Is 4-HO-MET legal in Moldova?

Legal status

Controlled in Moldova. 4-HO-MET is reached by a reading of Table I, «Tabelul național I. Substanțe, plante și medicamente care conțin substanțe stupefiante și psihotrope interzise, inutilizabile în scopuri medicale», Lista nr. 2, psychotropic substances of 1971 Convention Schedule I: item 16, «Psilocină», «3-[2-(dimetilamino)etil]indol-4-ol» (gazette page 11). 4-HO-MET is not printed; it is psilocin with one N-methyl replaced by an N-ethyl, a structural derivative of it, and the list's extension reaches «derivaților structurali». Against the reading, Lista nr. 3 prints close relatives one by one, «4-HO-DET», «4-HO-DPT», «4-HO-MIPT / Miprocină» and «4-AcO-MET / Metacetină» (gazette pages 14 to 15), and leaves 4-HO-MET out. The reading is stated as such. The lists of Tables I and II, and the psychotropic lists of Table III, carry an extension, «Controlul substanțelor din acest tabel se extinde și asupra» (Table I, Lista nr. 1 words it «din prezentul tabel», and one list prints «derivațiilor»), to isomers, ethers and esters, salts, and «derivaților structurali ai acestor substanțe, în toate cazurile în care aceștia pot exista»; Table III's Lista nr. 1 of medicines carries none, and Table IV's precursor lists extend only to stereoisomers and salts. Law 201/2025 on the circulation of narcotic and psychotropic substances (Monitorul Oficial 2025 nr. 448-451, item 619, 28 August 2025) repealed Law 382/1999 and came into force on 28 August 2026: its Article 80(1) as enacted read six months from publication, and Law 22/2026 (Monitorul Oficial 2026 nr. 104, item 65, 27 February 2026) replaced «6 luni» with «12 luni». Government Decision 479/2026 (Monitorul Oficial 2026 nr. 398-400, Part II, item 473, 28 August 2026) approves the national tables of controlled substances, repeals Government Decision 1088/2004 at its point 2, and by its point 3 entered into force with Law 201/2025. This is the position under Decision 479/2026 as published, read on page images, as at 3 October 2026. The contents list of every Monitorul Oficial issue from 28 August 2026 to 3 October 2026, nr. 398-400 to nr. 498-499, was read for any act touching the tables, and the only one is Government Decision 480/2026 (nr. 439, 9 September 2026), which sets the procedure for updating the tables and changes no entry in them.

Consequences if caught

Capital exposure: none. No article read for this cell provides death or life imprisonment: the highest terms are 15 to 17 years for trafficking under Criminal Code Article 217^1(5) and «de la 12 la 20 de ani» for smuggling under Article 248(8), both as replaced by Law 173/2026 in force on 28 August 2026. Contravention Code Article 85 punishes illegal consumption «dacă fapta nu constituie infracțiune» by a fine of 100 to 140 conventional units or 50 to 60 hours of unpaid community work, and acquiring or keeping «în proporții mici și fără scop de înstrăinare» by a fine of 200 to 300 conventional units; under Article 85(3) a person who hands the substance over voluntarily, or seeks medical help, is relieved of that liability. Consumption is a crime instead under Criminal Code Article 217^5(1) when committed «în mod public» or in or near schools, social rehabilitation institutions, prisons, military units, «locurile de agrement» and places of education, culture or sport: a fine of 750 to 1,050 conventional units or 180 to 240 hours of community work. Criminal Code Article 217 punishes producing, acquiring, keeping or transporting in large quantities without intent to sell by a fine of 400 to 700 conventional units, unpaid community work of up to 150 hours or imprisonment of up to 1 year (217(2)), by imprisonment of up to 4 years in the aggravated cases of 217(3), and «în proporții deosebit de mari» by 1 to 6 years (217(4)); under 217(5) a first offender may be released from criminal liability at the investigation stage on self reporting, voluntary surrender of the drugs or active help. Article 217^1 punishes acquiring, keeping, sending, transporting, delivering or distributing with intent to sell, or selling, by 6 to 10 years (217^1(2)); producing or manufacturing for sale by 10 to 12 years (217^1(3)); aggravated cases, among them large quantities, by 12 to 15 years (217^1(4)); and an organised group or especially large quantities by 15 to 17 years (217^1(5)). Article 248 punishes smuggling by 8 to 10 years, by 10 to 12 where aggravated, and by 12 to 20 years for an organised group or especially large quantities. Articles 217(3)(d) and 217^1(4)(e) aggravate where the drug is one «a căror circulație în scopuri medicale este interzisă». Table I is headed as substances «interzise, inutilizabile în scopuri medicale», so a Table I substance is read as falling in that aggravation, and Law 201/2025 Article 6(2) prohibits the circulation of Table I substances «cu excepția utilizării lor în scopuri științifice și/sau de expertiză»: up to 4 years for large quantities kept without intent to sell, and 12 to 15 years for trafficking. The link between the two texts is a reading, stated as such. Which of these applies turns on the small, large and especially large quantities «stabilite de Guvern» (Criminal Code Article 134^1(8)). Government Decision 79/2006, made under the repealed Law 382/1999, is the decision the earlier cell relied on; no replacement appears in the Monitorul Oficial contents to 3 October 2026, and its text could not be re-read. The earlier cell's Criminal Code figures, Article 217 and Article 217^1 including the seven to fifteen years it read at Article 217^1(4), were the text before Law 173/2026 replaced those articles, and are superseded. The earlier cell, record MOL-10, rested on the lists approved by Hotărârea Guvernului nr. 79/2006 under Legea nr. 382/1999.

If prescribed or medical

No prescription route is read. Table I is headed as substances «interzise, inutilizabile în scopuri medicale», Law 201/2025 Article 6(2) prohibits their circulation except for scientific or expert use, and the 30 day carriage allowance in Law 201/2025 Article 37(2) depends on «dovezii prescripției medicale»; a substance unusable in medicine is read as unable to have one. Article 37(1) prohibits import and export by individuals of medicines containing narcotic and psychotropic substances.

Documentation

There is no carriage route: no prescription exists for a substance in Table I, and Law 201/2025 Article 37(1) prohibits individuals importing or exporting medicines containing narcotic or psychotropic substances. The earlier cell's reliance on Legea nr. 1409/1997 cu privire la medicamente is superseded for this row.

Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Moldova’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.