Is Cocaine legal in Timor-Leste?

Also known as: coke, blow

Legal status

Cocaine is named directly in Table I-B of Lei n.º 2/2017's Anexo II: "Cocaína - éter metílico do ácido (-)-8-metil-3-benzoiloxi-8-aza-biciclo-(1,2,3)-octano-2-carboxílico; éster metílico de benzoilecgonina" (cocaine, the methyl ether of the acid named, methyl ester of benzoylecgonine), alongside the coca leaf itself and cocaine's dextrorotatory isomer at the same table. Anexo I prices the hydrochloride salt form at 0,2g (item 5) and the base ester form, chemically the same molecule prepared without the salt, at 0,03g (item 6). Table I-B's closing clause extends control to all salts of these compounds. Article 2, paragraph 1, subparagraph d, defines "droga" as any plant, substance or preparation covered by Tables I to IV; article 3 makes the tables integral to the law. This reading is as printed 25 January 2017, read on 7 October 2026.

Consequences if caught

Article 7, paragraph 1, of Lei n.º 2/2017 ("Quem, sem se encontrar autorizado, cultivar, produzir, fabricar, extrair, preparar, oferecer, puser à venda, vender, distribuir, comprar, ceder ou por qualquer título receber, proporcionar a outrem, transportar, importar, exportar, fizer transitar ou ilicitamente detiver, fora dos casos previstos no artigo 26.º, plantas, substâncias ou preparados compreendidos nas tabelas I a III é punido com pena de prisão de 5 a 15 anos", whoever, without being authorised, cultivates, produces, manufactures, extracts, prepares, offers, puts up for sale, sells, distributes, buys, transfers or by any title receives, supplies to another, transports, imports, exports, causes to transit or unlawfully holds, outside the cases in article 26, plants, substances or preparations in Tables I to III, is punished with imprisonment of 5 to 15 years) is the base band for cocaine. Article 7, paragraph 2, raises this to 6 to 16 years where an authorisation existed and was acted against. Article 9 adds two thirds to both the minimum and maximum of article 7 where a listed aggravating factor applies, and article 10 sets 10 to 25 years, 12 to 25 for a leader, for founding or directing a group formed to commit an article 7 offence. Article 11, paragraph 1, subparagraph a, sets a reduced band of 1 to 5 years where illicitude is considerably diminished, and article 11, paragraph 2, ties that test to five times the Anexo I daily reference quantity, here 1,0g for the hydrochloride salt (five times 0,2g) or 0,15g for the base form (five times 0,03g). Article 26 answers personal consumption and possession for personal use separately, at imprisonment of up to 1 year or a fine of up to 120 days. Table III, item 3, also exempts preparations containing no more than 0,1% cocaine calculated as base.

If prescribed or medical

Lei n.º 2/2017 does not itself create a medical prescription or supply route for cocaine. Article 6, paragraph 1, subjects cultivation, production, manufacture, use, commerce, distribution, import, export, transit, transport, advertising and possession of Table I to IV substances to licensing, conditions and authorisations issued by the Ministério da Saúde, "nos termos a definir em diploma próprio" (on terms to be defined in a separate instrument), which has not been located. Decreto-Lei n.º 2/2025 governs pharmacy retail licensing generally and does not designate which Table I to IV substances a doctor may prescribe, so it is not read as a prescription route for cocaine.

Documentation

Cocaine sits in Table I-B by its own name alongside the coca leaf and the dextro isomer, so no generic-clause reasoning is needed for the classification itself; the reduced-gravity threshold under article 11 differs by form, 1,0g for the salt against 0,15g for the base, reflecting Anexo I's own two-row pricing of the same drug.

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