Is Cathinone legal in Brazil?
- Legal status
- Controlled — cathinone (khat's natural principal alkaloid) is a 1971 Convention SCHEDULE I psychotropic and is listed by name on List F2 (proscribed psychotropics) of ANVISA Portaria SVS/MS 344/1998. Mechanism: 1971 Sch-I transposition, named. As the parent compound it is DISTINCT from the khat PLANT (Catha edulis, not in List E of controlled plants) and from the synthetic cathinones (mephedrone and generically-added NPS via RDC 175/2017) that derive from it; cathinone is the named List-F2 alkaloid, cathine the milder metabolite (1971 Schedule III). Brazil has no death penalty in peacetime.
- Consequences if caught
- List F2 (prohibited): possession and trafficking of the alkaloid under Lei 11.343/2006; custodial, not capital.
- If prescribed or medical
- 1971 Schedule I / List-F2 substance with no accepted medical use and no lawful prescription route for the isolated alkaloid.
- Documentation
- No licit personal-import route for a List-F2 substance.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Brazil’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
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