Are Barbiturates legal in Finland?

Legal status

Controlled through named members rather than as a class. The decree names no class term for this row. Section 1 of valtioneuvoston asetus huumausaineina pidettävistä aineista, valmisteista ja kasveista 543/2008 makes the substances, preparations and plants in annexes I to V narcotics, and this row's entry sits in Liite II, the annex headed as the substances and preparations in lists I to IV of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, under list II, which the instrument itself heads as a schedule of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, an attribution read off the annex heading and not checked against the INCB list in this pass. The entry reads «Sekobarbitaali (5-allyyli-5-(1-metyylibutyyli)barbituurihappo)». Section 5 subsection 1 of huumausainelaki 373/2008 then forbids production, manufacture, import into Finland, export from Finland, transport, transit, distribution, trade, handling, possession and use, and allows departure from that ban only for medical, research, supervisory and industrial purposes as separately provided. The same list closes by extending itself, in the words «tämän luettelon aineiden suolat, mukaan luettuna edellä mainittujen isomeerien suolat, jos sellaisten olemassaolo on mahdollista; sekä». That annex stands as amended by 4.12.2025/1119. The members read in this pass are secobarbital in list II, amobarbital, butalbital, pentobarbital and cyclobarbital in list III, and allobarbital, barbital, butobarbital, phenobarbital, methylphenobarbital, secbutabarbital and vinylbital in list IV, so the class spans three lists and no single answer covers it. The live Finland cell's wider reading is kept. It recorded eight further named medicinal members in annex 1 of the medicines list 230/2025, aprobarbital, brallobarbital, etallobarbital, hexobarbital, heptabarbital, narcobarbital, thiopental and vinbarbital, under lääkelaki 395/1987 sections 3 and 6, and it recorded that no finite intended membership was supplied for this class slug. The twelve entries read verbatim as «Sekobarbitaali», «Amobarbitaali», «Butalbitaali», «Pentobarbitaali», «Syklobarbitaali», «Allobarbitaali», «Barbitaali», «Butobarbitaali», «Fenobarbitaali», «Metyylifenobarbitaali», «Sekbutabarbitaali», «Vinyylibitaali», each followed in the instrument by its systematic name, and the further medicinal members the live Finland cell named read «Aprobarbitaali», «Brallobarbitaali», «Etallobarbitaali», «Heksobarbitaali», «Heptabarbitaali», «Narkobarbitaali», «Tiopentaali», «Vinbarbitaali».

Consequences if caught

Capital exposure: none. The ceiling anywhere in this regime is the ten year maximum that Criminal Code chapter 50 section 2 sets for an aggravated narcotics offence. No penalty is asserted for this entry as a class, because the classification itself is unresolved. Chapter 50 of the Criminal Code (39/1889) carries the narcotics offences. Section 1 sets a fine or up to two years for a huumausainerikos covering manufacture, cultivation, import, export, transport, sale, supply, distribution and possession. Section 2 sets one to ten years for a törkeä huumausainerikos where the object is a very dangerous narcotic or a large quantity, or substantial gain is sought, or the act is part of an organised group, or serious danger to life or health is caused to several people, or the drug is spread to minors. Section 2 a sets a fine or up to six months for a huumausaineen käyttörikos, unlawful use or possession of a small quantity for own use. Section 3 sets a fine or up to two years for preparation and section 4 the same for promotion, while section 4 a sets four months to six years for aggravated promotion. Section 7 allows the charge or the sentence to be waived where the quantity, the circumstances and the use situation make the act minor as a whole, or where the suspect has entered approved treatment. This row sits in Liite II under list II of the decree, so those are the provisions its placement engages. The live Finland cell recorded the same three provisions and asserted no custodial term at all, and every provision it named is carried here: Criminal Code (39/1889) chapter 50, the substantive prohibitions in Narcotics Act 373/2008 section 5 with the lawful exceptions in section 3, and the consumer market conduct offence in Criminal Code chapter 44 section 5 a. The bands stated above are new to this pass and were read off the Criminal Code itself, not carried from that cell. They describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play. This row in particular. The entry this row is reached through sits in Liite II, which the decree heads as the substances and preparations in the lists of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, under list II of that annex, at printed position 61 of the 68 entries that list carries in the consolidated text read here, it reads «Sekobarbitaali (5-allyyli-5-(1-metyylibutyyli)barbituurihappo)», and it is that entry rather than this row's own name that the decree prints. In the printed order of that list the entry above it is Pentedroni and below it comes Tsipeproli. The same list closes by extending itself beyond its named entries, in the words «tässä luettelossa mainittuja aineita sisältävät valmisteet.». The annex that carries this row stands as amended by 4.12.2025/1119, which is the amendment that last touched this row's annex rather than the decree as a whole. Section 5 subsection 1 of huumausainelaki 373/2008 is the prohibition that placement engages, «Huumausaineen tuotanto, valmistus, tuonti Suomen alueelle, vienti Suomen alueelta, kuljetus, kauttakuljetus, jakelu, kauppa, käsittely, hallussapito ja käyttö on kielletty.», and chapter 50 section 5 subsection 1 of the Criminal Code makes the word huumausaine in those offences mean a narcotic under huumausainelaki, so the annex entry above is what puts this row inside them. Criminal Code chapter 50 section 2 a is the small quantity limb and it opens «Joka laittomasti käyttää taikka omaa käyttöä varten pitää hallussaan tai yrittää hankkia vähäisen määrän huumausainetta, on tuomittava», so the käyttörikos reaches this row on its own terms. No quantity figure is printed anywhere in chapter 50: whether a quantity is a suuri määrä, and whether the substance is an erittäin vaarallinen huumausaine under chapter 50 section 5 subsection 2, are findings of fact and the annex position does not settle either of them. No fine figure is printed either, because a Finnish fine is a day fine set on the offender's income.

If prescribed or medical

Section 24 of huumausainelaki 373/2008 disapplies the import and export rules for a medicinal product a traveller carries for personal medication where the substance is in lists I to III of the 1961 Convention or lists II to IV of the 1971 Convention, and this row is inside that carve out. Section 19 of lääkelaki 395/1987 then governs. Where a substance is a medicinal ingredient rather than a listed narcotic, it is handled through the Medicines Act 395/1987, in particular the conduct and import rules in section 3 and the medicinal substances list, and its status turns on individual product classification. This row in particular. The entry this row is reached through sits in list II of the 1971 Convention annex, and section 24 of huumausainelaki 373/2008 reaches exactly that: it disapplies the import and export provisions of the Act for medicinal products containing a substance in lists I to III of the 1961 Convention or lists II to IV of the 1971 Convention, the products being those «joita matkustaja käyttää henkilökohtaiseen lääkitykseensä», and then hands the traveller to section 19 of lääkelaki 395/1987. That reading is about the entry, not about this row's own name, which the decree does not print. Whether a product containing this row falls inside the carve out follows from what the product contains, and this cell does not settle it.

Documentation

Carry any prescribed medicine in its dispensed packaging with the prescription. Finland's personal import rules for medicines sit in the Medicines Act 395/1987 and were not read for this cell, so no traveller allowance is stated here. This row in particular. The locator a traveller or an official would be checking is Liite II list II entry 61 of 543/2008, as that annex stands after 4.12.2025/1119, and the entry printed there reads «Sekobarbitaali (5-allyyli-5-(1-metyylibutyyli)barbituurihappo)». Because the row is in that part of the convention annexes, section 24 of huumausainelaki 373/2008 takes a traveller's own prescribed medicine out of the Act's import and export provisions and leaves section 19 of lääkelaki 395/1987 to govern how much may be carried, which is the provision this cell did not read. Provenance for this row. The consolidated 543/2008 read here is the Finlex text carrying amendments up to 25.6.2026/651, the version Finlex identifies as data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2008/543/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin, in force from 10 July 2026, read on 21 September 2026; the consolidated 1130/2014 read here is the Finlex text whose annex was substituted by 650/2026 with effect from 10 July 2026, read on 21 September 2026; and where the medicines list is cited it is the Finnish annex text to decision 230/2025 served by Finlex, read on 21 September 2026.

Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Finland’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.