Is Cocaine legal in Austria?
- Legal status
- Controlled under the Suchtmittelgesetz (SMG) — possession punishable (§27, no legal minimum quantity); depenalized for first-time small-quantity personal use
- Consequences if caught
- DISAMBIGUATION: depenalized, NOT legalized. There is NO legal minimum quantity — possession of any amount for personal use is punishable (§27, up to 6 months prison or a fine). BUT under "Therapie statt Strafe" (§35) small-quantity personal use is typically provisionally suspended from prosecution (1–2 year probation) if the person accepts counselling/treatment. Consumption itself is not criminalized, but the possession that precedes it is. For cocaine the Grenzmenge (threshold quantity) is 15 g. Above the Grenzmenge (threshold quantity) the offence becomes dealing/trafficking under §§28/28a — up to 1–3 years, escalating to 10–15 years for commercial or organized cases.
- If prescribed or medical
- Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form; medical cannabinoids are synthetic/pharmaceutical only (see documentation).
- Documentation
- Medical cannabis is limited to synthetic/pharmaceutical cannabinoids only (dronabinol, Sativex, nabilone) — no flower. There is no recreational legalization (the Constitutional Court upheld prohibition in July 2022). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and original packaging and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
- Suchtmittelgesetz (SMG, in force since 1998), §§27/28/28a/35
- Suchtgift-Grenzmengenverordnung (threshold quantities, as of Feb 2024)
- ris.bka.gv.at
- euda.europa.eu
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Austria’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
Verify current rules with the destination country’s official drug authority and your own country’s embassy before traveling. Find the destination’s U.S. embassy & official country guidance →
Non-U.S. travelers: check your own government’s travel advisory and embassy.
If you’re detained or arrested abroad
Contact your own country’s embassy or consulate in the destination immediately — not the destination’s authorities. U.S. citizens: contact the nearest U.S. embassy/consulate and the U.S. State Department at +1-202-501-4444 (from abroad). If a U.S. citizen is arrested or detained abroad →
