Is Codeine legal in Bangladesh?
- Legal status
- Codeine (widely misused as Phensedyl cough syrup) is a lower-category controlled substance under the Narcotics Control Act 2018; it sits below the capital tier (the Section 36 death penalty is reserved for Category 'Ka'/A drugs such as heroin/cocaine above threshold, not codeine).
- Consequences if caught
- Unauthorised possession or supply draws graduated imprisonment and fines by quantity; codeine is not death-eligible.
- If prescribed or medical
- Bangladesh has NO 2026 INCB estimated requirement for codeine at all — its 2026 estimates run fentanyl, methadone, morphine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, pethidine, remifentanil and sufentanil, with no codeine line. Licit codeine supply is therefore not established for 2026; do not assume a codeine product is obtainable or importable. Bangladesh has furnished INCB no traveller regulation at all (“Information not yet provided by country”), so no published national rule tells you what you may carry — ask the Department of Narcotics Control before you fly.
- Documentation
- Carry a prescription and original packaging; declare controlled medicines (codeine syrups are heavily policed).
- refworld.org
- INCB Narcotic Drugs — Estimated World Requirements for 2026 (April update): https://www.incb.org/incb/uploads/documents/Narcotic-Drugs/Status-of-Estimates/2026/EstApr26.pdf
- INCB Country Regulations for Travellers: https://www.incb.org/incb/en/travellers/country-regulations.html
Court records
We have not yet assessed whether court records are publicly available for this jurisdiction.
Codeine in related jurisdictions
Other substances confirmed in Bangladesh
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Bangladesh’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 →