Is Cathinone legal in Tonga?

Legal status

NAMED. Schedule 1, Class A, from Schedule I of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances 1971 (page 21), names "Cathinone" directly. This sub-list sits under the single "CLASS A" heading printed at the top of Schedule 1 (page 21); the Act's own Endnotes confirm the only separately classed heading, "CLASS B", is an insertion by Act 18 of 2012 covering only the cannabis sub-list that follows, so cathinone is correctly Class A.

Consequences if caught

Under section 3 of the Illicit Drugs Control Act, as substituted by the Illicit Drugs Control (Amendment) Act 2020, Act 15 of 2020, section 3, unlawful import or export of a Class A drug such as cathinone is liable, for a quantity of less than 1 gram, to a fine not exceeding 10,000 pa'anga or imprisonment not exceeding 3 years or both; for 1 gram or more, to a fine not exceeding 1,000,000 pa'anga or imprisonment for any period not exceeding life or both; and for 28 grams or more, to life imprisonment. Under section 4, as amended by Act 15 of 2020 section 4 and the Illicit Drugs Control (Amendment) Act 2021, Act 19 of 2021, section 3, unlawful possession, manufacture, cultivation, use or supply carries the same three bands, except the top band is 5 kilograms or more. Section 4(2), inserted by Act 15 of 2020, deems a person possessing 0.25 grams or more of cathinone to be supplying it.

If prescribed or medical

No entry for cathinone was located in the Therapeutic Goods Act 2001, No. 3 of 2001, or the Therapeutic Goods Regulations 2011, 2020 Revised Edition; neither instrument prints a name specific schedule admitting it as a prescribable medicine distinct from the Illicit Drugs Control Act's own Class A listing. The only route for a lawfully prescribed patient is the section 6 international traveller's exemption, up to one month, with written authority from the treating doctor, or the section 7 occupational and Ministry of Health exemptions.

Documentation

Searched against Illicit Drugs Control Act 2003 Schedule 1, pages 21 to 23, for "cathinone" and "(S)-2-amino-1-phenylpropan-1-one"; located at page 21 among the entries from Schedule I of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances 1971. Also checked against the Illicit Drugs Control (Amendment) Act 2020, the Illicit Drugs Control (Amendment) Act 2021, the Drugs and Poisons Act 1930 Schedule A and Part III, the Therapeutic Goods Act 2001, and the Therapeutic Goods Regulations 2011; none of the secondary instruments names cathinone separately. Two further amending Acts, the Illicit Drugs Control (Amendment) (No.1) Act 2024 and the Illicit Drugs Control (Amendment) (No.2) Act 2024, are listed in the Attorney General's legislation index but their PDFs returned HTTP 404 from the official portal checked independently in this session on 2026-10-07; if either altered the Schedule 1 wording for this entry, that is not verified here. Section 6 of the Act exempts a travelling medical patient for up to one month with written doctor authority; section 7 exempts a lawful occupation and the Ministry of Health.

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