Is Barbiturates legal in Taiwan?
- Legal status
- Barbiturates are controlled drugs scheduled by compound under the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act and the Controlled Drugs Act — secobarbital/pentobarbital/amobarbital in Category 3 and phenobarbital/barbital in the lower Category 4 — transposing the 1971 Convention.
- Consequences if caught
- Lower-category trafficking/manufacture draws fixed-term imprisonment; simple small-quantity possession is handled administratively. The death penalty (Art. 4(1)) applies only to Category 1 narcotics — barbiturates are not death-eligible.
- If prescribed or medical
- Phenobarbital is dispensed as a Category 4 antiepileptic (a WHO Essential Medicine); a licence is needed to import/export the controlled barbiturates.
- Documentation
- Carry a prescription and original packaging.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Taiwan’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 →