Is Xanax (Alprazolam) legal in Angola?

Legal status

Controlled. Alprazolam is in table IV of Lei n.º 3/99. Table IV trafficking carries 2 to 8 years. Personal use is a crime, not an administrative matter.

Consequences if caught

The tables annexed to Lei n.º 3/99 print this substance as 'Alprazolam' in table IV. Trafficking is article 4.º of Lei n.º 3/99. For a table IV substance article 4(4) reads 'a pena é a de prisão maior de 2 a 8 anos', in translation that the penalty is major imprisonment of 2 to 8 years. Where the unlawfulness of the act is considerably diminished, article 8(b) gives up to 2 years and a corresponding fine instead. Where the sole purpose of that conduct is to obtain the substance for personal use, article 9(1) reduces the sentence to up to 1 year and a corresponding fine for a table IV substance, and article 9(3) withdraws that relief above a five day quantity. Personal use is a separate crime and it has not been decriminalised. Article 23(1) reads 'Aquele que ilicitamente consumir ou, para o seu consumo, cultivar, adquirir ou detiver plantas, substâncias ou preparações compreendidas nas tabelas I a IV, é punido com pena de prisão até três meses', in translation that consuming, or growing, buying or holding for one's own consumption a substance in tables I to IV is punished with imprisonment of up to three months. Article 23(2) raises that to up to 1 year where the quantity exceeds what is needed for three days of average individual consumption. Angola has no administrative commission and no possession threshold that makes the conduct lawful. Angola is a Portuguese model jurisdiction that has not followed Portugal's decriminalisation. No death penalty.

If prescribed or medical

Prescription supply through the licensed channel is lawful. Lei n.º 3/99 punishes a doctor who prescribes or hands over a listed substance for a non therapeutic purpose, and a pharmacist who sells or hands one over for such a purpose, under article 10.

Documentation

Carry any prescribed medicine in its original packaging with the prescription. Angola is outside the Schengen certificate scheme, so confirm import conditions for a controlled medicine with the Angolan authorities before travel.

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