Are Barbiturates legal in Uzbekistan?

Legal status

Controlled in Uzbekistan by name, barbiturate by barbiturate. List III of Resolution 330 names, among others, «Аллобарбитал *» row 1, «Барбитал *» row 7, «Буталбитал *» row 13, «Бутобарбитал *» row 14, «Метилфенобарбитал * (мефобарбитал)» row 42, «Секбутабарбитал *» row 59, «Тиопентал-натрия» row 62, «Фенобарбитал *» row 68 and «Циклобарбитал *» row 77 [Certain]. List II names «Амобарбитал» at row 3 and «Этаминал-натрия (Пентобарбитал) *» at row 53 [Certain]. Hexobarbital and benzobarbital are on the separate potent substance list of Resolution No. 818, rows 16 and 11 [Certain]. A barbiturate on none of these lists is not caught by a class entry, because no list names the class [Certain that no class row was found].

Consequences if caught

Capital exposure: none. Article 25 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan of 30 April 2023 provides «Ўзбекистон Республикасида ўлим жазоси тақиқланади», in the Russian text «В Республике Узбекистан смертная казнь запрещается» (the death penalty is prohibited in the Republic of Uzbekistan), read in both texts on lex.uz on 3 October 2026 [Certain]. For phenobarbital, List III row 68 prints «1,0», a range from 1,0 to 10,0 and «10,0» grams, and for pentobarbital List II row 53 prints «0,6», a range from 0,6 to 6,0 and «6,0» [Certain]. The drug offences sit in articles 270 to 276 and 276-1 to 276-8 of the Criminal Code, several of them restated by Law ZRU-1151 of 11 June 2026, published on 12 June 2026, and the Code was read in that version [Certain]. Article 276 punishes making, keeping, acquiring, carrying or sending narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances or their analogues without intent to sell with a fine of up to fifty times the base calculation amount, up to three hundred and sixty hours of compulsory community work, up to three years of correctional labour, one to three years of restricted liberty or up to three years of deprivation of liberty, and with three to five years where it is done «кўп миқдорда» (in a large amount) or by a repeat offender [Certain]. Article 273 punishes the same conduct with intent to sell, and selling: up to three years under part one, three to five years where the amount is «кўп бўлмаган» (not large), five to seven years where it is «озгинадан кўпроқ» (more than a little), seven to ten years under part four for a repeat offence, a group by prior agreement, a prison, an educational setting, a minor or use of the internet, ten to fifteen years under part five for an especially dangerous recidivist or an organised group, and fifteen to twenty years under part six for a large amount or an organised group acting in two or more states or online [Certain]. Twenty years is the highest term in articles 270 to 276 as read [Certain]. Below the criminal level, Administrative Code article 56, restated by the same law, punishes the same conduct without intent to sell in a small amount («оз миқдорда») with confiscation and a fine of one to two times the base calculation amount or administrative arrest of up to fifteen days, and article 187-1 punishes use in a public place with a fine of twenty to forty times the base calculation amount or arrest of up to fifteen days, except use on prescription for medical purposes [Certain]. Hexobarbital and benzobarbital carry no asterisk in Resolution 818, so they are not special category, and Administrative Code article 56-3 and Criminal Code article 276-8, which reach only the special category, do not reach plain possession of them [Certain]. What reaches them is article 276-6, possession or carriage with intent to sell, article 276-4, obtaining them by theft or fraud, and Administrative Code article 187-1, use in a public place [Certain]. Resolution 330 is repealed from 12 January 2027 by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 359 of 2 July 2026, published on 11 July 2026, whose paragraph 7 brings it into force six months after official publication and whose annex 10 lists Resolution 330 among the repealed acts; lex.uz records the entry into force as 12.01.2027 [Certain]. Annex 9 of Resolution 359 also adds a row for combined medicines with more than 50 mg of phenobarbital per dose [Certain].

If prescribed or medical

List II and List III barbiturates may be used on a doctor's direction under article 11 of Law No. 813-I [Certain].

Documentation

Article 11 of Law No. 813-I of 19 August 1999 on narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances allows List II and List III substances «шифокор кўрсатмаси бўйича тиббий мақсадларда» (on a doctor's direction for medical purposes) [Certain]. Article 25 lets a patient in transit carry List II and List III substances for treatment in the order set by the Cabinet of Ministers [Certain]. That order, paragraph 2 of annex 3 to Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 472 of 29 October 2003, allows narcotic drugs up to «етти кун» (seven days') dose and psychotropic substances up to «15 кун» (fifteen days') dose, and paragraph 3 requires a declaration at the border, a treating doctor's conclusion naming the drug, form, dose and duration, and a copy of the prescription [Certain]. From 12 January 2027 annex 5 to Resolution 359 replaces it and sets fifteen days for both lists [Certain]. Both texts speak of patients passing «транзит (трансфер)» (in transit or transfer); neither sets an allowance for a visitor who stays, and none was found in the texts read [Certain that none is stated in them].

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