Is DXM legal in Egypt?

Legal status

Not a narcotic substance in Egypt, by the table's own words, as at 3 October 2026. «الجدول رقم (١) - الجواهر المخدرة», Table 1, the narcotic substances, Section 2, «الجدول رقم (١) - القسم الثاني», whose heading covers the listed substances «ونظائرها وإستراتها وإيثراتها ومستحضراتها وأيسومراتها وستيريوأيسومراتها»: item 75, «Levomethorphan», carries the note «ولا تُعد الديكستروميثورفان» «(Dextromethorphan)» «مادة مخدرة», that dextromethorphan is not counted a narcotic substance (PDF page 16, gazette page 17), and item 61, «Racemethorphan», carries the same note (PDF page 15, gazette page 16). Dextromethorphan is not printed in Table 3 either, on the page images of its four sections. Article 1 of Law 182/1960 confines narcotic substances to Table 1, so the law's penalty articles do not reach it. Pharmacy Law 127/1955, which governs medicines, was not read for this cell. The earlier citation of the Anti-Narcotics Law No. 182/1960 without a table is superseded, because Decision 44 replaced every table. This is the position under Ministry of Health and Population Decision 44 of 2026, which replaced every table annexed to Law 182/1960, published in Al-Waqa'i' al-Misriya issue 39 (continued, c) on 17 February 2026 and in force from publication, as amended by Decision 242 of 2026, in Al-Waqa'i' al-Misriya issue 179 of 17 August 2026 and in force the next day, replaced item 12 of Table 1 Section 1(b), the phenethylamine group, and added items 57 to 61 to Table 3 Section 3, four alkyl nitrites and «Cannabidiol (CBD)». Decision 44's preamble cites the Supreme Constitutional Court judgment of 16 February 2026 in case 33 of judicial year 47. The Egyptian Drug Authority laws index read on 3 October 2026 lists no amendment to the tables later than Decision 242, which does not rule out one made since.

Consequences if caught

Capital exposure: none. Decision 44 says in terms that dextromethorphan is not a narcotic substance, and it is not in Table 3, so none of Articles 33 to 45 of Law 182/1960 reaches it. The racemate and the laevo isomer are different: «Racemethorphan» and «Levomethorphan» are Table 1 Section 2 items 61 and 75, and the death penalty articles reach them. Rules on carrying a cough medicine under Pharmacy Law 127/1955 were not read. The template text this cell carried before is superseded: it cited Act 440/2018 for synthetic cannabinoids, which Decision 44's replacement of every table overtook, and gave Article 38(1) a band of three to ten years, where the article sets aggravated imprisonment, three to fifteen years under Penal Code Article 14. The death penalty articles of Law 182/1960 are Article 33 and Article 34, and they reach only what the tables list. Law 95/2003, Article 2, abolished hard labour «أينما وردت», wherever it appears, in the Penal Code or any other law, putting «السجن المؤبد», life imprisonment, in place of life hard labour and «السجن المشدد», aggravated imprisonment, in place of hard labour for a term; Article 3 of the same Law replaced Penal Code Article 14, under which aggravated imprisonment runs from three to fifteen years unless the law provides otherwise. The penalties above are named as they stand after that Law, although Law 122/1989 wrote them as hard labour.

If prescribed or medical

Schedule 1 and Schedule 3(a,b,d) medicines (e.g. amphetamine/Adderall, methylphenidate/Ritalin, methadone) cannot be imported even with a foreign prescription; verify any controlled medicine before travel (see documentation).

Documentation

Schedule 1 and Schedule 3(a,b,d) medicines CANNOT be imported even with a foreign prescription, explicitly banned: amphetamine/dexamphetamine (Adderall), methylphenidate (Ritalin/Concerta) and methadone; tramadol is banned for recreational use and tightly controlled. Codeine, diazepam and some sleep aids may be carried WITH a doctor's letter, original packaging, a 2-3 month maximum supply, and a customs declaration. (Reference: a 2017 traveller received a 3-year sentence for carrying 290 tramadol tablets.)

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