Is Ephedrine legal in Cambodia?
- Legal status
- Regulated as a chemical PRECURSOR (1988 UN Convention Table I — a methamphetamine precursor), NOT as a scheduled narcotic; ephedrine falls in the precursor/chemical schedule (aligned to 1988 Table I) under the Law on Drug Control, subject to NACD import/export licensing. Also usable as a pharmacy medicine.
- Consequences if caught
- Diversion/illicit trafficking of a scheduled precursor is an offence under the Law on Drug Control (imprisonment + fine), separate from controlled-narcotic offences.
- If prescribed or medical
- Also a pharmacy/prescription decongestant-bronchodilator medicine subject to sales limits; carry documentation for a personal supply.
- Documentation
- Cambodia ABOLISHED the death penalty in 1989 (constitutional); the maximum penalty for any drug offence is LIFE imprisonment. There is no medical, recreational, or industrial cannabis provision. Enforcement tightened sharply after a 2017 anti-drug campaign and post-2019 in tourist areas — foreigners are routinely jailed and the old 'smokers' paradise' reputation is OUTDATED. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Cambodia’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 →