Is Khat legal in Australia?
- Legal status
- Prohibited — ALKALOIDS NAMED, leaf caught de facto. Cathinone and cathine are named in the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956 Sch 4 and cathinone is Schedule 9 in the Poisons Standard; the khat plant is not itself scheduled but import of fresh/dried leaf is prohibited via the ODC permit regime, with personal/recreational import permits abolished 1 December 2013. Mechanism: NAMED (alkaloids) + import ban on the leaf; plant unnamed.
- Consequences if caught
- Importing any khat without an ODC licence is prohibited (max penalty ~A$110,000); no personal-use permits have existed since 2013.
- If prescribed or medical
- Khat is traditional plant material with no recognised medical use and no lawful prescription route.
- Documentation
- No lawful personal-import route for the leaf since 1 Dec 2013; carried khat is seized on arrival.
Court records
We have not yet assessed whether court records are publicly available for this jurisdiction.
Khat in related jurisdictions
Other substances confirmed in Australia
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Australia’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
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