Is Barbiturates legal in Cambodia?
- Legal status
- Barbiturates are controlled psychotropic prescription substances under Cambodia's Law on Drug Control (2011), transposing the 1971 Convention tiers; individual compounds are not separately enumerated in the accessible annex.
- Consequences if caught
- Unauthorised possession or supply is punishable under the 2011 Law (imprisonment); barbiturate-specific tiers are not individually published.
- If prescribed or medical
- Phenobarbital is handled as a controlled prescription antiepileptic (a WHO Essential Medicine); the sedative-hypnotic barbiturates are tightly controlled.
- Documentation
- No clearly published personal-import allowance — carry a prescription and original packaging and confirm with Cambodian authorities before travel.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Cambodia’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 →