Is Cathinone legal in Bangladesh?
- Legal status
- Controlled — cathinone (khat's natural principal alkaloid) is a 1971 Convention SCHEDULE I psychotropic and falls within the psychotropics schedule of the Narcotics Control Act 2018, which incorporates the UN conventions. Mechanism: 1971 Sch-I transposition (convention-mirroring), named. As the parent compound it is DISTINCT from the khat PLANT (Catha edulis, not separately named) and from the synthetic cathinones (mephedrone etc.) that derive from it; cathinone is the named Sch-I alkaloid, cathine the milder metabolite (1971 Schedule III). Capital reach is left to confirmation: the NCA 2018 reserves the death penalty for large quantities of specifically listed drugs and cathinone is not separately capital-listed (lean below-tier).
- Consequences if caught
- Controlled psychotropic: penalties apply for the alkaloid; capital is reserved for named drugs/quantities, not established for cathinone. High risk.
- If prescribed or medical
- 1971 Schedule I substance with no accepted medical use and no lawful prescription route for the isolated alkaloid.
- Documentation
- No licit personal-import route for a controlled psychotropic.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Bangladesh’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
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