Is Khat legal in Guyana?

Legal status

Not established on this record, and the search that returned nothing is the finding. The dossier records what it calls English language searches for «catinona; catha edulis» and «khat», together with spelling variants and the chemical name, against the First and Second Schedules to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, Cap. 10:10, and no current named entry and no closed group rule was proved anywhere in the complete instrument. No placement is asserted here in either direction. The search covered the plant and its active alkaloid together. The alkaloid carries a proved printed entry elsewhere in this corpus, so the alkaloid is placed while the plant material searched here returned no proved entry of its own, and the dossier does not record whether the alkaloid entry reaches the leaf. A search that returns nothing proves that nothing was found in what was read. It does not prove the substance is lawful in Guyana, and this cell does not say that it is. The search was recorded on 20 September 2026.

Consequences if caught

Capital exposure: none. Guyana's Cap. 10:10 carries no death penalty at any tier; section 5(1) sets the indictable trafficking ceiling at life imprisonment, so the worst outcome this Act reaches is a life sentence. That holds whether or not this substance turns out to be scheduled, which is why the heading can be stated while the placement cannot. No ceiling is assigned to this row, because controlled status was not settled from the primary instrument, so on this record no penalty article attaches at all. Fresh leaf loses potency quickly and the alkaloid content of a seizure is variable, which makes the plant and the alkaloid different evidential propositions. If a named entry or a printed group rule is later proved, section 5(1) is the ceiling that would apply.

If prescribed or medical

Deferred, and for two separate reasons. The dossier carries no Guyanese prescription rule, import permit, personal medicine allowance or Ministry authorisation route at all, and it also proves no schedule placement for this substance, so neither the traveller rule nor the placement it would attach to is available. It is chewed as fresh leaf rather than dispensed, so the prescription question does not arise and alkaloid content is the real variable. Settle it with the Guyanese authorities before travelling rather than from this cell.

Documentation

Fresh leaf arrives with no documentation and degrades on the journey, which is why seizure timing matters to the alkaloid question. Carry any medicine in its original dispensing packaging with the prescription and a prescriber's letter naming the patient, the active ingredient, the dose and the treatment period, because an unproved placement is not a clearance and an officer's view of the material is what a traveller meets first. The search recorded for this row was read on 20 September 2026 and returned no named entry.

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