Is Cathinone legal in Cambodia?
- Legal status
- Controlled — cathinone (khat's natural principal alkaloid) is a 1971 Convention SCHEDULE I psychotropic and falls within the psychotropic tables of the Law on Drug Control, which mirror 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., caught by the same convention-mirrored annex) that derive from it; cathinone is the named Sch-I alkaloid, cathine the milder Schedule-III metabolite. Cambodia has no death penalty — no capital exposure.
- Consequences if caught
- Controlled psychotropic: possession and supply of the alkaloid are offences under the Drug Control Law; maximum penalties are custodial, not capital.
- 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 Cambodia’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
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Non-U.S. travelers: check your own government’s travel advisory and embassy.
If you’re detained or arrested abroad
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