Is Cocaine legal in Taiwan?
- Legal status
- Category-1 narcotic under the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act — manufacture/transport/sale = DEATH or life; possession-with-intent heavier; [de facto] executions since ~2000 for murder only
- Consequences if caught
- Cocaine is a Category-1 narcotic under Taiwan's Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例). Manufacturing, transporting or selling it carries DEATH or life imprisonment; possession with intent is heavier than for lower categories. [de facto] The death penalty is statutorily present for Category-1 manufacture/transport/sale, but all Taiwan executions since about 2000 have been for murder, not drugs.
- If prescribed or medical
- Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
- Documentation
- The Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act classifies narcotics into four categories: Category 1 = heroin, morphine, opium, cocaine; Category 2 = cannabis, amphetamines, methamphetamine, coca, opium poppy; Categories 3 and 4 are lower. Manufacturing, transporting or selling Category 1 narcotics carries DEATH or life imprisonment; Category 2 manufacture/transport/sale carries life or a minimum of 10 years plus a fine up to NT$15 million. Possession with intent is heavier for Category 1; Category 2 possession-with-intent is a minimum of 5 years. Simple possession of Category 2 draws up to 2 years, detention or a fine; possessing more than 20 g of pure Category 2 draws 6 months to 5 years. Cannabis is Category 2 (the same class as amphetamines) — illegal, with NO medical-cannabis program (only CBD under 0.001% THC by prescription, imported); cultivation is illegal, including industrial hemp. [de facto] The death penalty is statutorily present for Category-1 manufacture/transport/sale, but all Taiwan executions since about 2000 have been for murder, not drugs. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
- Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例)
- law.moj.gov.tw
- moj.gov.tw
Court records
We have not yet assessed whether court records are publicly available for this jurisdiction.
Other substances confirmed in Taiwan
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Taiwan’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 →