Cuentas, carrying its own footnotes to La Gaceta 25992 of 23 November 1989 and to the Decreto 86-93 reform in La Gaceta 27162 of 1 October 1993 · Código Penal, Decreto 130-2017, Arts 311/312, with Arts 313, 314, 321 and 632, as published in La Gaceta 34,940 of 10 May 2019 · Commencement: Art. 635 as enacted set six months from that publication, and the move to 25 June 2020 is carried from the reported amendment of Art. 635 in La Gaceta 35,247 of 9 May 2020, which was not read at the gazette · Penalty figures for Art. 311, Art. 312 and Art. 26 carried forward from the live cell and not re-derived in this pass. The Art. 311 fine, the lesser gravity terms, Art. 313 and the Art. 321 quantities are read from that Gaceta text · Placement: Lista IV del Convenio de 1971, entry PZ 002, CAS 82626-48-0, ZOLPIDEM, N,N,6-trimethyl-2-p-tolylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-3-acetamide · Lists read in the International Narcotics Control Board Yellow List, 65th edition of July 2026, the Green List, 36th edition of 2025, and the Red List, 23rd edition of July 2025, on 21 September 2026 · tsc.gob.hn · tsc.gob.hn · Updated September 21, 2026
Documentation
Carry it only with the Belarusian prescription and dispensing paperwork the medicines law requires, in the original dispensing packaging, with the substance named on any declaration the way the annex names it, «ЗОЛПИДЕМ», and with registry number 82626-48-0 available if the name is queried. The placement at BEL-88 was read against № 19/2015 with the official 2025 and 10 March 2026 amendments on 20 September 2026. A later amendment can change an entry, so recheck the annexes before travel rather than relying on the date on this cell. Name the substance rather than calling it a sleeping tablet or a benzodiazepine, because the annex prints it under its own name and it is neither.
Belarus, Постановление Министерства здравоохранения № 19 от 11 февраля 2015 г. республиканский перечень, приложение, списки 1 to 4, record BEL-88 · printed entry «ЗОЛПИДЕМ», registry number 82626-48-0 · Criminal Code Article 328 supplies the offence and the ceiling, Article 328(5) · version read: № 19/2015 with the official 2025 and 10 March 2026 amendments · read as at 20 September 2026 · pravo.by · pravo.by · pravo.by · national legal portal https://pravo.by/ · Updated September 21, 2026
Moldova, Zolpidem, from the 20 September 2026 repair dossier record MOL-88, search set "zolpidem", "ZOLPIDEM" · framework statute Legea nr. 382/1999 cu privire la circulaţia substanţelor stupefiante, psihotrope şi a precursorilor · offences and ceiling at Codul penal, Article 217 and Article 217¹, with the ceiling at Article 217¹(4) · located at the printed entry «ZOLPIDEM», CAS 82626-48-0, in the lists approved by Hotărârea Guvernului nr. 79/2006 · outcome recorded by the source: verified · read as in force on 20 September 2026 on the official Moldovan legislation portal · legis.md · legis.md · legis.md · Updated September 21, 2026
Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026
No prescription route is stated for this row, because a prescribing rule in these Regulations attaches to a schedule and this substance is in none of them. Regulation 4 is the rule a traveller would want, and it operates only on Schedules IV and V: it lifts the section 5(1) import and export prohibition for both, and the section 7(1) possession prohibition for a Schedule IV drug in a medicinal product and for a Schedule V preparation outright. Whether this substance is reached by the Act's own Second Schedule, and so is a controlled drug taking none of those exemptions, was not settled here.
Documentation
There is nothing to carry for this row on the strength of the volume read, because the volume neither names the substance nor rules it out. If you are travelling with a prescribed medicine, carry it in the pharmacy's original labelled packaging with the prescription and a prescriber's letter naming the patient, the active ingredient, the dose, the quantity and the treatment period; that evidences a therapeutic purpose and nothing more. What was actually checked for this row: Zolpidem and imidazopyridine returned nothing in either file. The nearest printed entries are the hypnotics in Schedule IV paragraph 1, Flunitrazepam, Nitrazepam, Temazepam and Triazolam, none of which is this compound. The volume was read on 22 September 2026.
Belize, Misuse of Drugs Act Chapter 103, the Subsidiary Laws volume, Revised Edition 2020, showing the subsidiary laws as at 31 December 2020, searched in full across the Misuse of Drugs Regulations and their Schedules I to V, the Cannabis Violation Tickets Regulations and the Industrial Hemp Regulations · agm.gov.bz · the Misuse of Drugs Act 1990, Act 22 of 1990, as UNODC holds it, https://www.unodc.org/cld/uploads/res/document/the-misuse-of-drugs-act-1990_html/The_Misuse_of_Drugs_Act_1990.pdf · that Act text runs from section 1 to partway through section 28 and carries none of its First, Second or Third Schedules, so the list that decides control was not read · read as at 22 September 2026 · Updated September 21, 2026
Illicit Drugs Control Act (as amended 2020 and 2021) (Tonga)
Not confirmed. No placement on either list was established, so no position under the article 5 recept machinery or the article 7 exemptions can be stated for this substance.
Documentation
Carry any prescription medicine in its original packaging with the prescription, and confirm the position with the Surinamese authorities before travelling, because the list read here stops in 2002. Even for a substance that is on the lists, the own medical use exemption in article 7 lid 3 covers possession and carriage inside Suriname and does not cover limb A of article 3 lid 1 or of article 4 lid 1, the import, export and transit limb, for which article 6 lid 1 requires the permission of the Minister after approval by the Procureur-Generaal bij het Hof van Justitie. The text relied on stops at S.B. 2002 no. 68. Any lijst, onderdeel or numbered part named in this cell are read from the annex to the act itself and are not printed in the quoted dossier extract, whose quotation column for this jurisdiction carries no division marker for any substance.
Wet verdovende middelen, S.B. 1998 no. 14, gelijk zij luidt na de daarin aangebrachte wijzigingen bij S.B. 2002 no. 68, articles 1 to 14 and the annexed lijst I and lijst II, read as at S.B. 2002 no. 68, the last amendment carried in the text consulted · https://www.dna.sr/media/34ygwacb/wet_verdovende_middelen.pdf, published by De Nationale Assemblee, the National Assembly of Suriname · consulted 22 September 2026 · Updated October 2, 2026
State of Palestine, applicable penal law (Gaza Strip military orders · West Bank PA framework) · loc.gov · unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Documentation
Antigua and Barbuda is not in the Schengen area, so a Schengen certificate is not the relevant document, and no local traveller certificate was established from Cap. 283. Carry a prescribed medicine in its original pharmacy packaging with the prescribing document.
Misuse of Drugs Act, Cap. 283, Laws of Antigua and Barbuda, Revised Edition, First Schedule Parts I to IV and Second Schedule, with sections 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 25 and 26 · laws.gov.ag · consulted 22 September 2026 · Updated September 21, 2026
Documentation
There is no controlled drug documentation to carry for this one under this Act, and the useful precaution is a different one: carry whatever shows what the substance actually is, because every route that could bite here starts with identification rather than with paperwork. If it is a prescribed medicine, carry it in its original dispensing packaging with the prescription anyway, since Barbados medicines and pharmacy law was not read for this cell and this cell does not speak to it. The absence was established by reading every hypnotic row in Part II, benzodiazepine and otherwise, and by reading the four extension paragraphs that could otherwise carry a substance in without naming it. Read on 20 September 2026 from the PDF of the Act itself. The edition read is the L.R.O. 1991 consolidation served by the Barbados law courts statute portal. No amending order or later revision was located on that portal, so anything made after that revision has not been read and is not asserted here.
Barbados, Drug Abuse (Prevention and Control) Act, Cap. 131, Act 1990-14, L.R.O. 1991 revised edition · the passage relied on for this cell is Parts I, II and III of the First Schedule, none of which names it · the check that establishes this read every hypnotic row in Part II, benzodiazepine and otherwise, with section 3 for the definition of a controlled drug, the Second Schedule for trafficable quantities and the Fourth Schedule for the punishments. This source is document level and not per substance. The Act has no per substance landing page and the whole cell rests on one PDF of the consolidated Act, read at https://www.barbadoslawcourts.gov.bb/assets/content/pdfs/statutes/DrugAbuse(PreventionandControl)CAP131.pdf, which is a primary Barbados government source served by the Barbados law courts statute portal and returned 200 with 1,881,169 bytes of application/pdf on 20 September 2026. The dossier this cell was built against carried a different filename for the same document, without the parentheses, and that address returns 404, so the working address is given here instead. The PDF is a scan of the printed revised edition and is reproduced here only so far as verification requires · where a headword is damaged in the scan this cell says so rather than repairing it. Read as at 20 September 2026. · Updated September 21, 2026
If prescribed / medical
Section 7(1) makes it unlawful to have a controlled drug in your possession except as allowed by Regulations made under the Act, and the Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Regulations printed as subsidiary legislation to this Chapter set out the general authority to possess in regulation 5 and the prescription rules in regulations 14 and 15. None of that machinery reaches this row, because nothing in Parts I to III was shown to place Zolpidem and the Regulations operate on controlled drugs as section 4 defines them. So the Act does not tell a traveller which authorisation, if any, would be the right one to hold. The question that has to be settled first is the one this row is drawn around: the Class C entry «Methaqualone» was the nearest printed text and it was read and rejected.
Documentation
Do not read an absence from a schedule authorised in 1991 as permission. Ask the Ministry of Health or the nearest Dominican mission whether an Order under section 4(3) has added this substance to the Third Schedule since that authorisation, and whether any medicines or pharmacy instrument outside this Act reaches it, and ask before you travel rather than on arrival. If you carry it as a medicine, bring the original dispensing packaging, the prescription and a letter naming the patient, the active ingredient, the dose and the period of treatment. Section 29 makes an analyst's certificate admissible in evidence, so identification is settled by analysis. The nearest printed entry read and rejected for this row was the Class C entry «Methaqualone». The instrument was read on 22 September 2026.
Dominica, the Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act, Act 20 of 1988 as amended by Act 15 of 1989 and Act 15 of 1990, revised edition Chapter 40:07, sections 4, 7 and 27 and the Third and Fourth Schedules · read from the 64 page scanned chapter held in this repository at research/instruments/dominica/dm-drugs-prevention-of-misuse-1988.pdf, sha256 30ca6c954678725f8bd4ea81de7b081e5b3ef5ef9015d05e357de1992c62ab30, with its text layer at dm-drugs-prevention-of-misuse-1988.txt, sha256 d47a9b795cabe1a1250ebd6ec3e13e4ccb6367708b69fded78a8eb22b7ab1465. The absence stated here rests on a visual reading of the complete Part I, Part II and Part III lists on printed pages 30, 31 and 32 as page images, not on a text search: the text layer of this scan drops the «Part II» and «Part III» headings and one numbered paragraph in each of those Parts, and the revised edition itself prints several entries with transposed letters, so a search of the text layer alone would return a false zero for any name the printer mangled. Those pages carry the footer «L.R.O. 1/1991». The nearest printed text read and rejected for this row was the Class C entry «Methaqualone». This citation is document level and not per substance: the compilation's links column for this row holds the constructed text «zolpidem national source» rather than an address. The compilation read for this row recorded no printed entry claim, so nothing from it was carried across. The Part and Class placement stated for this row is not printed in the quotation column of the compilation read alongside the Act: measured across that compilation, not one of its 88 rows carries a Part, a Class or a Schedule marker of any kind, and its instrument column says only that there is a controlled-drug schedule without naming which of the four Schedules that is. Every division named in this cell is therefore taken from the printed Third Schedule pages of the Act itself. Second instrument relied on: Dominica, the Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) (Amendment) Act 2020, Act No. 16 of 2020, assented to and gazetted 30 October 2020 and passed in the House of Assembly on 26 October 2020, a four page Act read in full from the Government of Dominica laws site at https://dominica.gov.dm/laws/2020/Drug%20Prevention%20(Amendment)%20Act%202020.pdf, sha256 c5f6a5b47cee1ffce3f88993d72163a1f0ba6a1f3cf68c31f8bfed89e1c5af01. It amends section 7(4), inserts sections 7A and 7B, amends section 8 and makes no amendment to the Third Schedule. Read as at 22 September 2026. · Updated September 21, 2026
· read from the revised edition PDF at https://www.oas.org/ext/Portals/33/adam/Content/8SZdQwarRkKsfviRCd7ESA/Text/20250114-12%20-%20Drugs%20(Prevention%20of%20Misuse)%20Act%20-%20Cap.3.02-1.pdf, sha256 009563514ada6fee394268dc7700ac696c858273e183dde5c1e6883b1d1635ba, which is the Organization of American States portal copy and not the Saint Lucia gazette
· the 31 December 2008 revised edition from ILO NATLEX at https://natlex.ilo.org/dyn/natlex2/natlex2/files/download/111582/LCA111582.pdf, sha256 fc9f7fe8a5aa48678bb3fdbad1b79d0b236059754716128c8b817f24324e9fb8, was read as a second witness and lacks sections 8A, 14A and 27A
· the three attorneygeneralchambers.com schedule pages the dossier cites return 404
· the Part and Schedule named in this cell are read from the act itself and are not printed in the quoted dossier extract, which cites the drug list only as Second Schedule, Parts I to IV, a name the act does not use for it
· consulted 22 September 2026
Documentation
Carry any prescribed controlled medicine in its original dispensed packaging with the prescription, and keep the quantity to what the treatment needs. Bermuda's own regulations set the conditions and they were not read here, so nothing on this page establishes a personal import allowance. The Act itself provides the practitioner and pharmacist protections through section 12 and no traveller allowance is stated in it.
Bermuda Misuse of Drugs Act 1972, Schedule 2 Part I and sections 6, 12 and 27 · bermudalaws.bm · Updated September 16, 2026
