Is Cathinone legal in Sri Lanka?
- Legal status
- Controlled — cathinone (khat's natural principal alkaloid) is a 1971 Convention SCHEDULE I psychotropic and falls within the psychotropics schedule of the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (NDDCB), which incorporates 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.) that derive from it; cathinone is the named Sch-I alkaloid, cathine the milder metabolite (1971 Schedule III). Capital reach is left to confirmation: thresholds are keyed to heroin/cocaine quantities and cathinone is not separately capital-listed (long-standing execution moratorium).
- Consequences if caught
- Controlled substance: penalties apply for the alkaloid; capital reserved for named drugs/quantities and not carried out in practice.
- 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 substance.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Sri Lanka’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
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