Is Cathinone legal in Portugal?
- Legal status
- Controlled — cathinone (khat's natural principal alkaloid) is a 1971 Convention SCHEDULE I psychotropic and is scheduled under the narcotics tables of Decreto-Lei 15/93. Mechanism: 1971 Sch-I transposition, named. As the parent compound it is DISTINCT from the khat PLANT (Catha edulis leaf, not separately listed and caught via its cathinone content) and from the synthetic cathinones (mephedrone etc., reinforced by the NPS-specific DL 54/2013) that derive from it; cathinone is the named Sch-I alkaloid, cathine the milder Schedule-III metabolite. Personal use is decriminalised (Lei 30/2000).
- Consequences if caught
- Personal quantity of the alkaloid referred to a Dissuasion Commission (administrative); trafficking remains criminal under DL 15/93. No death penalty in Portugal.
- If prescribed or medical
- 1971 Schedule I substance with no accepted medical use and no lawful prescription route for the isolated alkaloid.
- Documentation
- Decriminalised personal use is not legality; no licit personal-import route for a scheduled substance.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Portugal’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
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