Is Crack Cocaine legal in Brazil?
- Legal status
- Crack is the freebase (base) form of cocaine and has no separate legal identity in Brazil: it is controlled AS cocaine, a forbidden substance in ANVISA Portaria 344/1998, whose entry covers cocaine, its salts and preparations and thus reaches the base/freebase form. Crack ('crack') is treated identically to cocaine under Law 11.343/2006.
- Consequences if caught
- Personal use of crack (as cocaine) is criminal but non-custodial (Art 28, warnings/community measures); trafficking is a crime under Art 33 (5-15 years).
- If prescribed or medical
- Cocaine has only narrow controlled medical use; the crack/freebase base has no medicinal preparation and cannot be prescribed.
- Documentation
- No prescription documentation exists for crack/freebase cocaine.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Brazil’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 →