Is Cathinone legal in Lesotho?

Legal status

Cathinone is a prohibited drug under the Drugs of Abuse Act No. 5 of 2008. It is printed by name as 'Cathinone' in Schedule 1, Prohibited Drugs of Abuse, on printed page 810, in the block taken from Schedule 1 of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances. 'Methcathinone' is printed beside it in Schedule 1, and 'Cathine' is printed separately in Schedule 3 on printed page 812. Under s3 a prohibited drug is 'a substance listed in Schedule 1', and under s4(2) Schedule 1 carries the strictest measures.

Consequences if caught

Manufacturing, acquiring or administering cathinone without a licence falls under s9(1)(b), where s9(6) prints 'imprisonment not less than 5 years or a fine not less than M20,000 or both'. Selling, delivering, importing or exporting it is trafficking under s43(1): 'not less than 20 years or a fine not less than M1,000,000 or both'. Section 43(3), which begins 'Any person who contravenes this section', prints 10 years or M50,000, and the Act does not say how the two combine. Section 47 gives attempt and aiding the same penalty. For a Part III offence, s49(2) lists aggravating grounds. The penalty clauses printed in the Act set minimums and name no maximum.

If prescribed or medical

Section 10 reads: 'any person undergoing treatment of a medical condition, who is entering, leaving or passing through Lesotho, may possess such quantities of a drug of abuse (where prescribed) as may be reasonably expected for the purposes of such treatment.' In s3, 'prescribed' is 'prescribed by regulations' and a 'prescription' is a practitioner's written direction, so the bracket may mean either; the Act does not choose and no regulation under s10 was found. Section 28(1) allows pharmacist supply on prescription and s29(1) lists who may prescribe. Under s29(5) the prescription must be on the prescribed form, legible, signed and dated, with the practitioner's name, address, qualifications and registration number, the patient's name and address, and the drug's name, quantity, form and strength. Section 29(6) permits an oral one in urgent need if confirmed in writing within 24 hours. The Act does not say whether a foreign prescription qualifies; s44(6)(b) bars supply on one over 3 months old.

Documentation

Drawn from s3, s4(2), s9(1)(b), s9(6), s10, s28(1), s29(1), s29(5), s29(6), s43(1), s43(3), s44(6), s47 and s49(2), with Schedule 1 at printed page 810 and Schedule 3 at printed page 812, read as printed in the gazette of 27 May 2008. No later amendment to the Schedules was found as at 2 November 2026, which does not prove none exists. Not established: whether the khat plant itself falls within the cathinone entry, since the Act does not name the plant.

Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Lesotho’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.