Is Hydrocodone legal in Dominican Republic?

Legal status

Controlled. Hydrocodone is the entry «Hidrocodona» at number 10 of acápite I of Categoría II of article 8 of Ley 50-88 under identification code 9193.

Consequences if caught

Dilute hydrocodone preparations sit lower, so which Categoría a product falls in turns on its strength rather than on the name on the box. Article 75 sets the prison band by the role the case is classified into: six months to two years for simple possession, three to ten years for a distributor, a seller or an intermediary, five to twenty years for a trafficker, and thirty years for a patrocinador. The quantity scales that decide which of those roles a case falls into are printed for cocaine in article 5 and for marihuana and hashish in article 6, and Ley 50-88 prints no quantity scale for any other substance. The fines run with the same roles: RD$1,500 to RD$2,500 for simple possession, RD$10,000 to RD$50,000 for a distributor or an intermediary, not less than the value of the drugs seized and never less than RD$50,000 for a trafficker, and not less than RD$1,000,000 for a patrocinador. Article 59 adds five to twenty years with a fine of not less than RD$250,000 for taking a controlled drug into or out of the national territory in international traffic, and thirty years with a fine of not less than RD$1,000,000 where the Dominican Republic is the final destination. Article 58 classifies illicit trafficking, the manufacture, distribution or possession of equipment for producing controlled drugs, and the acquisition or laundering of the proceeds, as delitos graves to be punished with the maximum of the penalties and the fines, and its párrafo calls illicit trafficking an international offence. Article 85 doubles the penalty for a reincident trafficker or patrocinador and caps the resulting prison term at thirty years, and article 87 withdraws provisional liberty on bail, conditional liberty and the conditional pardon of the sentence from every offence in this law. Those figures are set out here because they describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play. Ley 50-88 provides no death penalty for any drug offence, and the highest prison term it prints anywhere is thirty years.

If prescribed or medical

A medicine containing this substance is a sustancia controlada under article 2 acápite XLIII because it sits in acápite I of Categoría II, with dilute preparations in Categoría III. Articles 31 and 48 of Ley 50-88 confine such medicines to pharmacies and to a dispensed prescription, and article 28 forbids carrying controlled drugs without lawful authority. Carry the medicine in its original packaging with the prescription and the dispensing label, and confirm the requirement with your embassy before travel.

Documentation

Numbers 3 and 4 of acápite III of Categoría III place a preparation carrying not more than 300 milligrams of hidrocodeinona per 100 millilitres, or not more than 15 milligrams per single dose with the stated companions, under codes 9805 and 9806. The Consejo Nacional de Drogas text prints that word as «hidrocodeinona» and the Ministerio de Salud Pública text prints it as «dihidrocodeinona», which is a typographic difference between two government copies and not a difference in what is listed. There is no medical cannabis programme in the Dominican Republic and CBD is treated the same as THC. The United States embassy warns of zero tolerance enforcement in which small quantities can lead to arrest, and it states that United States cannabis or medical marijuana cards are not recognised.

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