Is Amphetamine legal in Sri Lanka?
- Legal status
- Controlled dangerous drug under the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (as amended).
- Consequences if caught
- Possession/supply is punishable by imprisonment and/or a fine. The Ordinance's capital thresholds name methamphetamine/heroin/cocaine/morphine — amphetamine is NOT among the named capital drugs (and Sri Lanka has observed an execution moratorium since 1976), so amphetamine falls outside the capital tier.
- If prescribed or medical
- Effectively unavailable as medicine. Sri Lanka’s assessed 2026 requirement for amfetamine is a token 1 g — effectively no licit supply — against methylphenidate at 85,000 g. Do not expect to fill or replace a amphetamine prescription locally. Sri Lanka’s INCB traveller sheet (2014) exists but is a scanned image with no text layer, so we could not read its terms — carry the prescription and original packaging and confirm with the NMRA.
- Documentation
- Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
- Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (capital list names other drugs, not amphetamine)
- nddcb.gov.lk
- INCB Psychotropics — Assessments of annual medical and scientific requirements, as at 21 Aug 2026: https://www.incb.org/incb/en/psychotropics/status-of-assessments.html
- INCB Country Regulations for Travellers: https://www.incb.org/incb/en/travellers/country-regulations.html
- incb.org
Court records
We have not yet assessed whether court records are publicly available for this jurisdiction.
Other substances confirmed in Sri Lanka
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Sri Lanka’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 →