Is GBL legal in Moldova?

Legal status

Controlled in Moldova as a precursor, not as a drug. GBL is in Table IV, Lista nr. 5, «Substanțe neclasificate», item 11, «Gamma-butirolactona (GBL)», CAS 96-48-0, beside item 2, «1,4-Butandiol» (gazette page 34). GHB, which the body makes from it, is a drug in Table III, Lista nr. 2, item 1. Table IV, the precursors, does not carry the drug lists' extension: its Lista nr. 1 extends to «Formele stereoizomerice ale substanțelor din această categorie, cu excepția cathinei» and to salts, Lista nr. 2 and Lista nr. 3 to salts, and Lista nr. 4 and Lista nr. 5 to nothing (gazette pages 33 to 34). Law 201/2025 on the circulation of narcotic and psychotropic substances (Monitorul Oficial 2025 nr. 448-451, item 619, 28 August 2025) repealed Law 382/1999 and came into force on 28 August 2026: its Article 80(1) as enacted read six months from publication, and Law 22/2026 (Monitorul Oficial 2026 nr. 104, item 65, 27 February 2026) replaced «6 luni» with «12 luni». Government Decision 479/2026 (Monitorul Oficial 2026 nr. 398-400, Part II, item 473, 28 August 2026) approves the national tables of controlled substances, repeals Government Decision 1088/2004 at its point 2, and by its point 3 entered into force with Law 201/2025. This is the position under Decision 479/2026 as published, read on page images, as at 3 October 2026. The contents list of every Monitorul Oficial issue from 28 August 2026 to 3 October 2026, nr. 398-400 to nr. 498-499, was read for any act touching the tables, and the only one is Government Decision 480/2026 (nr. 439, 9 September 2026), which sets the procedure for updating the tables and changes no entry in them. GBL is also open to the analogue route: Criminal Code Article 134^1(6) treats as an analogue any substance with psychoactive capacity that «este ori poate fi folosită în locul unei substanțe» under control, and GBL is taken in place of GHB, which Articles 217, 217^1 and Contravention Code Article 85 reach through «analogi»; whether a court applies it is not settled by anything read.

Consequences if caught

Capital exposure: none. No article read for this cell provides death or life imprisonment: the highest terms are 15 to 17 years for trafficking under Criminal Code Article 217^1(5) and «de la 12 la 20 de ani» for smuggling under Article 248(8), both as replaced by Law 173/2026 in force on 28 August 2026. As a precursor, it is reached by Criminal Code Article 217^2, which punishes acquiring, keeping, sending, transporting, delivering, distributing or selling precursors «în scopul producerii, fabricării sau prelucrării ilegale a drogurilor» by a fine of 1,500 to 2,000 conventional units or 2 to 5 years (217^2(1)), producing them for that purpose by a fine of 1,800 to 2,500 units or 4 to 6 years (217^2(2)), by 6 to 8 years where aggravated (217^2(3)) and by 8 to 12 years for an organised group (217^2(4)). Without that purpose the article does not reach it. Contravention Code Article 85(2) also names «precursorilor» kept in small quantities without intent to sell, a fine of 200 to 300 conventional units; which quantity counts as small for a precursor was not found in what was read. If GBL is instead treated as an analogue of GHB, the drug articles apply: Contravention Code Article 85 punishes illegal consumption «dacă fapta nu constituie infracțiune» by a fine of 100 to 140 conventional units or 50 to 60 hours of unpaid community work, and acquiring or keeping «în proporții mici și fără scop de înstrăinare» by a fine of 200 to 300 conventional units; under Article 85(3) a person who hands the substance over voluntarily, or seeks medical help, is relieved of that liability. Consumption is a crime instead under Criminal Code Article 217^5(1) when committed «în mod public» or in or near schools, social rehabilitation institutions, prisons, military units, «locurile de agrement» and places of education, culture or sport: a fine of 750 to 1,050 conventional units or 180 to 240 hours of community work. Criminal Code Article 217 punishes producing, acquiring, keeping or transporting in large quantities without intent to sell by a fine of 400 to 700 conventional units, unpaid community work of up to 150 hours or imprisonment of up to 1 year (217(2)), by imprisonment of up to 4 years in the aggravated cases of 217(3), and «în proporții deosebit de mari» by 1 to 6 years (217(4)); under 217(5) a first offender may be released from criminal liability at the investigation stage on self reporting, voluntary surrender of the drugs or active help. Article 217^1 punishes acquiring, keeping, sending, transporting, delivering or distributing with intent to sell, or selling, by 6 to 10 years (217^1(2)); producing or manufacturing for sale by 10 to 12 years (217^1(3)); aggravated cases, among them large quantities, by 12 to 15 years (217^1(4)); and an organised group or especially large quantities by 15 to 17 years (217^1(5)). Article 248 punishes smuggling by 8 to 10 years, by 10 to 12 where aggravated, and by 12 to 20 years for an organised group or especially large quantities. Which of these applies turns on the small, large and especially large quantities «stabilite de Guvern» (Criminal Code Article 134^1(8)). Government Decision 79/2006, made under the repealed Law 382/1999, is the decision the earlier cell relied on; no replacement appears in the Monitorul Oficial contents to 3 October 2026, and its text could not be re-read. The earlier cell's Criminal Code figures, Article 217 and Article 217^1 including the seven to fifteen years it read at Article 217^1(4), were the text before Law 173/2026 replaced those articles, and are superseded. The earlier cell, record MOL-42, rested on the lists approved by Hotărârea Guvernului nr. 79/2006 under Legea nr. 382/1999.

If prescribed or medical

GBL is a non classified precursor in Table IV, Lista nr. 5, not a medicine, and Law 201/2025's carriage rules for medicines, Articles 37 and 69, are not read as reaching it. Rules for it as an industrial chemical were not read.

Documentation

No carriage document for GBL is set by Law 201/2025. Because the analogue route is open, carrying it is not advised; customs and chemical rules were not read.

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