Is Crack Cocaine legal in United Kingdom?
- Legal status
- Crack is the freebase (base) form of cocaine and has no separate legal identity in the United Kingdom: it is controlled AS cocaine, a Class A drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, whose Schedule 2 entry covers cocaine together with 'any salt of cocaine' and any preparation or product containing it, which reaches the base/freebase form. Crack is therefore a Class A controlled drug in identical terms to powder cocaine.
- Consequences if caught
- Possession of crack (as cocaine) carries up to 7 years' imprisonment and an unlimited fine; supply, production or possession-with-intent carries up to life imprisonment (Class A maxima).
- If prescribed or medical
- Medical cocaine (cocaine hydrochloride) remains a Schedule 2 controlled medicine usable as a topical ENT anaesthetic under licence; the crack/freebase base has no pharmaceutical form and is never prescribed.
- Documentation
- No patient or prescription documentation exists for crack/freebase cocaine; it is not a licensed medicine in any form.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with United Kingdom’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 →