Is Codeine legal in Iraq?

Legal status

Controlled narcotic. Schedule Two carries CODEINE at serial 2, described as «3-methylmorphine(derivate of morphine,alkaloid contained in» opium and poppy straw. This placement is stated as those schedules stand after Statement 347 of 2025 of 17 November 2025, the Official Gazette having been checked to issue 4881 of 14 September 2026.

Consequences if caught

Schedule Two placement matters: Article 28, First, and its heavier tier reach Schedule One, while a Schedule Two substance falls to Article 28, Sixth. Schedule Three exempts codeine preparations of not more than 100 milligrams per dosage unit at a concentration of not more than 2.5 per cent in undivided preparations. Under the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Law No. 50 of 2017, Article 27 punishes importing, bringing in or exporting, producing or manufacturing, and cultivating a producing plant, in each case with intent to trade, by death or life imprisonment. Trafficking possession of a substance on the tables outside Schedule One carries severe detention under Article 28, Sixth. The fine on that offence runs from 5,000,000 to 10,000,000 Iraqi dinars. Possession, purchase, import, production or cultivation for personal use carries one to three years under Article 32. The fine on personal use runs from 5,000,000 to 10,000,000 Iraqi dinars. Article 27 keys on the act rather than on a weight, and the law sets no gram threshold for it. These figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play. Iraq enforces the drug death penalty in practice: 144 drug-trafficking death sentences were issued in 2024, a figure carried forward here from the previous cell and not re-derived, on the authority of the US State Department and Iraqi court statements reported by 964media and The New Region.

If prescribed or medical

Available as a medicine. Iraq's INCB estimated requirement of codeine for 2026 is 2,400,000 g against 16,000 g of morphine, so licit codeine supply is substantial. Carry the prescription and the original packaging.

Documentation

Ministry of Health prior approval is required for controlled-medicine import and documentation is essential. Running or preparing a place for drug use is Article 28, Fourth, of this law; it is not a Penal Code Article 288 offence. Allowing another person to use drugs on premises of yours carries six months to two years under Article 33, First, with a fine of 3,000,000 to 5,000,000 Iraqi dinars. A doctor who writes a prescription for other than medical treatment faces not less than three months detention or a fine of 3,000,000 to 5,000,000 Iraqi dinars and a one year ban on practice under Article 31. Article 1 defines the ten schedules as the lists adopted by the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances and the 1988 United Nations Convention against illicit traffic, each with its amendments, and Article 49, Second, is how Iraq amends them. Article 50 repeals Narcotics Law No. 68 of 1965, so the 1965 law is not the governing Act. Harm Reduction International reported 140 drug death sentences in Iraq between January and August 2024, a figure carried forward here and not re-derived. The US State Department has reported personal-use sentences of up to 15 years, which is longer than the Article 32 range and is carried forward here as that department reported it rather than re-derived from the statute. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with the Iraqi embassy before travel.

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