Is 4-HO-MET legal in New Zealand?
- Legal status
- 4-HO-MET is a Class C controlled drug in New Zealand as a controlled drug analogue under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975; the Act's analogue provision (s 2) catches any substance whose chemical structure is substantially similar to that of a controlled drug, and 4-HO-MET is a close structural analogue of psilocine, a Class A controlled drug.
- Consequences if caught
- Treated as a Class C controlled drug analogue: possession is an offence (up to 3 months imprisonment or a fine) and supply, manufacture or dealing up to 8 years. Police retain the personal-use, health-based discretion introduced by the 2019 amendment to the Act.
- If prescribed or medical
- A controlled drug analogue is not an approved product or an authorised medicine, so 4-HO-MET has no lawful medical or prescription route.
- Documentation
- Controlled through the analogue statute, not by any explicit 4-HO-MET entry: the 'substantially similar structure' test links it to Schedule 1 psilocine. The analogue mechanism is New Zealand's characteristic route for novel tryptamines and is a contrast to the named psilocine listing.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with New Zealand’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 →