Is Cathinone legal in Japan?
- Legal status
- Controlled — cathinone (khat's natural principal alkaloid) is a 1971 Convention SCHEDULE I psychotropic and is scheduled as a narcotic (mayaku) under the Narcotics and Psychotropics Control Act. Mechanism: 1971 Sch-I transposition, named. As the parent compound it is DISTINCT from the khat PLANT (Catha edulis leaf, not individually scheduled and caught via its cathinone content) and from the synthetic cathinones (mephedrone etc., controlled via the designated-drug route) that derive from it; cathinone is the named narcotic alkaloid, cathine the milder controlled metabolite (1971 Schedule III).
- Consequences if caught
- Narcotic (mayaku): possession and import of the alkaloid prosecuted under the narcotics law. Japan does not impose the death penalty for drug offences.
- 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-carry or import route for a controlled narcotic.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Japan’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
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