Is Cannabinol legal in Timor-Leste?

Also known as: cbn

Legal status

Not named by that term anywhere in Anexo II to Lei n.º 2/2017, de 25 de Janeiro; a direct search for "canabinol" returned no match. Two possible routes to control were worked through rather than assumed, and they point in different directions. First, Tabela I-C defines "Cannabis, resina de" as "resina separada, em bruto ou purificada, obtida a partir da planta Cannabis" (resin separated, crude or purified, obtained from the Cannabis plant) and "Cannabis, óleo de" as "óleo separado, em bruto ou purificado, obtido a partir da planta Cannabis" (oil separated, crude or purified, obtained from the Cannabis plant). Both terms describe a plant-derived resin or oil product calibrated, per Annex I notes 3-(3) to 3-(5), by its Delta-9-THC content; as conventionally understood and as the Annex I notes treat it, "resina" and "óleo" denote the whole cannabis extract (hashish, hash oil), not a single isolated cannabinoid compound, and Table I-C carries no isomer or analogue extension clause, only a salts clause, unlike the hallucinogen table. That reading would leave a cannabinol isolate, as distinct from a plant resin or oil product, outside Table I-C. Second, and the stronger route: Tabela II-B's closing clause reads "Os derivados e sais das substâncias inscritas nesta tabela, sempre que a sua existência seja possível" (the derivatives and salts of the substances listed in this table, wherever their existence is possible), and item 14 names tetrahydrocannabinol. Cannabinol is chemically tetrahydrocannabinol's oxidation (aromatisation) product, a transformation product of THC rather than an independently biosynthesised cannabinoid, which makes it a textually defensible "derivado" of item 14's entry under this clause. "Derivado" is not defined anywhere in article 2, so this reading is not certain; no instrument, regulation or guidance confirming it has been found this session. Article 5, which sets out drafting criteria for how the tables were compiled (including a hallucinogen criterion at 5.2.d and an amphetamine-type criterion at 5.2.e), is titled and worded as explanatory criteria for table compilation, not as a standing clause that independently controls a substance never printed in the tables; it is not treated here as an operative catch-all; 5.2.d is not itself a Table II-A clause, since Table II-A's own closing text covers only salts and isomers.

Consequences if caught

If the Table II-B derivados reading governs, cannabinol's conduct consequences follow Table II-B's position within the "tabelas I a III" grouping: imprisonment of 5 to 15 years under article 7(1) for unauthorised cultivation, production, manufacture, extraction, preparation, offering, sale, distribution, purchase, transport, import or export, rising to 6 to 16 years under article 7(2) for an authorised person acting against that authorisation, and aggravated by two thirds on both limits under article 9 where a listed factor applies (8 years 4 months to 25 years on the base band). If instead cannabinol is read as outside both Table I-C and Table II-B's derivados clause, no table I to IV offence is established on this reading and no penalty band is stated. Annex I does not price cannabinol. Personal possession for exclusively personal use, if the derivados reading is taken, falls under article 26: up to 1 year imprisonment or a fine of up to 120 days.

If prescribed or medical

If cannabinol is reached by Table II-B, article 6(1) defers its licensing to a Ministério da Saúde instrument not located this session, and no prescription route is stated. If it is not reached, article 6's table I to IV licensing regime does not apply to it by that route.

Documentation

Cannabinol's answer differs from cbd's: cannabinol is chemically a derivative (an oxidation product) of the tetrahydrocannabinol named at Table II-B item 14, where cbd is tetrahydrocannabinol's biosynthetic precursor sibling rather than its derivative, which is why the two are not treated the same way.

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