Is Ayahuasca legal in Indonesia?
- Legal status
- In Indonesia the ayahuasca brew is treated as DMT with no religious carve-out: N,N-dimethyltryptamine (Dimetiltriptamina) is a Golongan I narcotic under Narcotics Law No. 35 of 2009 with no permitted therapeutic use, so any DMT-containing preparation such as ayahuasca is a prohibited Golongan I substance.
- Consequences if caught
- Producing, importing, possessing or trafficking the ayahuasca brew is a Golongan I narcotics offence carrying severe penalties, up to the death penalty for large-scale trafficking; there is no religious-use exemption.
- If prescribed or medical
- Golongan I narcotics including DMT have no lawful medical or prescription use in Indonesia, so ayahuasca cannot be prescribed or dispensed.
- Documentation
- Law No. 35 of 2009 on Narcotics classifies DMT as a Golongan I substance in its annex; no exemption exists for the ayahuasca preparation.
Court records
The Supreme Court database can be searched only by case number or party name, so drug cases cannot be located by substance.
Source checked Mahkamah Agung decision database · 2026-08-27
Ayahuasca in related jurisdictions
Other substances confirmed in Indonesia
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Indonesia’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
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If you’re detained or arrested abroad
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