Is Khat legal in Singapore?
- Legal status
- Controlled — BOTH named. Cathinone is a Class A controlled drug in the Misuse of Drugs Act First Schedule, and the CNB expressly lists the PLANT Catha edulis ('Khat, Qat, Kat') as a plant containing a controlled drug. Mechanism: NAMED (plant + alkaloid). Below tier: the MDA Second Schedule mandatory-death thresholds are drug-specific (diamorphine 15g, meth 250g, cocaine 30g, cannabis 500g etc.) and do NOT include cathinone, so khat carries no death exposure.
- Consequences if caught
- Zero-tolerance: even trace khat is an arrestable Class A offence carrying jail and possible caning, but not capital — cathinone is not a capital-threshold drug.
- 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; the plant is expressly named by CNB and possession alone is arrestable.
Court records
We publish verified court records for Singapore, but have not verified one involving Khat.
Source checked eLitigation (Singapore Courts) · 2026-08-27
Khat in related jurisdictions
Other substances confirmed in Singapore
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Singapore’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
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