Is Barbiturates legal in Bangladesh?
- Legal status
- Barbiturates are lower-class psychotropic sedatives under the Narcotics Control Act 2018 (below Class 'Ka'/A) — a prescription-controlled class transposing the 1971 Convention tiers.
- Consequences if caught
- Lower-class psychotropic offences draw graduated imprisonment and fines by quantity. The death penalty (Section 36) is reserved for Class 'Ka'/A drugs at threshold (heroin/cocaine >25g, methamphetamine/yaba >5g) — barbiturates fall below the capital tier.
- If prescribed or medical
- Phenobarbital is dispensed as a controlled antiepileptic (a WHO Essential Medicine); the sedative-hypnotic barbiturates are tightly controlled.
- Documentation
- Carry a prescription and original packaging; declare controlled medicines.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Bangladesh’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 →