Legal status in France

Per-substance legal status for France, from sourced statutes where available. Legal information, not legal advice — drug laws change; confirm with the destination’s embassy or drug authority before you travel.

Last updated: 2026-07-14

1P-LSD

Legal status: Not confirmed — verify with France's ANSM / Douane / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named by the reachable French sources (ANSM / Douane / Public Health Code). France classifies roughly 200 substances as stupéfiants; this one may be among them — verify before travel. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: If it is a prescribed narcotic/psychotrope, carry the original prescription plus a Schengen certificate (EU) or an ANSM transport certificate (non-Schengen) — see documentation.
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

2-FDCK

Legal status: Not confirmed — verify with France's ANSM / Douane / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named by the reachable French sources (ANSM / Douane / Public Health Code). France classifies roughly 200 substances as stupéfiants; this one may be among them — verify before travel. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: If it is a prescribed narcotic/psychotrope, carry the original prescription plus a Schengen certificate (EU) or an ANSM transport certificate (non-Schengen) — see documentation.
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

25I-NBOMe

Legal status: 25I-NBOMe is classified as a stupefiant (narcotic) in France; it was subjected to EU-wide control by Council Implementing Decision 2014/688/EU of 25 September 2014 and listed in Schedule I of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances in March 2015.
Consequences if caught: Use, possession, transport and trafficking of a stupefiant are offences under the Public Health Code; trafficking carries heavy imprisonment and fines.
If prescribed / medical: No accepted medical use; not available on prescription.
Documentation: Council Implementing Decision 2014/688/EU (25 Sept 2014); French stupefiant control under the Public Health Code; 1971 Convention Schedule I.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

2C-B

Legal status: Not confirmed — verify with France's ANSM / Douane / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named by the reachable French sources (ANSM / Douane / Public Health Code). France classifies roughly 200 substances as stupéfiants; this one may be among them — verify before travel. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: If it is a prescribed narcotic/psychotrope, carry the original prescription plus a Schengen certificate (EU) or an ANSM transport certificate (non-Schengen) — see documentation.
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-06-25

2C-E

Legal status: Not confirmed — verify with France's ANSM / Douane / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named by the reachable French sources (ANSM / Douane / Public Health Code). France classifies roughly 200 substances as stupéfiants; this one may be among them — verify before travel. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: If it is a prescribed narcotic/psychotrope, carry the original prescription plus a Schengen certificate (EU) or an ANSM transport certificate (non-Schengen) — see documentation.
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

2C-I

Legal status: 2C-I is classified as a stupéfiant (narcotic) under the Public Health Code; France was required to control 4-iodo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine after it was named in Council Decision 2003/847/JHA (27 Nov 2003).
Consequences if caught: Use or possession is a criminal offence (up to 1 year's imprisonment and a fine); trafficking carries up to 10 years and heavier penalties for organised networks.
If prescribed / medical: No authorised medical or prescription use as a stupéfiant.
Documentation: French Public Health Code (Code de la santé publique) narcotics list, implementing Council Decision 2003/847/JHA.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

2C-T-7

Legal status: Not confirmed — verify with France's ANSM / Douane / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named by the reachable French sources (ANSM / Douane / Public Health Code). France classifies roughly 200 substances as stupéfiants; this one may be among them — verify before travel. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: If it is a prescribed narcotic/psychotrope, carry the original prescription plus a Schengen certificate (EU) or an ANSM transport certificate (non-Schengen) — see documentation.
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-06-25

3-MMC

Legal status: 3-MMC (3-methylmethcathinone) is a stupéfiant, caught by the generic ban on the cathinone family in the French arrêté controlling “cathinone et ses dérivés” (2012), which reaches the 3-isomer by class; the EU Delegated Directive 2022/1326 obligation was transposed by Feb 2023.
Consequences if caught: Stupéfiant offences: possession/use and trafficking are criminal, trafficking carrying heavy imprisonment and fines. Non-death-penalty jurisdiction.
If prescribed / medical: No recognised medical use and no lawful prescription route; classified as a narcotic, not a medicine.
Documentation: No lawful personal-import route for a stupéfiant.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

4-AcO-DMT

Legal status: Not confirmed — verify with France's ANSM / Douane / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named by the reachable French sources (ANSM / Douane / Public Health Code). France classifies roughly 200 substances as stupéfiants; this one may be among them — verify before travel. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: If it is a prescribed narcotic/psychotrope, carry the original prescription plus a Schengen certificate (EU) or an ANSM transport certificate (non-Schengen) — see documentation.
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

4-HO-MET

Legal status: Not confirmed — verify with France's ANSM / Douane / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named by the reachable French sources (ANSM / Douane / Public Health Code). France classifies roughly 200 substances as stupéfiants; this one may be among them — verify before travel. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: If it is a prescribed narcotic/psychotrope, carry the original prescription plus a Schengen certificate (EU) or an ANSM transport certificate (non-Schengen) — see documentation.
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

5-MeO-DMT (Bufo / Toad)

Legal status: Not confirmed — verify with France's ANSM / Douane / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named by the reachable French sources (ANSM / Douane / Public Health Code). France classifies roughly 200 substances as stupéfiants; this one may be among them — verify before travel. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: If it is a prescribed narcotic/psychotrope, carry the original prescription plus a Schengen certificate (EU) or an ANSM transport certificate (non-Schengen) — see documentation.
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

6-APB

Legal status: 6-APB is classed as a stupefiant (narcotic) in France — individually named by the Arrete du 3 mai 2018 amending the 22 Feb 1990 list, which scheduled the benzofuran group (5-APB, 6-APB, 5-/6-EAPB, 5-/6-MAPB).
Consequences if caught: Full narcotic offence: possession and use punishable; trafficking up to 10 years (20-30 for aggravated or organised trafficking) plus heavy fines. No death penalty.
If prescribed / medical: No recognised medical use; no lawful prescription route as a stupefiant.
Documentation: No lawful personal-import route for a scheduled narcotic.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

7-Hydroxymitragynine (7-OH)

Legal status: 7-Hydroxymitragynine, a kratom alkaloid, is controlled together with the plant (no separate isolate carve-out): it is named alongside mitragynine and Mitragyna speciosa as a stupefiant in the arrete of 23 December 2019 under the Public Health Code, so possession and purchase are prohibited.
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised possession or use of a stupefiant up to 1 year plus a fine; supply or trafficking up to 10 years (Code de la sante publique / Penal Code).
If prescribed / medical: No lawful medical route — kratom and its alkaloids are stupefiants with no French marketing authorisation.
Documentation: No lawful personal-import route for a stupefiant.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Adderall

Legal status: Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts) has no separate legal identity — it is regulated AS amphetamine: classé stupéfiant (narcotic) under the Code de la santé publique (art. L.5132-7; Arrêté du 22 février 1990); dispensed on a secure prescription (max 28 days).
Consequences if caught: Use/possession up to 1 year + €3,750; trafficking up to 10 years.
If prescribed / medical: Available on ordonnance sécurisée; carry a Schengen Art. 75 certificate for personal supply.
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Alcohol

Legal status: Legal — alcohol (ethanol) is a licensed, age-regulated beverage, not a controlled drug; sale to under-18s prohibited since the 2009 Hôpital, patients, santé, territoires law.
Consequences if caught: No criminal penalty for adult drinking; offences attach to sale to minors, public drunkenness and drink-driving.
If prescribed / medical: n/a — a beverage, not a medicine.
Documentation: Widely sold in shops, cafés and supermarkets on proof of age (18+); no permit for travellers.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Amanita muscaria

Legal status: Not confirmed — verify with France's ANSM / Douane / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named by the reachable French sources (ANSM / Douane / Public Health Code). France classifies roughly 200 substances as stupéfiants; this one may be among them — verify before travel. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: If it is a prescribed narcotic/psychotrope, carry the original prescription plus a Schengen certificate (EU) or an ANSM transport certificate (non-Schengen) — see documentation.
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Amphetamine

Legal status: Classé stupéfiant (narcotic) under the Code de la santé publique (art. L.5132-7; Arrêté du 22 février 1990); dispensed on a secure prescription (max 28 days).
Consequences if caught: Use/possession up to 1 year + €3,750; trafficking up to 10 years.
If prescribed / medical: Available on ordonnance sécurisée; carry a Schengen Art. 75 certificate for personal supply.
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Amyl Nitrite

Legal status: Amyl nitrite is neither a stupéfiant nor, in practice, a licensed medicine in France; the historic ban on 'poppers' containing butyl and pentyl nitrites or their isomers (Décret n°90-274 of 26 March 1990 — which reached amyl/isoamyl nitrite as a pentyl-nitrite isomer) was repealed by Décret n°2013-396 of 13 May 2013, and the Conseil d'État annulled the later general prohibition on 3 June 2013, so retail sale of amyl nitrite is lawful.
Consequences if caught: No narcotics penalty attaches to amyl nitrite; its sale is treated as a regulated consumer matter (prohibited to minors, advertising restricted) rather than a controlled-drug offence.
If prescribed / medical: The 1990 and 2011 prohibitions expressly carved out 'medicinal products containing alkyl nitrites'; amyl nitrite's medical pedigree is as a vasodilator, but in France it now circulates chiefly as a consumer product rather than a prescribed medicine.
Documentation: Amyl nitrite may be lawfully bought and carried by adults; sale to minors is prohibited.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Ayahuasca

Legal status: Not confirmed — verify with France's ANSM / Douane / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named by the reachable French sources (ANSM / Douane / Public Health Code). France classifies roughly 200 substances as stupéfiants; this one may be among them — verify before travel. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: If it is a prescribed narcotic/psychotrope, carry the original prescription plus a Schengen certificate (EU) or an ANSM transport certificate (non-Schengen) — see documentation.
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Barbiturates

Legal status: Barbiturates are prescription-controlled substances vénéneuses (Code de la santé publique) transposing the 1971 psychotropic schedules — phenobarbital sits on Liste II, while the more abusable sedative-hypnotic barbiturates (secobarbital/pentobarbital type) fall on the stricter Liste I.
Consequences if caught: Illicit use or possession up to 1 year plus a fine; trafficking or supply up to 10 years.
If prescribed / medical: Phenobarbital is prescribed as a Liste II antiepileptic (a WHO Essential Medicine) and is essentially the only barbiturate still used in France; the sedative-hypnotic barbiturates have been withdrawn.
Documentation: Carry the Schengen Article 75 certificate; a prescription is valid for up to 3 months.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Benzodiazepines

Legal status: Controlled as a psychotrope under the Public Health Code
Consequences if caught: Benzodiazepines are controlled as psychotropes under the Public Health Code; unauthorised use/possession is punishable. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed benzodiazepines may be carried with the original prescription plus a Schengen certificate (EU) or, from outside Schengen, an ANSM transport certificate where required (see documentation).
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-06-25

Buprenorphine

Legal status: Buprenorphine is assimilated to stupéfiants (narcotics) under the Code de la santé publique but sits in a lighter access tier than methadone — high-dose buprenorphine can be initiated by any GP without special notification.
Consequences if caught: Illicit use or possession up to 1 year plus a fine; trafficking or supply up to 10 years.
If prescribed / medical: A first-line opioid-substitution medicine (about half of French OST dispensations), prescribed on a secure prescription with pharmacy dispensing and standard take-home; 28-day maximum prescription.
Documentation: Carry the Schengen Article 75 certificate (ANSM-authenticated) and the prescription.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Caffeine

Legal status: Caffeine is legal everywhere as an ordinary food and beverage ingredient; the notable status in France is the EU-wide mandatory high-caffeine warning label. Under Annex III of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, directly applicable in France, drinks containing more than 150 mg of caffeine per litre (other than coffee- or tea-based drinks) must bear “High caffeine content. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breast-feeding women” with the caffeine quantity in mg per 100 ml.
Consequences if caught: No penalty attaches to ordinary caffeinated foods, drinks or coffee; obligations fall on food businesses, with DGCCRF food-control enforcement of the mandatory high-caffeine labelling rather than any consumer offence.
If prescribed / medical: n/a — a food ingredient
Documentation: Ordinary caffeinated products need no documentation; drinks above 150 mg/L must carry the prescribed “High caffeine content” statement and quantified caffeine declaration.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Cannabis / THC

Legal status: Prohibited (recreational) — a stupéfiant in the same category as heroin/cocaine (Law of 31 Dec 1970); medical-cannabis programme made law by decree March 2024 (prescription only)
Consequences if caught: Recreational cannabis is prohibited and classed as a stupéfiant alongside heroin and cocaine (Law of 31 Dec 1970). Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million. A medical-cannabis programme was made law by decree in March 2024 (ANSM-controlled, specific conditions, prescription only). Importing THC cannabis is prosecuted as drug trafficking even with a foreign medical card.
If prescribed / medical: Medical cannabis is available only through the French ANSM-controlled programme by prescription; a foreign medical-cannabis card does not authorise importing THC cannabis into France.
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-06-25

Cathinone

Legal status: Controlled — cathinone (khat's natural principal alkaloid) is a 1971 Convention SCHEDULE I psychotropic and is listed by name as a stupéfiant on the consolidated French narcotics list under the Code de la santé publique. Mechanism: 1971 Sch-I transposition, named. As the parent compound it is DISTINCT from the khat PLANT (Catha edulis, itself named as a stupéfiant) and from the synthetic cathinones (mephedrone and a generic cathinone-derivatives definition) that derive from it; cathinone is the named Sch-I alkaloid, cathine the milder Schedule-III metabolite.
Consequences if caught: Stupéfiant: personal use/possession of the alkaloid up to 1 year, trafficking up to 10 years plus heavy fines. No death penalty in France.
If prescribed / medical: 1971 Schedule I stupéfiant with no accepted medical use and no lawful prescription route for the isolated alkaloid.
Documentation: No licit personal-carry or import route for a scheduled stupéfiant.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

CBD

Legal status: CBD (cannabidiol) is legal as a consumer product where finished-product THC does not exceed 0.3%, following the ECJ Kanavape ruling (C-663/18, 19 Nov 2020) that CBD is not a narcotic and the Conseil d'Etat's annulment (29 Dec 2022) of the 30 Dec 2021 order banning the sale of hemp flowers and leaves.
Consequences if caught: Compliant sub-0.3%-THC CBD is lawfully sold; a product over 0.3% THC is treated as a stupefiant (narcotic) under the Public Health Code.
If prescribed / medical: Cannabidiol-containing medical cannabis is available on prescription under the programme generalised by the March 2024 decree; distinct from recreational cannabis, which remains a stupefiant.
Documentation: Keep lab documentation showing finished-product THC below 0.3%; a prescription is required for medical-cannabis CBD.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Clonazepam

Legal status: Clonazepam (Rivotril) is a Liste I prescription medicine and is markedly stricter than other Liste I benzodiazepines: a secure prescription valid 28 days maximum, with the initial prescription reserved to hospital neurologists and paediatricians.
Consequences if caught: Illicit use or possession up to 1 year plus a fine; trafficking or supply up to 10 years.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as Rivotril under a secure 28-day prescription; the initial prescription is restricted to hospital neurologists/paediatricians.
Documentation: Carry the Schengen Article 75 certificate; a prescription is valid for 3 months.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Cocaine

Legal status: Classified as a stupéfiant (narcotic) under the Public Health Code (Law of 31 Dec 1970)
Consequences if caught: Cocaine is listed among France's stupéfiants. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: Not a traveller medicine in recreational form. Prescribed narcotics/psychotropics may be carried with the proper certificate (see documentation).
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-06-25

Codeine

Legal status: Codeine is prescription-only for all products since the arrete of 12 July 2017 (in force 17 July 2017), which ended the previous OTC sale of products at or below 30 mg/unit; the change was driven by 'Purple Drank' misuse. Codeine is a Liste I substance veneneuse.
Consequences if caught: Dispensing codeine without a prescription is prohibited; misuse or diversion is prosecutable under the Code de la sante publique, with trafficking drawing multi-year terms.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as a Liste I medicine on an ordinary prescription - no longer available OTC since July 2017.
Documentation: Carry the prescription; within Schengen the Article 75 certificate applies. No OTC codeine is available in French pharmacies.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Crack Cocaine

Legal status: Crack is the freebase (base) form of cocaine and has no separate legal identity in France: it is controlled AS cocaine, classified as a stupéfiant (narcotic) under the Public Health Code (Law of 31 Dec 1970), whose narcotic classification covers cocaine, its salts and preparations and so reaches the base/freebase form. Crack is treated identically to cocaine as an illegal stupéfiant.
Consequences if caught: Use of crack (as cocaine) is an offence (Art L3421-1, up to 1 year); trafficking under the Penal Code carries up to 10 years, and organised trafficking up to 30 years.
If prescribed / medical: Cocaine hydrochloride has residual authorised use as a topical anaesthetic under narcotic prescribing rules; the crack/freebase base has no pharmaceutical form and is not prescribable.
Documentation: No medical documentation exists for crack/freebase cocaine; it is not an authorised medicinal product.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Delta-8-THC

Legal status: Controlled as a stupéfiant. The ANSM classified delta-8-THC (Δ8-THC) on the narcotics list in 2024 expressly because it is an isomer of delta-9-THC, alongside a June 2024 wave of semi-synthetic cannabinoids; it is also caught by the generic 'tétrahydrocannabinols' entry of the stupéfiants list (all THC isomers). Distinct from cannabis (a stupéfiant since 1970) and from hemp CBD <0.3% THC, which stays legal. No death penalty.
Consequences if caught: Illegal; the use offence carries up to 1 year and trafficking offences up to 10 years (heavier for organised supply).
If prescribed / medical: No recognised medical use; delta-8-THC is not a prescribable medicine.
Documentation: No lawful personal-import route for a listed stupéfiant.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Diazepam

Legal status: Diazepam is a Liste I prescription medicine (substances vénéneuses, Code de la santé publique) — a national tier above the 1971 Schedule IV baseline.
Consequences if caught: Illicit use or possession up to 1 year plus a fine; trafficking or supply up to 10 years.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as a Liste I benzodiazepine (12-week maximum for anxiety indications).
Documentation: Carry the Schengen Article 75 certificate; a prescription is valid for 3 months.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

DMT

Legal status: Not confirmed — verify with France's ANSM / Douane / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named by the reachable French sources (ANSM / Douane / Public Health Code). France classifies roughly 200 substances as stupéfiants; this one may be among them — verify before travel. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: If it is a prescribed narcotic/psychotrope, carry the original prescription plus a Schengen certificate (EU) or an ANSM transport certificate (non-Schengen) — see documentation.
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-06-25

DOM

Legal status: DOM (STP) is classified as a stupefiant (narcotic) under the Arrete du 22 fevrier 1990 fixing the list of narcotic substances (listed as STP / DOM), France's transposition of DOM's individual Schedule I listing under the 1971 UN Convention.
Consequences if caught: Use is an offence under Art. L.3421-1 of the Public Health Code (up to 1 year); trafficking under Art. 222-37 of the Penal Code up to 10 years and a EUR 7.5m fine.
If prescribed / medical: Listed narcotic with no marketing authorisation and no accepted medical use; not available on prescription.
Documentation: Arrete du 22 fevrier 1990 fixant la liste des substances classees comme stupefiants.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

DXM

Legal status: Prescription-only medicine (Liste I). By ANSM decision effective 17 July 2017, ALL specialities containing dextromethorphan (DXM) were moved from non-prescription status to Liste I (prescription médicale obligatoire), regardless of dose or patient age, after addictovigilance data on adolescent recreational misuse. DXM is a regulated cough suppressant, NOT classified as a stupéfiant.
Consequences if caught: Supplying DXM cough products without a prescription is a pharmacy/medicines offence, and online pharmacy sale of DXM specialities is prohibited; because DXM is not a stupéfiant, possession is not a narcotics offence.
If prescribed / medical: Cough-suppressant status: prescription-only (Liste I) since 2017, dispensed only against a medical prescription.
Documentation: Travellers need a prescription to obtain DXM cough medicine in French pharmacies; it can no longer be bought over the counter or from pharmacy websites.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Ephedrine

Legal status: Regulated as a chemical PRECURSOR (1988 UN Convention Table I — a methamphetamine precursor), NOT as a scheduled narcotic; pure ephedrine is a Category 1 scheduled substance under the Code de la santé publique (ANSM); NOT classée stupéfiant. Also a Liste I medicine.
Consequences if caught: Diversion/unauthorised handling of a Category-1 precursor is a precursor-control offence, separate from stupéfiants trafficking.
If prescribed / medical: Also a pharmacy/prescription decongestant-bronchodilator medicine subject to sales limits; carry documentation for a personal supply.
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Etizolam

Legal status: Etizolam is a controlled psychotropic (1971 Schedule IV) in France since 2020; it has no French marketing authorisation (it is not a stupéfiant).
Consequences if caught: Possession or supply is an offence under the Code de la santé publique.
If prescribed / medical: No French marketing authorisation — there is no licensed etizolam product.
Documentation: No lawful personal-import route for an unlicensed controlled psychotropic.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Fentanyl

Legal status: Not confirmed — verify with France's ANSM / Douane / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named by the reachable French sources (ANSM / Douane / Public Health Code). France classifies roughly 200 substances as stupéfiants; this one may be among them — verify before travel. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: If it is a prescribed narcotic/psychotrope, carry the original prescription plus a Schengen certificate (EU) or an ANSM transport certificate (non-Schengen) — see documentation.
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-06-25

Gabapentin

Legal status: Gabapentin (Neurontin et generiques) is an ordinary prescription medicine (liste I), not a stupefiant: it holds ANSM marketing authorisation and, unlike pregabalin, was deliberately left off the secure-prescription regime. When ANSM imposed ordonnance securisee and a 6-month limit on pregabalin (Lyrica) from 24 May 2021 over abuse, it expressly did not extend those controls to gabapentin, whose abuse potential it judged lower.
Consequences if caught: Gabapentin carries no stupefiants penalty; supply outside the pharmacy prescription circuit is a medicines-regulation breach rather than a narcotics offence.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed on an ordinary liste I prescription for epilepsy and neuropathic pain, without the secure-prescription and 6-month restrictions that apply to pregabalin.
Documentation: Neurontin and gabapentin generics appear in the ANSM public medicines database; travellers carry them with a prescription.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

GBL

Legal status: Part of the stupéfiants (narcotics) regime is applied to GBL (gamma-butyrolactone) by the Arrêté du 2 septembre 2011 under the Code de la santé publique: the offer and cession to the public of GBL and 1,4-BD — and of products containing them above 10% m/v in containers over 100 ml — are prohibited, while industrial and professional supply is retained (GHB itself has been a stupéfiant since 1999).
Consequences if caught: Selling or transferring GBL to the public breaches the arrêté and carries up to 3 years' imprisonment and a EUR 45,000 fine; personal misuse as a GHB prodrug is addressed within the narcotics framework.
If prescribed / medical: Not a medicine; there is no GBL pharmaceutical product. It remains a licit industrial solvent — professional and industrial transactions stay lawful, and only retail-to-public sale and high-concentration consumer products are banned.
Documentation: GBL stays available through professional and industrial channels; consumer and online sale for ingestion is criminalised, closing the retail route while preserving the industrial carve-out.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

GHB

Legal status: Not confirmed — verify with France's ANSM / Douane / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named by the reachable French sources (ANSM / Douane / Public Health Code). France classifies roughly 200 substances as stupéfiants; this one may be among them — verify before travel. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: If it is a prescribed narcotic/psychotrope, carry the original prescription plus a Schengen certificate (EU) or an ANSM transport certificate (non-Schengen) — see documentation.
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-06-25

Heroin

Legal status: Classified as a stupéfiant (narcotic) under the Public Health Code (Law of 31 Dec 1970)
Consequences if caught: Heroin is listed among France's stupéfiants. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: Not a traveller medicine in recreational form. Prescribed narcotics/psychotropics may be carried with the proper certificate (see documentation).
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-06-25

HHC

Legal status: HHC (hexahydrocannabinol) is individually named as a stupefiant (narcotic) in France — added to the narcotics list by arrete of 12 June 2023, effective 13 June 2023, together with HHC-acetate (HHCO) and HHCP.
Consequences if caught: As a stupefiant, production, sale and use are prohibited and possession/use fall under the narcotics regime of the Public Health Code and Penal Code. This is the same narcotic classification France applies to cannabis, but HHC required its own express listing.
If prescribed / medical: No medical HHC product; HHC is not part of the French medical-cannabis framework.
Documentation: France was among the first EU states to individually schedule HHC. Its hydrogenated, semi-synthetic structure was not automatically caught by THC-isomer language, so an ANSM/addictovigilance evaluation led to an express arrete (June 2023) rather than an isomer catch. CND placed HHC in Schedule II of the 1971 Convention (13 March 2025, in force 6 December 2025).

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Hydrocodone

Legal status: Hydrocodone is a stupéfiant (narcotic) under the Code de la santé publique (liste I annexe), dispensed on a secure prescription (ordonnance sécurisée); it is not marketed in France but sits in the same stupéfiant strong-opioid tier as morphine and oxycodone — left to confirmation.
Consequences if caught: Illicit use or possession up to 1 year plus a fine; unauthorised holding or trafficking up to 10 years.
If prescribed / medical: No marketed French hydrocodone product; a stupéfiant opioid is dispensed only on a 28-day secure prescription.
Documentation: Within Schengen carry the Article 75 certificate for up to a 30-day supply, authenticated by ANSM or the competent agency.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Ketamine

Legal status: Stupéfiant (narcotic) — placed under the narcotics regime of the Code de la santé publique (injectable ketamine classified as a stupéfiant by the Arrêté of 19 January 2017; medicines placed under narcotic rules by the Arrêté of 31 July 2003).
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised use is punishable under art. L3421-1 CSP (up to 1 year / €3,750 fine); trafficking under arts. 222-34 ff. of the Code pénal carries up to 20–30 years and heavy fines.
If prescribed / medical: Available as a prescription anaesthetic, dispensed under narcotic-prescription rules. Carry the original prescription and documentation.
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Khat

Legal status: Banned. PLANT NAMED: Catha edulis is listed by name as a stupéfiant on the consolidated French narcotics list (arrêté du 22 février 1990, tracing to the 1957 decree); the alkaloids cathinone and cathine are also controlled. Mechanism: NAMED (plant).
Consequences if caught: Fresh leaf is an illegal narcotic; import and possession lead to seizure and prosecution under the Code de la santé publique narcotics regime.
If prescribed / medical: Khat is traditional plant material with no recognised medical use and no lawful prescription route.
Documentation: No lawful personal-import route; fresh leaf is prohibited and seized at the border.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Kratom

Legal status: Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is controlled in France — the plant and both alkaloids, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, were added to the list of stupefiants/psychotropes by the arrete of 23 December 2019 (in force January 2020); possession and purchase are prohibited under the Public Health Code.
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised possession, use or supply of a listed stupefiant is a criminal offence under the Code de la sante publique (possession/use up to 1 year plus a fine; trafficking far higher).
If prescribed / medical: No lawful medical route — kratom has no French marketing authorisation and is not prescribable.
Documentation: No lawful personal-import route for a listed narcotic plant; there is no traveller allowance.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Lorazepam

Legal status: Lorazepam is a Liste I prescription medicine (substances vénéneuses, Code de la santé publique) — a national tier above the 1971 Schedule IV baseline.
Consequences if caught: Illicit use or possession up to 1 year plus a fine; trafficking or supply up to 10 years.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as a Liste I benzodiazepine (12-week maximum for anxiety indications).
Documentation: Carry the Schengen Article 75 certificate; a prescription is valid for 3 months.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

LSA (Morning Glory)

Legal status: Not confirmed — verify with France's ANSM / Douane / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named by the reachable French sources (ANSM / Douane / Public Health Code). France classifies roughly 200 substances as stupéfiants; this one may be among them — verify before travel. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: If it is a prescribed narcotic/psychotrope, carry the original prescription plus a Schengen certificate (EU) or an ANSM transport certificate (non-Schengen) — see documentation.
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

LSD

Legal status: Classified as a stupéfiant (narcotic) under the Public Health Code (Law of 31 Dec 1970)
Consequences if caught: LSD is listed among France's stupéfiants. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: Not a traveller medicine in recreational form. Prescribed narcotics/psychotropics may be carried with the proper certificate (see documentation).
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-06-25

MDA

Legal status: Controlled — MDA is classed as a stupefiant (1971 Convention Schedule I transposed into the French narcotics list), within the methylenedioxyamphetamine group. NAMED mechanism.
Consequences if caught: Stupefiant: trafficking up to 30 years (Code penal art. 222-34 et seq.); use and possession also criminal.
If prescribed / medical: Listed narcotic with no recognised medical use; no lawful prescription route.
Documentation: No personal-import route; importation prosecuted as trafficking.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

MDMA

Legal status: Classified as a stupéfiant (narcotic) under the Public Health Code (Law of 31 Dec 1970)
Consequences if caught: MDMA/ecstasy is listed among France's stupéfiants. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: Not a traveller medicine in recreational form. Prescribed narcotics/psychotropics may be carried with the proper certificate (see documentation).
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-06-25

MDPV

Legal status: Controlled. MDPV is caught by the derives de cathinone generic definition added to the stupefiants list by arrete of 27 Jul 2012; EU Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2015/1875 obligated control across France by 2 Oct 2015, and MDPV is a 1971 Convention Schedule II psychotropic.
Consequences if caught: Illegal as a stupefiant; possession, use and trafficking carry Code de la sante publique / Code penal penalties. No death penalty.
If prescribed / medical: MDPV has no recognised medical use and no lawful prescription route in France.
Documentation: No lawful personal-import route for a controlled stupefiant; do not carry.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Memantine

Legal status: Memantine is a prescription medicine (medicament soumis a prescription), not a stupefiant or psychotrope: it holds ANSM marketing authorisation and does not figure on the narcotics/psychotropics lists of the Code de la sante publique.
Consequences if caught: Memantine carries no narcotics-law penalty; supply outside the pharmacy prescription circuit is a medicines-regulation breach rather than a stupefiants offence.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed for moderately-severe to severe Alzheimer's disease under ANSM-authorised indications.
Documentation: Ebixa and memantine generics (e.g. Memantine Mylan/Biogaran) appear in the ANSM public medicines database; travellers carry them with a prescription.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Mephedrone (4-MMC)

Legal status: Controlled — NAMED (later GENERIC too). Mephedrone was individually classed as a stupéfiant by arrêté of 2 June 2010; France subsequently added a generic cathinone-derivatives definition (2012) that also captures it.
Consequences if caught: Stupéfiant: personal use/possession up to 1 year, trafficking up to 10 years plus heavy fines. No death penalty in France.
If prescribed / medical: Listed as a stupéfiant with no recognised medical use and no lawful prescription route.
Documentation: No licit personal-carry or import route for a scheduled stupéfiant.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Mescaline

Legal status: Classified as a stupéfiant (narcotic) under the Public Health Code (Law of 31 Dec 1970)
Consequences if caught: Mescaline/peyote is listed among France's stupéfiants. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: Not a traveller medicine in recreational form. Prescribed narcotics/psychotropics may be carried with the proper certificate (see documentation).
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-06-25

Methadone

Legal status: Methadone is a stupéfiant under the Code de la santé publique (liste I des stupéfiants) — dispensed on a secure prescription (ordonnance sécurisée).
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised use up to 1 year plus a fine; unauthorised holding or trafficking up to 10 years.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed for OST but initiated only by a specialist addiction centre (CSAPA) or hospital before hand-over to a GP; 14-day maximum dispensing.
Documentation: Carry the Schengen Article 75 certificate (max 28 days) authenticated by ANSM/the competent agency.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Methamphetamine

Legal status: Classified as a stupéfiant (narcotic) under the Public Health Code (Law of 31 Dec 1970)
Consequences if caught: Amphetamines/methamphetamine are listed among France's stupéfiants. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: Not a traveller medicine in recreational form. Prescribed narcotics/psychotropics may be carried with the proper certificate (see documentation).
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-06-25

Methaqualone (Quaaludes)

Legal status: Methaqualone (méthaqualone) is classified among controlled narcotics (stupéfiants) under the substances vénéneuses regime of the Code de la santé publique, transposing its 1971 Convention Schedule II status; it is a withdrawn hypnotic with no marketed medical use in France.
Consequences if caught: Illicit use or possession up to 1 year plus a fine; trafficking or supply up to 10 years (higher for organised trafficking).
If prescribed / medical: No recognised medical use / withdrawn — not available as a prescription medicine.
Documentation: No medical or traveller route; there is no prescription pathway for methaqualone.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Methylone

Legal status: Controlled as a stupéfiant — methylone is caught by the GENERIC cathinone-family definition of the Arrêté du 27 juillet 2012, which classed 'toute molécule dérivée de la cathinone' as narcotics (méthédrone was already separately listed). No death penalty.
Consequences if caught: Illegal; use offence (up to 1 year) and trafficking offences (up to 10 years and heavier for organised supply).
If prescribed / medical: No recognised medical use; no lawful prescription route.
Documentation: No lawful personal-import route for a controlled narcotic.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Methylphenidate

Legal status: Classé stupéfiant under the Code de la santé publique (ANSM); dispensed on a secure prescription (28 days).
Consequences if caught: Use/possession up to 1 year + €3,750; trafficking up to 10 years.
If prescribed / medical: Prescription ADHD/narcolepsy medicine (e.g. Ritalin/Concerta) via controlled channels; carry the original prescription and any required import permit.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Mitragynine

Legal status: Mitragynine, the principal alkaloid of kratom, has no separate legal identity in France: it is listed as a stupefiant together with the plant and 7-hydroxymitragynine in the arrete of 23 December 2019 (in force January 2020) under the Public Health Code, so possession and purchase are prohibited.
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised possession or use of a stupefiant up to 1 year plus a fine; supply or trafficking up to 10 years (Code de la sante publique / Penal Code).
If prescribed / medical: No lawful medical route — kratom and its alkaloids are stupefiants with no French marketing authorisation.
Documentation: No lawful personal-import route for a stupefiant.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Modafinil

Legal status: Substance vénéneuse Liste I (prescription-only) under the Code de la santé publique — NOT classified as a stupéfiant.
Consequences if caught: Prescription-medicine (Liste I) supply-without-prescription offence; not a stupéfiant offence.
If prescribed / medical: Initial prescription restricted to neurology/sleep specialists; carry the prescription.
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Morphine

Legal status: Morphine is a stupéfiant (Liste I) under the Code de la santé publique — dispensed on a secure narcotics prescription (ordonnance sécurisée).
Consequences if caught: Illicit use up to 1 year; unauthorised holding or trafficking up to 10 years.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as a stupéfiant for severe and cancer pain on a secure prescription.
Documentation: Within Schengen carry the Article 75 certificate for up to 30 days; ANSM authorisation applies for longer supplies.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

MXE

Legal status: MXE (methoxetamine) is subject to control measures and criminal penalties across the EU, and therefore in France, under Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2015/1875 (8 October 2015), which obliged member states to place MXE under their national narcotics regimes; in France this means treatment as a stupéfiant with no authorised medical use.
Consequences if caught: As a controlled narcotic, MXE possession and trafficking are prosecuted under the Code pénal / Code de la santé publique narcotics offences, with imprisonment and fines scaling with quantity and supply.
If prescribed / medical: MXE is not an authorised medicine and cannot be prescribed in France; unlike ketamine it has no clinical role, so there is no lawful prescription pathway.
Documentation: There is no legitimate retail or pharmacy supply; MXE ordered online is an illicit import subject to customs interdiction.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Nicotine

Legal status: Not confirmed — verify with France's ANSM / Douane / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named by the reachable French sources (ANSM / Douane / Public Health Code). France classifies roughly 200 substances as stupéfiants; this one may be among them — verify before travel. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: If it is a prescribed narcotic/psychotrope, carry the original prescription plus a Schengen certificate (EU) or an ANSM transport certificate (non-Schengen) — see documentation.
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Nitrous Oxide

Legal status: Not a controlled narcotic; nitrous oxide is regulated as a consumer product under Loi n° 2021-695 of 1 June 2021 (Code de la santé publique, Livre VI, arts. L.3611-1 et seq.), which bans its sale to minors, its sale in drinking establishments, nightclubs and tobacconists, and the sale of inhalation accessories (crackers, balloons), and penalises causing a minor to misuse it for a psychoactive effect.
Consequences if caught: Supplying nitrous oxide to a minor for a psychoactive effect draws a €15,000 fine; adult personal possession or use is not itself criminalised. No death penalty (non-DP).
If prescribed / medical: Nitrous oxide stays a lawful medical/anaesthetic gas and food additive (E942); the 2021 law targets diverted recreational supply, not medical or culinary use.
Documentation: Cartridges remain sold for culinary use but not to minors and not in licensed drinking venues; retailers must display the misuse-danger notice and verify the buyer's age.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Oxycodone

Legal status: Oxycodone is a stupéfiant (Liste I annexe, Code de la santé publique), dispensed on a secure prescription (ordonnance sécurisée) — a marketed strong-opioid analgesic.
Consequences if caught: Illicit use or possession up to 1 year plus a fine; unauthorised holding or trafficking up to 10 years.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as a stupéfiant on a secure prescription (28-day maximum).
Documentation: Within Schengen carry the Article 75 certificate for up to 30 days' supply, authenticated by ANSM, with the prescription.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

PCP

Legal status: Classified as a stupéfiant (narcotic) under the Public Health Code (Law of 31 Dec 1970)
Consequences if caught: PCP is listed among France's stupéfiants. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: Not a traveller medicine in recreational form. Prescribed narcotics/psychotropics may be carried with the proper certificate (see documentation).
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-06-25

Peyote

Legal status: France controls BOTH the plant and the alkaloid: the peyote cactus ("Peyotl ou peyote", Lophophora williamsii) is classed as a stupéfiant in Annexe IV of the arrêté of 22 February 1990 (added 2004), covering its active principles "autres que la mescaline", while mescaline itself is separately classed as a stupéfiant under the Public Health Code.
Consequences if caught: Possession, cultivation or supply of the peyote cactus is a narcotics offence in its own right, independent of any mescaline extraction, which is separately penalised.
If prescribed / medical: Both the peyote plant and mescaline are stupéfiants without therapeutic authorisation and are not prescribable.
Documentation: Arrêté du 22 février 1990, Annexe IV: "Peyotl ou peyote, ses principes actifs et leurs composés naturels et synthétiques autres que la mescaline"; mescaline is listed elsewhere as a stupéfiant.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Phenibut

Legal status: Phenibut (acide 4-amino-3-phenylbutanoique) was added to the national list of psychotropic substances by the arrete of 9 September 2020 amending the arrete of 22 February 1990; France controls phenibut as a psychotrope (mechanism: substance named on the psychotropes list) under the Code de la sante publique.
Consequences if caught: As a listed psychotrope, the production, sale or transfer, acquisition and use of phenibut are prohibited, and online purchase of the 'nootropic' is captured by the ban.
If prescribed / medical: Phenibut has no marketed medicinal specialty in France; the ANSM flags its anxiolytic/supplement claims as unfounded, so it is not an authorised medicine despite its psychotrope classification.
Documentation: The ANSM states purchase and use of phenibut are now illegal, so travellers cannot treat it as a lawful supplement; any authorised scientific use is left to confirmation.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Pink Cocaine / Tusi

Legal status: Pink cocaine (tusi) is not scheduled as such; it is a variable mixture (typically ketamine + MDMA) prosecuted through its constituents — France classifies both MDMA and ketamine as stupéfiants under the Public Health Code (Code de la santé publique), and the narcotics regime reaches any preparation containing a stupéfiant. Because the blend varies batch to batch, exposure follows the most-severely-controlled detected component, both of which are narcotics here.
Consequences if caught: Treated as a stupéfiant regardless of blend: personal use up to 1 year imprisonment (or the amende forfaitaire), trafficking up to 10 years or more.
If prescribed / medical: No lawful supply of the mixture; ketamine is a hospital anaesthetic dispensed under narcotics rules, while MDMA has no authorised medical use.
Documentation: Sold as an unregulated party powder; because its makeup varies batch to batch, purchasers cannot know its exact constituents, so legal exposure to the stupéfiants regime is unknowable at purchase.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Poppers

Legal status: Poppers (alkyl nitrites) are LEGAL to sell — the Conseil d'État (decision n° 352484/352485, 3 June 2013) annulled the arrêté of 29 June 2011 that had extended the narcotics/stupéfiants control regime to products containing aliphatic, cyclic and heterocyclic alkyl nitrites, holding the ban disproportionate because no study established a risk of dependence or abuse at usual inhaled doses (following an earlier 2009 annulment of the 2007 ban). No death penalty.
Consequences if caught: No criminal offence for buying, possessing or selling alkyl nitrite poppers to adults; they are traded as ordinary consumer products.
If prescribed / medical: Lawfully sold as consumer products without a marketing authorisation (AMM) or prescription following the 2013 annulment; not regulated as a stupéfiant.
Documentation: Freely available in sex shops, tobacconists and online; no import licence for personal amounts.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Pregabalin

Legal status: Pregabalin (Lyrica et génériques) is a Liste I prescription medicine that, since 24 May 2021, must partly follow the narcotics regime — dispensed only on a secure prescription form (ordonnance sécurisée) with a 6-month maximum — a tighter control than gabapentin, which remains an ordinary Liste I prescription in France.
Consequences if caught: Illicit use, supply or diversion is an offence under the Public Health Code; trafficking carries multi-year prison terms.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as a Liste I gabapentinoid on a secure prescription form (ordonnance sécurisée), maximum 6 months per prescription.
Documentation: Carry the secure prescription with a personal supply; a transport attestation may apply beyond roughly a 3-month supply.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Psilocybin

Legal status: Not confirmed — verify with France's ANSM / Douane / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named by the reachable French sources (ANSM / Douane / Public Health Code). France classifies roughly 200 substances as stupéfiants; this one may be among them — verify before travel. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: If it is a prescribed narcotic/psychotrope, carry the original prescription plus a Schengen certificate (EU) or an ANSM transport certificate (non-Schengen) — see documentation.
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-06-25

Quetiapine

Legal status: Quetiapine is a prescription medicine (medicament soumis a prescription medicale), not a stupefiant or psychotrope: quetiapine products (Xeroquel LP and generics) hold ANSM marketing authorisation and do not figure on the narcotics/psychotropics lists of the Code de la sante publique.
Consequences if caught: Quetiapine carries no narcotics-law penalty; supply outside the pharmacy prescription circuit is a medicines-regulation breach rather than a stupefiants offence.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as an atypical antipsychotic for schizophrenia, bipolar mania and bipolar depression under ANSM-authorised indications.
Documentation: Quetiapine formulations appear in the ANSM base de donnees publique des medicaments; travellers carry them with a prescription.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Salvia divinorum

Legal status: Not confirmed — verify with France's ANSM / Douane / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named by the reachable French sources (ANSM / Douane / Public Health Code). France classifies roughly 200 substances as stupéfiants; this one may be among them — verify before travel. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: If it is a prescribed narcotic/psychotrope, carry the original prescription plus a Schengen certificate (EU) or an ANSM transport certificate (non-Schengen) — see documentation.
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-06-25

Scopolamine (Devil's Breath)

Legal status: Scopolamine (hyoscine) is a prescription/pharmacy medicine, not a stupéfiant: it holds ANSM marketing authorisation and the Scopoderm TTS motion-sickness patch is délivré sur ordonnance (prescription-only). Butylbromure de scopolamine (Scoburen, the Buscopan family) is a pharmacy antispasmodic.
Consequences if caught: Scopolamine carries no narcotics-law penalty; supply of the prescription patch outside the pharmacy circuit is a medicines-regulation breach, not a stupéfiants offence.
If prescribed / medical: Scopoderm TTS and injectable scopolamine (anaesthetic premedication, palliative secretions/death-rattle) are prescription medicines; butylbromure de scopolamine is dispensed for gastrointestinal and genitourinary spasm.
Documentation: Scopoderm TTS and scopolamine injectables are listed in the ANSM public medicines database; travellers carry the patch lawfully with a prescription.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Synthetic Cannabinoids (K2 / Spice)

Legal status: Controlled as a class. Synthetic cannabinoids are classed as stupefiants by chemical family: an arrete of 19 May 2015 (amending the 22 February 1990 list) scheduled seven families of cannabinoides de synthese generically, and the arrete of 31 March 2017 extended this to twelve chemical families plus named compounds, so new analogues are caught without individual listing.
Consequences if caught: Illegal as stupefiants; possession, use and trafficking carry Code de la sante publique / Code penal penalties. No death penalty.
If prescribed / medical: These synthetic cannabinoids have no recognised medical use and no lawful prescription route in France.
Documentation: No lawful personal-import route for controlled stupefiants; do not carry.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

THC-P

Legal status: THC-P (tétrahydrocannabiphorol) is a stupéfiant — the ANSM director's decision individually named 'le THCP (ou tétrahydrocannabiphorol)' among the benzo[c]chromène-core cannabinoids (alongside HHC, HHCP, HHCPO, THCA and H4-CBD) added to the narcotics list, in force 3 June 2024. It is therefore banned to produce, hold, sell or use. This is a distinct, later determination from cannabis, itself a long-standing stupéfiant under the Law of 31 December 1970. No death penalty.
Consequences if caught: As a stupéfiant, use is an offence under the Code de la santé publique (Art. L3421-1, up to 1 year and €3,750, commonly a €200 fixed fine), while trafficking/supply carries up to 10 years and heavy fines under the Code pénal.
If prescribed / medical: No medical use or marketing authorisation; classification as a stupéfiant leaves only tightly licensed scientific/research handling.
Documentation: The June 2024 listing shut the retail THC-P market (vapes, distillate, flower); no lawful consumer sale, and personal import is prohibited.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Tobacco

Legal status: Not confirmed — verify with France's ANSM / Douane / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named by the reachable French sources (ANSM / Douane / Public Health Code). France classifies roughly 200 substances as stupéfiants; this one may be among them — verify before travel. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: If it is a prescribed narcotic/psychotrope, carry the original prescription plus a Schengen certificate (EU) or an ANSM transport certificate (non-Schengen) — see documentation.
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Tramadol

Legal status: Tramadol is a Liste I prescription medicine (substances vénéneuses, Code de la santé publique); since 1 March 2025 it requires a secure prescription form (ordonnance sécurisée) with a 12-week maximum (ANSM).
Consequences if caught: Illicit use or possession is an offence under the Public Health Code; trafficking or supply carries multi-year prison terms.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as a Liste I opioid on a secure prescription form, 12-week maximum.
Documentation: Carry the secure prescription with a personal supply; an ANSM transport authorisation may apply beyond roughly a 3-month supply.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Xanax (Alprazolam)

Legal status: Alprazolam is a Liste I prescription medicine (substances vénéneuses, Code de la santé publique) — a national tier above the 1971 Schedule IV baseline.
Consequences if caught: Illicit use or possession up to 1 year plus a fine; trafficking or supply up to 10 years.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as a Liste I benzodiazepine (12-week maximum for anxiety indications).
Documentation: Carry the Schengen Article 75 certificate; a prescription is valid for 3 months.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Xylazine

Legal status: Not confirmed — verify with France's ANSM / Douane / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named by the reachable French sources (ANSM / Douane / Public Health Code). France classifies roughly 200 substances as stupéfiants; this one may be among them — verify before travel. Personal use/possession is punishable by up to 1 year's imprisonment and a €3,750 fine (Art L3421-14); since 2019 a first-time minor possession is often dealt with by a €200 fixed fine (amende forfaitaire). Supply/trafficking carries up to 10 years and a €7.5 million fine, rising to 30 years for aggravated/organised offences. Import/export carries up to 10 years and €7.5 million.
If prescribed / medical: If it is a prescribed narcotic/psychotrope, carry the original prescription plus a Schengen certificate (EU) or an ANSM transport certificate (non-Schengen) — see documentation.
Documentation: EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics/psychotropics with a Schengen certificate. From outside Schengen: carry the original prescription plus an ANSM personal-transport certificate (Attestation de transport personnel de médicaments stupéfiants) where the destination requires it; up to a 3-month personal supply (or the treatment duration). Keep medicines in hand luggage.

Source · Updated 2026-06-25

Zolpidem

Legal status: Zolpidem is a prescription hypnotic to which France applies part of the narcotics (stupefiants) prescribing regime: since 10 April 2017 it must be issued on a secure prescription (ordonnance securisee), reflecting its 1971 Convention Schedule IV psychotropic status.
Consequences if caught: Diversion and abuse of zolpidem drove the 2017 tightening; unlawful supply of this listed hypnotic is prosecuted under the Code de la sante publique controlled-medicines provisions.
If prescribed / medical: Zolpidem is prescribed for short-term insomnia, limited to 28 days per prescription and dispensed only on the tamper-resistant secure form with quantities written in full.
Documentation: Patients carry prescribed zolpidem with the secure prescription; unlike full narcotics there is no three-day presentation rule, but a medical certificate is advised for travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Drug laws and enforcement change and vary by country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with the destination’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 authorityand 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 consulatein the destination immediately — notthe 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 →

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