Is Crack Cocaine legal in Uruguay?

Legal status

Crack is the freebase (base) form of cocaine and has no separate legal identity in Uruguay: it is controlled AS cocaine under Decreto-Ley 14.294 of 1974, art. 31, as amended by Ley 17.016 (1998) and by art. 7 of Ley 19.172 (2013), whose scheduling of cocaine reaches its salts, preparations and therefore the base/freebase form. Crack is prohibited identically to cocaine.

Consequences if caught

Article 31 exempts from liability a person who transports, holds, stores or possesses a quantity destined for personal consumption. The 1974 text required a 'minima' quantity; Ley 17.016 replaced this with a 'razonable' quantity, which the judge assesses under the rules of sana critica. Quantities beyond that assessment fall back under the trafficking provisions of the same decree-law.

If prescribed or medical

Cocaine has at most narrow controlled medical use; the crack/freebase base has no medicinal preparation and cannot be prescribed. Licit narcotic medicines are dispensed under the controlled-substances regime administered by the Ministerio de Salud Publica; the art. 31 exemption is not a prescription route.

Documentation

No prescription documentation exists for this substance. Carry prescribed medicines in original packaging with the prescription; controlled substances require Ministerio de Salud Publica authorisation.

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