Is Codeine legal in Laos?
- Legal status
- Codeine is a scheduled controlled substance under Laos's narcotics law (Law on Narcotics / Penal Code Art. 146); it sits below the capital tier (death under Art. 146 attaches to named drugs by weight, e.g. more than 500 g of morphine/heroin, not codeine).
- Consequences if caught
- Unauthorised possession or supply draws fixed-term imprisonment; codeine is not death-eligible.
- If prescribed or medical
- Handled as a controlled prescription medicine.
- Documentation
- Carry a prescription and original packaging and confirm import rules with Lao authorities before travel.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Laos’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 →