Is Ketamine legal in Trinidad and Tobago?
- Legal status
- Fully prohibited under the Dangerous Drugs Act (Chap. 11:25, as amended 2019) — trafficking heavy fines + up to life; the cannabis 2019 decriminalization does NOT apply; no death penalty (max life)
- Consequences if caught
- Ketamine is fully prohibited under Trinidad and Tobago's Dangerous Drugs Act (Chap. 11:25), as amended by Act No. 24 of 2019; trafficking is punishable by heavy fines and up to life imprisonment (the 2019 Act created or raised penalties for ketamine, LSD and MDMA). The 2019 cannabis decriminalization (up to 30 g / 5 g resin / 4 plants) does NOT extend to Ketamine. There is no death penalty — the maximum is life.
- If prescribed or medical
- Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
- Documentation
- Trinidad and Tobago (no death penalty; maximum life) partly decriminalized cannabis in 2019 under the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act No. 24 of 2019 (in force 23 December 2019), amending the Dangerous Drugs Act (Chap. 11:25). Adults may possess up to 30 g of cannabis or up to 5 g of cannabis resin with no criminal penalty, cultivate up to 4 plants per household, and use in private (not in public and not around children). Possession of 30–60 g of cannabis (with proportionate resin) draws a fixed-penalty fine of up to TTD 50,000 with no record if paid. Possession of more than 100 g of cannabis or more than 14 g of resin draws TTD 250,000 plus 5 years (summary) or TTD 1,000,000 plus 15 years (on indictment). Cultivating more than 4 plants draws TTD 750,000 plus 10 years (summary) or up to life (indictment). Selling or trafficking cannabis draws up to TTD 3,000,000 (or ten times street value) plus long imprisonment, and an offence within 500 m of a school is a trafficking offence punishable up to life. Public cannabis use draws a fine up to TTD 50,000, and drug-driving TTD 250,000 plus 5 years. Hard drugs (heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, LSD, ketamine) remain fully prohibited — the 2019 Act created or raised penalties for ketamine, LSD and MDMA — with trafficking punishable by heavy fines and up to life. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
- Dangerous Drugs Act (Chap. 11:25), as amended by the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act No. 24 of 2019 (in force 23 December 2019)
- rgd.legalaffairs.gov.tt
- ttparliament.org
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Trinidad and Tobago’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 →
