Is Clonazepam legal in Dominican Republic?

Legal status

Controlled. Clonazepam is the entry «Clonazepam» at number 6 of acápite I of Categoría IV of article 8 of Ley 50-88 under identification code 2737.

Consequences if caught

Categoría IV carries the accepted medical use finding in article 8, so the law provides a prescription route for this substance rather than prohibiting it outright. Article 75 sets the prison band by the role the case is classified into: six months to two years for simple possession, three to ten years for a distributor, a seller or an intermediary, five to twenty years for a trafficker, and thirty years for a patrocinador. The quantity scales that decide which of those roles a case falls into are printed for cocaine in article 5 and for marihuana and hashish in article 6, and Ley 50-88 prints no quantity scale for any other substance. The fines run with the same roles: RD$1,500 to RD$2,500 for simple possession, RD$10,000 to RD$50,000 for a distributor or an intermediary, not less than the value of the drugs seized and never less than RD$50,000 for a trafficker, and not less than RD$1,000,000 for a patrocinador. Article 59 adds five to twenty years with a fine of not less than RD$250,000 for taking a controlled drug into or out of the national territory in international traffic, and thirty years with a fine of not less than RD$1,000,000 where the Dominican Republic is the final destination. Article 58 classifies illicit trafficking, the manufacture, distribution or possession of equipment for producing controlled drugs, and the acquisition or laundering of the proceeds, as delitos graves to be punished with the maximum of the penalties and the fines, and its párrafo calls illicit trafficking an international offence. Article 85 doubles the penalty for a reincident trafficker or patrocinador and caps the resulting prison term at thirty years, and article 87 withdraws provisional liberty on bail, conditional liberty and the conditional pardon of the sentence from every offence in this law. Those figures are set out here because they describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play. Ley 50-88 provides no death penalty for any drug offence, and the highest prison term it prints anywhere is thirty years.

If prescribed or medical

A medicine containing this substance is a sustancia controlada under article 2 acápite XLIII because it sits in acápite I of Categoría IV. Articles 31 and 48 of Ley 50-88 confine such medicines to pharmacies and to a dispensed prescription, and article 28 forbids carrying controlled drugs without lawful authority. Carry the medicine in its original packaging with the prescription and the dispensing label, and confirm the requirement with your embassy before travel.

Documentation

The nitro group that distinguishes it does not put it anywhere else in the law, and the structurally close nitrobenzodiazepine nimetazepam has no entry at all in the version read. Article 31 confines these medicines to pharmacies and article 48 requires the prescription to be held by the dispenser. There is no medical cannabis programme in the Dominican Republic and CBD is treated the same as THC. The United States embassy warns of zero tolerance enforcement in which small quantities can lead to arrest, and it states that United States cannabis or medical marijuana cards are not recognised.

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