Is Hydrocodone legal in Kuwait?
- Legal status
- Controlled narcotic. Hydrocodone is a 1961 Single Convention Schedule I opioid and Kuwait furnishes annual estimates to INCB under it. The governing statute is Amiri Decree-Law No. 59 of 2025, which by Article 83 repealed Law No. 74 of 1983 - the law this cell previously cited as current.
- Consequences if caught
- Chapter Nine of Decree-Law 59/2025 sets death or life imprisonment with fines of KD 100,000 to KD 2 million for trafficking, and death for organising an international trafficking operation. No published gram floor attaches to hydrocodone specifically.
- If prescribed or medical
- Available on prescription, contrary to the previous statement in this cell that hydrocodone is not marketed in Kuwait. Kuwait furnished INCB a hydrocodone estimate of 150 g for 2026. That is a genuine if minor requirement - small beside oxycodone at 6,000 g, but not the token single-gram figure that would mean no supply.
- Documentation
- Ministry of Health prior authorisation is required to import controlled medicines. Carry the prescription and documentation.
- Amiri Decree-Law No. 59 of 2025 on combating drugs and psychotropic substances, Chapter Nine and Arts. 82-84 (KUNA, via Kuwait Times): https://kuwaittimes.com/article/36271/kuwait/amiri-decree-issued-on-combating-drugs-psychotropic-substances-regulating-use-trafficking/
- INCB, Estimated World Requirements of Narcotic Drugs for 2026 (July update): https://www.incb.org/incb/uploads/documents/Narcotic-Drugs/Status-of-Estimates/2026/EstJul26_rev.pdf
Court records
We have not yet assessed whether court records are publicly available for this jurisdiction.
Other substances confirmed in Kuwait
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Kuwait’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
Verify current rules with the destination country’s official drug authority and your own country’s embassy before traveling. Find the destination’s U.S. embassy & official country guidance →
Non-U.S. travelers: check your own government’s travel advisory and embassy.
If you’re detained or arrested abroad
Contact your own country’s embassy or consulate in the destination immediately — not the destination’s authorities. U.S. citizens: contact the nearest U.S. embassy/consulate and the U.S. State Department at +1-202-501-4444 (from abroad). If a U.S. citizen is arrested or detained abroad →