Is Barbiturates legal in Sri Lanka?
- Legal status
- Barbiturates are prescription-only psychotropics (Schedule IIB, Cosmetics, Devices and Drugs Act No. 27 of 1980) — a class transposing the 1971 Convention, distinct from the narcotics regime.
- Consequences if caught
- Unauthorised possession or trafficking of psychotropics draws imprisonment and fines. The capital drug provisions (Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, s.54A) apply only to ≥5g of morphine/cocaine/heroin/methamphetamine — barbiturates are not death-eligible (and Sri Lanka has a de facto moratorium since 1976).
- If prescribed or medical
- Phenobarbital is dispensed as a Schedule IIB 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 Sri Lanka’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 →