Is Barbiturates legal in Thailand?
- Legal status
- Barbiturates are psychotropic substances under the Narcotics Code B.E. 2564 (2021), classed by compound — the sedative-hypnotic barbiturates (secobarbital, amobarbital, pentobarbital) in Category 2 and phenobarbital in a lower category — transposing the 1971 Convention.
- Consequences if caught
- Carrying over the personal limit is an offence.
- If prescribed or medical
- Phenobarbital is prescribed as an antiepileptic (a WHO Essential Medicine); the Category 2 sedative-hypnotic barbiturates need an import permit and are tightly controlled.
- Documentation
- Lower-category psychotropics: up to a 30-day supply carried with a prescription or medical certificate; Category 2 barbiturates need an FDA import permit.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Thailand’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 →