Is Ephedrine legal in Maldives?

Legal status

Regulated as a chemical PRECURSOR (1988 UN Convention Table I — a methamphetamine precursor), NOT as a scheduled narcotic; a precursor under Schedule 3 of the Drugs Act (Law No. 17/2011).

Consequences if caught

No capital exposure — Schedule-3 precursor offences are 10–15 years (non-capital); the capital tier targets Schedule-1 finished drugs, not Schedule-3 precursors.

If prescribed or medical

Also a pharmacy/prescription decongestant-bronchodilator medicine subject to sales limits; carry documentation for a personal supply.

Documentation

In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3–15 years plus a fine. Cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug; trafficking above 350 g brought in at the point of entry is capital-eligible (subject to the unanimous Supreme Court requirement and the 1954 execution moratorium), and lower amounts carry the mandatory 20-year base term. 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 Maldives’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.