Is Cathinone legal in Aceh (Indonesia)?
- Legal status
- Controlled — cathinone (katinona; khat's natural principal alkaloid) is a 1971 Convention SCHEDULE I psychotropic and is a Golongan I narcotic under the NATIONAL Law 35/2009, which governs narcotics in Aceh. Mechanism: 1971 Sch-I transposition, named (national law). As the parent compound it is DISTINCT from the khat PLANT (Catha edulis, not named) and from the synthetic cathinones (mephedrone etc., Golongan I) that derive from it; cathinone is the named Golongan-I alkaloid, cathine the milder metabolite (1971 Schedule III). The Aceh Qanun Jinayat (Sharia) covers only khamr, gambling and khalwat — NOT narcotics — so capital exposure runs through the same national arts. 113-114 as the rest of Indonesia.
- Consequences if caught
- Golongan I under national law: large-quantity trafficking/manufacture of the alkaloid is capital (arts. 113-114); Sharia caning applies to alcohol, not cathinone. Extreme risk.
- If prescribed or medical
- 1971 Schedule I / Golongan-I narcotic with no accepted medical use and no lawful prescription route for the isolated alkaloid.
- Documentation
- No licit personal-carry or import route; Golongan I trafficking of the alkaloid carries death exposure.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Aceh (Indonesia)’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
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