Is Amphetamine legal in Timor-Leste?
- Legal status
- Amphetamine is named directly in Table II-B of Lei n.º 2/2017's Anexo II, item 1: "Anfetamina - (mais ou menos)-2-amino-1-fenilpropano" (amphetamine, plus-or-minus 2-amino-1-phenylpropane, i.e. the racemate). Dexamphetamine, the dextro isomer, is separately named at item 3 ("Dexanfetamina - (+)-2-amino-1-fenilpropano"). Table II-B's closing clause also reaches derivatives, salts and any preparation in which these substances are combined with other compounds. Anexo I prices amphetamine at a daily reference quantity of 0,2g, at Table II-B. Article 2, paragraph 1, subparagraph d, defines "droga" as any plant, substance or preparation covered by Tables I to IV; article 3 makes the tables integral to the law. This reading is as printed 25 January 2017, read on 7 October 2026.
- Consequences if caught
- Article 7, paragraph 1, of Lei n.º 2/2017 ("Quem, sem se encontrar autorizado, cultivar, produzir, fabricar, extrair, preparar, oferecer, puser à venda, vender, distribuir, comprar, ceder ou por qualquer título receber, proporcionar a outrem, transportar, importar, exportar, fizer transitar ou ilicitamente detiver, fora dos casos previstos no artigo 26.º, plantas, substâncias ou preparados compreendidos nas tabelas I a III é punido com pena de prisão de 5 a 15 anos", whoever, without being authorised, cultivates, produces, manufactures, extracts, prepares, offers, puts up for sale, sells, distributes, buys, transfers or by any title receives, supplies to another, transports, imports, exports, causes to transit or unlawfully holds, outside the cases in article 26, plants, substances or preparations in Tables I to III, is punished with imprisonment of 5 to 15 years) is the base band for amphetamine, a Table II-B substance. Article 7, paragraph 2, raises this to 6 to 16 years where an authorisation existed and was acted against. Article 9 adds two thirds to both the minimum and maximum of article 7 where a listed aggravating factor applies, and article 10 sets 10 to 25 years, 12 to 25 for a leader, for founding or directing a group formed to commit an article 7 offence. Article 11, paragraph 1, subparagraph a, sets a reduced band of 1 to 5 years where illicitude is considerably diminished, and article 11, paragraph 2, ties that test partly to whether the quantity held does not exceed five times the Anexo I daily reference quantity, here five times 0,2g, i.e. 1,0g. Article 26 answers personal consumption and possession for personal use separately, at imprisonment of up to 1 year or a fine of up to 120 days.
- If prescribed or medical
- Lei n.º 2/2017 does not itself create a medical prescription or supply route for amphetamine. Article 6, paragraph 1, subjects cultivation, production, manufacture, use, commerce, distribution, import, export, transit, transport, advertising and possession of Table I to IV substances to licensing, conditions and authorisations issued by the Ministério da Saúde, "nos termos a definir em diploma próprio" (on terms to be defined in a separate instrument), which has not been located. Decreto-Lei n.º 2/2025 governs pharmacy retail licensing generally and does not designate which Table I to IV substances a doctor may prescribe, so it is not read as a prescription route for amphetamine.
- Documentation
- Amphetamine sits in Table II-B by its own name, item 1, with its dextro isomer dexamphetamine separately named at item 3, so no generic-clause reasoning is needed. Personal possession and consumption are answered by article 26 (up to 1 year or a fine up to 120 days). Cultivation, production, manufacture, extraction, preparation, offering, sale, distribution, purchase, transfer, transport, import, export and unauthorised possession for any other purpose collapse into article 7's single list, at 5 to 15 years (6 to 16 if an authorisation existed and was breached), with the reduced-gravity band of article 11 available below five times the Anexo I quantity of 0,2g.
- Lei n.º 2/2017, de 25 de Janeiro, "Lei de Combate ao Tráfico Ilícito de Drogas", Anexo I item 13 (quantity)
- Anexo II, Tabela II-B item 1
- articles 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 26
- Jornal da República, Série I, N.º 4, 25 January 2017, pages 60 to 82. https://www.mj.gov.tl/jornal/public/docs/2017/serie_1/SERIE_I_NO_4.pdf (sha256 700f7867e6cff713f06a6fcb6da245ea1186582fe66309d193080ce0b7406cd6). Read on 7 October 2026.
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Court records
We have not yet assessed whether court records are publicly available for this jurisdiction.
Other substances confirmed in Timor-Leste
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Timor-Leste’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
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