Legal status in Laos

Per-substance legal status for Laos, from sourced statutes where available. Legal information, not legal advice; drug laws change, so confirm with the destination’s embassy or drug authority before you travel.

29 confirmed substances59 not individually verifiedLast updated September 21, 2026

Confirmed legal status

Adderall

Legal status: Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts) has no separate legal identity, it is regulated AS amphetamine: controlled substance under the Law on Narcotics / amended Criminal Law art. 146 (Law No. 22/NA).
Consequences if caught: Lower tiers 5-20 years; art. 146 makes ATS trafficking >3 kg DEATH-PENALTY-ELIGIBLE (500 g, 3 kg = life), and Laos actively executes for drug trafficking. Amphetamine carries capital exposure at high quantity.
If prescribed / medical: Prescription stimulant via strictly controlled medical channels; carrying it without a local permit/prescription risks arrest.
Documentation: Laos (a Golden Triangle state where about 90% of death-row sentences are drug-related, with roughly 315 people on death row) retains the death penalty for drugs under the Lao Penal Code (2017, Art 146, consolidating the earlier Penal Law and the Law on Narcotics No. 22/NA of 2012). Death applies to producing, distributing, possessing or transporting more than 500 g of heroin, morphine or cocaine; more than 3,000 g (3 kg) of amphetamines, methamphetamine, ecstasy or other psychotropics; or more than 10,000 g of drug precursors. Some sources describe the death penalty as MANDATORY above these thresholds [reported], but it is abolitionist in practice, NO executions have been carried out since 1989, and commutation is routine (e.g. the Orobator case, where a pregnant defendant caught with 680 g of heroin received life, not death). Personal-use possession is graduated: for heroin, morphine or cocaine, less than 0.2 g is treated as a victim needing treatment and 0.2-2 g draws 2-10 years plus a fine; for methamphetamine or ecstasy, less than 0.3 g is treated as a victim and 0.3-3 g draws 1-5 years; using a marijuana-smoking service draws 3 months, 5 years. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Criminal Law art. 146 (Law 22/NA), ATS >3 kg capital · loc.gov · The power that moves this list is amended article 9 of the Law on Drugs, which names examples and then reaches other narcotic drugs prescribed by regulation, and this project's Laos substance dossier checked on 18 September 2026 records that the complete current delegated prohibited drug list was not located. No version of that list is established, so the finding stated above is anchored to the 2007 statute as amended in 2012 and 2021, and it does not rule out a later amendment made or commenced since. · Updated September 21, 2026

Adderall in Laos, full detail →

Alcohol

Legal status: Legal, alcohol (ethanol) is a freely-sold, lightly-regulated beverage, not a controlled drug.
Consequences if caught: No penalty for adult consumption; enforcement of any age limit is minimal.
If prescribed / medical: n/a, a beverage, not a medicine.
Documentation: Openly available in shops and bars; no traveller permit required.

who.int · The power that moves this list is amended article 9 of the Law on Drugs, which names examples and then reaches other narcotic drugs prescribed by regulation, and this project's Laos substance dossier checked on 18 September 2026 records that the complete current delegated prohibited drug list was not located. No version of that list is established, so the finding stated above is anchored to the 2007 statute as amended in 2012 and 2021, and it does not rule out a later amendment made or commenced since. · Updated September 21, 2026

Alcohol in Laos, full detail →

Amphetamine

Legal status: Controlled substance under the Law on Narcotics / amended Criminal Law art. 146 (Law No. 22/NA).
Consequences if caught: Lower tiers 5-20 years; art. 146 makes ATS trafficking >3 kg DEATH-PENALTY-ELIGIBLE (500 g, 3 kg = life), and Laos actively executes for drug trafficking. Amphetamine carries capital exposure at high quantity.
If prescribed / medical: Prescription stimulant via strictly controlled medical channels; carrying it without a local permit/prescription risks arrest.
Documentation: Laos (a Golden Triangle state where about 90% of death-row sentences are drug-related, with roughly 315 people on death row) retains the death penalty for drugs under the Lao Penal Code (2017, Art 146, consolidating the earlier Penal Law and the Law on Narcotics No. 22/NA of 2012). Death applies to producing, distributing, possessing or transporting more than 500 g of heroin, morphine or cocaine; more than 3,000 g (3 kg) of amphetamines, methamphetamine, ecstasy or other psychotropics; or more than 10,000 g of drug precursors. Some sources describe the death penalty as MANDATORY above these thresholds [reported], but it is abolitionist in practice, NO executions have been carried out since 1989, and commutation is routine (e.g. the Orobator case, where a pregnant defendant caught with 680 g of heroin received life, not death). Personal-use possession is graduated: for heroin, morphine or cocaine, less than 0.2 g is treated as a victim needing treatment and 0.2-2 g draws 2-10 years plus a fine; for methamphetamine or ecstasy, less than 0.3 g is treated as a victim and 0.3-3 g draws 1-5 years; using a marijuana-smoking service draws 3 months, 5 years. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Criminal Law art. 146 (Law 22/NA), ATS >3 kg capital · loc.gov · Updated July 13, 2026

Amphetamine in Laos, full detail →

Barbiturates

Legal status: Barbiturates are handled under Laos's general controlled-psychotropic regime (Law on Narcotics No. 10/NA, as amended), transposing the 1971 Convention; individual barbiturates are not separately enumerated in an accessible schedule.
Consequences if caught: Non-death-eligible psychotropic offences draw fixed-term imprisonment (months to years for use/possession; up to life for larger trafficking). The amended Article 146 death list is exhaustive by named drug and weight with no 'other psychotropics' catch-all, barbiturates are not death-eligible.
If prescribed / medical: Phenobarbital is handled as a controlled prescription antiepileptic (a WHO Essential Medicine); the sedative-hypnotic barbiturates are tightly controlled.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging and confirm import rules with Lao authorities before travel.

laotradeportal.gov.la · Updated July 14, 2026

Barbiturates in Laos, full detail →

Buprenorphine

Legal status: Buprenorphine is a scheduled controlled psychotropic under Laos's Law on Narcotics (No. 10/NA, as amended), a lighter tier than methadone; it is not among the art. 146 named capital-weight drugs, so it sits below the capital tier, confirmed.
Consequences if caught: Controlled-substance offences draw fixed-term imprisonment; the art. 146 death list is exhaustive by named drug and weight (e.g. heroin/morphine >500 g) with no catch-all, buprenorphine is not death-eligible, confirmed.
If prescribed / medical: Handled as a controlled prescription medicine.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging and confirm import rules with Lao authorities before travel.

laotradeportal.gov.la · Updated July 13, 2026

Buprenorphine in Laos, full detail →

Cannabis / THC

Legal status: Cannabis controlled under the Lao Penal Code (Art 146), using a marijuana-smoking service 3 months, 5 years; NO specific cannabis death-penalty quantity in the cited facts (no fixed cannabis quantity asserted); Art 146 death thresholds are stated for opioids/cocaine (>500 g) and stimulants/psychotropics (>3 kg); [retained; abolitionist in practice, no executions since 1989]
Consequences if caught: Cannabis is controlled under the Lao Penal Code (2017, Art 146; Law on Narcotics No. 22/NA of 2012). Using a marijuana-smoking service draws 3 months, 5 years. The cited facts give NO specific cannabis death-penalty quantity threshold, no fixed cannabis quantity is asserted here; the Art 146 death thresholds are stated for heroin/morphine/cocaine (more than 500 g) and amphetamines/methamphetamine/ecstasy/psychotropics (more than 3 kg). [retained; abolitionist in practice, no executions since 1989, routine commutation] The death penalty is retained for drugs (Penal Code Art 146), and some sources describe it as MANDATORY above the thresholds [reported], but NO executions have been carried out since 1989 and commutation is routine (e.g. the Orobator case, where a pregnant defendant caught with 680 g of heroin received life, not death).
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: Laos (a Golden Triangle state where about 90% of death-row sentences are drug-related, with roughly 315 people on death row) retains the death penalty for drugs under the Lao Penal Code (2017, Art 146, consolidating the earlier Penal Law and the Law on Narcotics No. 22/NA of 2012). Death applies to producing, distributing, possessing or transporting more than 500 g of heroin, morphine or cocaine; more than 3,000 g (3 kg) of amphetamines, methamphetamine, ecstasy or other psychotropics; or more than 10,000 g of drug precursors. Some sources describe the death penalty as MANDATORY above these thresholds [reported], but it is abolitionist in practice, NO executions have been carried out since 1989, and commutation is routine (e.g. the Orobator case, where a pregnant defendant caught with 680 g of heroin received life, not death). Personal-use possession is graduated: for heroin, morphine or cocaine, less than 0.2 g is treated as a victim needing treatment and 0.2-2 g draws 2-10 years plus a fine; for methamphetamine or ecstasy, less than 0.3 g is treated as a victim and 0.3-3 g draws 1-5 years; using a marijuana-smoking service draws 3 months, 5 years. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Lao Penal Code (2017), Art 146, consolidating Penal Law Art 146 + Law on Narcotics No. 22/NA (2012) · laoofficialgazette.gov.la · loc.gov · Updated June 26, 2026

Cannabis / THC in Laos, full detail →

Cathinone

Legal status: Controlled, cathinone (khat's natural principal alkaloid) is a 1971 Convention SCHEDULE I psychotropic and falls within the psychotropics annex of the Lao Drug Law, which incorporates the UN conventions. Mechanism: 1971 Sch-I transposition (convention-mirroring), named. As the parent compound it is DISTINCT from the khat PLANT (Catha edulis, not separately named) and from the synthetic cathinones (mephedrone etc.) that derive from it; cathinone is the named Sch-I alkaloid, cathine the milder metabolite (1971 Schedule III). Capital reach is left to confirmation: Penal Code art. 146 fixes capital thresholds for heroin/'ecstasy'/meth by quantity and cathinone is not separately named (lean below-tier).
Consequences if caught: Controlled psychotropic: penalties apply for the alkaloid; capital is reserved for named drugs/quantities, not established for cathinone. High risk.
If prescribed / medical: 1971 Schedule I substance with no accepted medical use and no lawful prescription route for the isolated alkaloid.
Documentation: No licit personal-import route for a controlled psychotropic.

unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026

Cathinone in Laos, full detail →

CBD

Legal status: CBD (cannabidiol) is controlled as cannabis, cannabis is a scheduled narcotic on the Ministry of Public Health narcotic list and under the Law on Narcotics (Law No. 22/NA), with no CBD or THC-threshold exemption; there is no legal consumer CBD.
Consequences if caught: Possession, production or trade is a drug offence with penalties escalating by quantity into 5-20 years' imprisonment and heavy fines.
If prescribed / medical: There is no established CBD/Epidiolex prescription scheme.
Documentation: No documentation legalises CBD, controlled as cannabis, with no prescription route.

laotradeportal.gov.la · Updated July 14, 2026

CBD in Laos, full detail →

Clonazepam

Legal status: Clonazepam is handled under Laos's general controlled-psychotropic regime (Law on Narcotics No. 10/NA, as amended); individual benzodiazepines are not separately enumerated in an accessible schedule.
Consequences if caught: Non-death-eligible psychotropic offences draw fixed-term imprisonment (months to years for use/possession; up to life for larger trafficking). The amended Article 146 death list is exhaustive by named drug and weight with no 'other psychotropics' catch-all, benzodiazepines are not death-eligible.
If prescribed / medical: Handled as a controlled prescription medicine.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging and confirm import rules with Lao authorities before travel.

laotradeportal.gov.la · Updated July 13, 2026

Clonazepam in Laos, full detail →

Cocaine

Legal status: Cocaine controlled under the Lao Penal Code (Art 146), DEATH above 500 g; personal use <0.2 g treated as a victim needing treatment, 0.2-2 g 2-10 years + fine; [retained; abolitionist in practice, no executions since 1989]
Consequences if caught: Cocaine is controlled under the Lao Penal Code (2017, Art 146; Law on Narcotics No. 22/NA of 2012). Death applies to producing, distributing, possessing or transporting more than 500 g. Personal-use possession is graduated: less than 0.2 g is treated as a victim needing treatment, and 0.2-2 g draws 2-10 years plus a fine. [retained; abolitionist in practice, no executions since 1989, routine commutation] The death penalty is retained for drugs (Penal Code Art 146), and some sources describe it as MANDATORY above the thresholds [reported], but NO executions have been carried out since 1989 and commutation is routine (e.g. the Orobator case, where a pregnant defendant caught with 680 g of heroin received life, not death).
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: Laos (a Golden Triangle state where about 90% of death-row sentences are drug-related, with roughly 315 people on death row) retains the death penalty for drugs under the Lao Penal Code (2017, Art 146, consolidating the earlier Penal Law and the Law on Narcotics No. 22/NA of 2012). Death applies to producing, distributing, possessing or transporting more than 500 g of heroin, morphine or cocaine; more than 3,000 g (3 kg) of amphetamines, methamphetamine, ecstasy or other psychotropics; or more than 10,000 g of drug precursors. Some sources describe the death penalty as MANDATORY above these thresholds [reported], but it is abolitionist in practice, NO executions have been carried out since 1989, and commutation is routine (e.g. the Orobator case, where a pregnant defendant caught with 680 g of heroin received life, not death). Personal-use possession is graduated: for heroin, morphine or cocaine, less than 0.2 g is treated as a victim needing treatment and 0.2-2 g draws 2-10 years plus a fine; for methamphetamine or ecstasy, less than 0.3 g is treated as a victim and 0.3-3 g draws 1-5 years; using a marijuana-smoking service draws 3 months, 5 years. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Lao Penal Code (2017), Art 146, consolidating Penal Law Art 146 + Law on Narcotics No. 22/NA (2012) · laoofficialgazette.gov.la · loc.gov · Updated June 26, 2026

Cocaine in Laos, full detail →

Codeine

Legal status: Codeine is a scheduled controlled substance under Laos's narcotics law (Law on Narcotics / Penal Code Art. 146); it sits below the capital tier (death under Art. 146 attaches to named drugs by weight, e.g. more than 500 g of morphine/heroin, not codeine).
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised possession or supply draws fixed-term imprisonment; codeine is not death-eligible.
If prescribed / medical: Handled as a controlled prescription medicine.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging and confirm import rules with Lao authorities before travel.

laotradeportal.gov.la · Updated July 13, 2026

Codeine in Laos, full detail →

Crack Cocaine

Legal status: Crack is the freebase (base) form of cocaine and has no separate legal identity in Laos: it is controlled AS cocaine under the Lao Penal Code (Art 146), consolidating the Law on Narcotics, whose scheduling covers cocaine, its salts and preparations and thus reaches the base/freebase form. The capital threshold is measured by weight of cocaine and carries over to crack, so trafficking above 500 g of cocaine is death-eligible whether powder or base.
Consequences if caught: Trafficking above 500 g of crack (as cocaine) carries the death penalty; personal use of under 0.2 g is treated as needing treatment, and 0.2-2 g draws 2-10 years plus fine.
If prescribed / medical: Cocaine has no recognised therapeutic use in Laos; the crack/freebase base has no medicinal preparation and cannot be prescribed.
Documentation: No prescription documentation exists for crack/freebase cocaine.

unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026

Crack Cocaine in Laos, full detail →

Delta-8-THC

Legal status: Controlled, as a party to the 1971 Convention, Laos schedules tetrahydrocannabinols and their isomers through its Law on Narcotics and Penal Code, so delta-8-THC (Δ8-THC) is caught as an isomer of THC; the specific national listing instrument is left to confirmation. Distinct from cannabis, controlled under the Penal Code (Art. 146).
Consequences if caught: Illegal; possession/use and trafficking penalties under the Penal Code and narcotics law (long imprisonment for trafficking).
If prescribed / medical: No recognised medical use; delta-8-THC is not a prescribable medicine.
Documentation: No lawful personal import of a controlled tetrahydrocannabinol.

unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026

Delta-8-THC in Laos, full detail →

Diazepam

Legal status: Diazepam is handled under Laos's general controlled-psychotropic regime (Law on Narcotics No. 10/NA, as amended); individual benzodiazepines are not separately enumerated in an accessible schedule.
Consequences if caught: Non-death-eligible psychotropic offences draw fixed-term imprisonment (months to years for use/possession; up to life for larger trafficking). The amended Article 146 death list is exhaustive by named drug and weight with no 'other psychotropics' catch-all, benzodiazepines are not death-eligible.
If prescribed / medical: Handled as a controlled prescription medicine.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging and confirm import rules with Lao authorities before travel.

laotradeportal.gov.la · Updated July 13, 2026

Diazepam in Laos, full detail →

Ephedrine

Legal status: Regulated as a chemical PRECURSOR (1988 UN Convention Table I, a methamphetamine precursor), NOT as a scheduled narcotic; a 'chemical material for producing drugs' under the amended Criminal Law art. 146 / Narcotic Law No. 22/NA.
Consequences if caught: CAPITAL EXPOSURE (an exception), art. 146 attaches penalty to PRECURSOR quantity: 1-10 kg = life; >10 kg = DEATH (<500 g = 5-10 years). Laos is a rare state where precursor trafficking itself carries the death penalty.
If prescribed / medical: Also a pharmacy/prescription decongestant-bronchodilator medicine subject to sales limits; carry documentation for a personal supply.
Documentation: Laos (a Golden Triangle state where about 90% of death-row sentences are drug-related, with roughly 315 people on death row) retains the death penalty for drugs under the Lao Penal Code (2017, Art 146, consolidating the earlier Penal Law and the Law on Narcotics No. 22/NA of 2012). Death applies to producing, distributing, possessing or transporting more than 500 g of heroin, morphine or cocaine; more than 3,000 g (3 kg) of amphetamines, methamphetamine, ecstasy or other psychotropics; or more than 10,000 g of drug precursors. Some sources describe the death penalty as MANDATORY above these thresholds [reported], but it is abolitionist in practice, NO executions have been carried out since 1989, and commutation is routine (e.g. the Orobator case, where a pregnant defendant caught with 680 g of heroin received life, not death). Personal-use possession is graduated: for heroin, morphine or cocaine, less than 0.2 g is treated as a victim needing treatment and 0.2-2 g draws 2-10 years plus a fine; for methamphetamine or ecstasy, less than 0.3 g is treated as a victim and 0.3-3 g draws 1-5 years; using a marijuana-smoking service draws 3 months, 5 years. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

laotradeportal.gov.la · Updated July 13, 2026

Ephedrine in Laos, full detail →

Heroin

Legal status: Heroin controlled under the Lao Penal Code (Art 146), DEATH above 500 g; personal use <0.2 g treated as a victim needing treatment, 0.2-2 g 2-10 years + fine; [retained; abolitionist in practice, no executions since 1989]
Consequences if caught: Heroin is controlled under the Lao Penal Code (2017, Art 146; Law on Narcotics No. 22/NA of 2012). Death applies to producing, distributing, possessing or transporting more than 500 g. Personal-use possession is graduated: less than 0.2 g is treated as a victim needing treatment, and 0.2-2 g draws 2-10 years plus a fine. [retained; abolitionist in practice, no executions since 1989, routine commutation] The death penalty is retained for drugs (Penal Code Art 146), and some sources describe it as MANDATORY above the thresholds [reported], but NO executions have been carried out since 1989 and commutation is routine (e.g. the Orobator case, where a pregnant defendant caught with 680 g of heroin received life, not death).
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: Laos (a Golden Triangle state where about 90% of death-row sentences are drug-related, with roughly 315 people on death row) retains the death penalty for drugs under the Lao Penal Code (2017, Art 146, consolidating the earlier Penal Law and the Law on Narcotics No. 22/NA of 2012). Death applies to producing, distributing, possessing or transporting more than 500 g of heroin, morphine or cocaine; more than 3,000 g (3 kg) of amphetamines, methamphetamine, ecstasy or other psychotropics; or more than 10,000 g of drug precursors. Some sources describe the death penalty as MANDATORY above these thresholds [reported], but it is abolitionist in practice, NO executions have been carried out since 1989, and commutation is routine (e.g. the Orobator case, where a pregnant defendant caught with 680 g of heroin received life, not death). Personal-use possession is graduated: for heroin, morphine or cocaine, less than 0.2 g is treated as a victim needing treatment and 0.2-2 g draws 2-10 years plus a fine; for methamphetamine or ecstasy, less than 0.3 g is treated as a victim and 0.3-3 g draws 1-5 years; using a marijuana-smoking service draws 3 months, 5 years. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Lao Penal Code (2017), Art 146, consolidating Penal Law Art 146 + Law on Narcotics No. 22/NA (2012) · laoofficialgazette.gov.la · loc.gov · Updated June 26, 2026

Heroin in Laos, full detail →

Hydrocodone

Legal status: Hydrocodone is a controlled narcotic under the Law on Narcotics; it is not marketed in Laos and is NOT separately named in the Criminal Law art. 146 capital weight bands (which name heroin and morphine at over 500 g), so its drug-specific capital tier is left to confirmation.
Consequences if caught: Trafficking of the named drugs above the art. 146 weights is death-eligible (de facto moratorium), but hydrocodone is not enumerated in those bands; other narcotic offences draw fixed-term imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical: No marketed Lao hydrocodone product; a controlled narcotic is dispensed only under narcotic control.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging and confirm import rules with Lao authorities before travel.

laotradeportal.gov.la · Updated July 13, 2026

Hydrocodone in Laos, full detail →

Lorazepam

Legal status: Lorazepam is handled under Laos's general controlled-psychotropic regime (Law on Narcotics No. 10/NA, as amended); individual benzodiazepines are not separately enumerated in an accessible schedule.
Consequences if caught: Non-death-eligible psychotropic offences draw fixed-term imprisonment (months to years for use/possession; up to life for larger trafficking). The amended Article 146 death list is exhaustive by named drug and weight with no 'other psychotropics' catch-all, benzodiazepines are not death-eligible.
If prescribed / medical: Handled as a controlled prescription medicine.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging and confirm import rules with Lao authorities before travel.

laotradeportal.gov.la · Updated July 13, 2026

Lorazepam in Laos, full detail →

MDA

Legal status: Controlled, MDA is caught by the amphetamine-type-stimulant / 'other psychotropic substances' class language of the Narcotics Law / Penal Code art. 146 (not separately named). CLASS mechanism. CAPITAL: art. 146 makes trafficking of ATS/ecstasy/'other psychotropic substances' above 3 kg death-eligible (500 g to 3 kg = life).
Consequences if caught: ATS/ecstasy class over 3 kg = death-eligible; over 0.3 g criminal.
If prescribed / medical: Prohibited psychotropic with no recognised medical use; no lawful prescription route.
Documentation: No lawful personal import; large trafficking amounts are death-eligible.

laotradeportal.gov.la · Updated July 14, 2026

MDA in Laos, full detail →

MDMA

Legal status: MDMA (ecstasy) controlled under the Lao Penal Code (Art 146), DEATH above 3 kg (amphetamines/methamphetamine/ecstasy/psychotropics); personal use <0.3 g treated as a victim, 0.3-3 g 1-5 years; [retained; abolitionist in practice, no executions since 1989]
Consequences if caught: MDMA (ecstasy) is controlled under the Lao Penal Code (2017, Art 146; Law on Narcotics No. 22/NA of 2012). Death applies to producing, distributing, possessing or transporting more than 3,000 g (3 kg) of amphetamines, methamphetamine, ecstasy or other psychotropics. Personal-use possession is graduated: less than 0.3 g is treated as a victim needing treatment, and 0.3-3 g draws 1-5 years. [retained; abolitionist in practice, no executions since 1989, routine commutation] The death penalty is retained for drugs (Penal Code Art 146), and some sources describe it as MANDATORY above the thresholds [reported], but NO executions have been carried out since 1989 and commutation is routine (e.g. the Orobator case, where a pregnant defendant caught with 680 g of heroin received life, not death).
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: Laos (a Golden Triangle state where about 90% of death-row sentences are drug-related, with roughly 315 people on death row) retains the death penalty for drugs under the Lao Penal Code (2017, Art 146, consolidating the earlier Penal Law and the Law on Narcotics No. 22/NA of 2012). Death applies to producing, distributing, possessing or transporting more than 500 g of heroin, morphine or cocaine; more than 3,000 g (3 kg) of amphetamines, methamphetamine, ecstasy or other psychotropics; or more than 10,000 g of drug precursors. Some sources describe the death penalty as MANDATORY above these thresholds [reported], but it is abolitionist in practice, NO executions have been carried out since 1989, and commutation is routine (e.g. the Orobator case, where a pregnant defendant caught with 680 g of heroin received life, not death). Personal-use possession is graduated: for heroin, morphine or cocaine, less than 0.2 g is treated as a victim needing treatment and 0.2-2 g draws 2-10 years plus a fine; for methamphetamine or ecstasy, less than 0.3 g is treated as a victim and 0.3-3 g draws 1-5 years; using a marijuana-smoking service draws 3 months, 5 years. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Lao Penal Code (2017), Art 146, consolidating Penal Law Art 146 + Law on Narcotics No. 22/NA (2012) · laoofficialgazette.gov.la · loc.gov · Updated June 26, 2026

MDMA in Laos, full detail →

Mephedrone (4-MMC)

Legal status: Controlled, TREATY-floor. Mephedrone is controlled via national incorporation of the 1971 Schedule II addition (2015) into the Lao Drug Law psychotropics annex; no standalone named Lao amendment is confirmable. Capital reach is left to confirmation: Penal Code art. 146 fixes capital thresholds for heroin/'ecstasy'/meth by quantity and mephedrone is not separately named (lean below-tier).
Consequences if caught: Controlled psychotropic: penalties apply; capital is reserved for named drugs/quantities, not established for mephedrone. High risk.
If prescribed / medical: Controlled psychotropic with no recognised medical use and no lawful prescription route.
Documentation: No licit personal-import route for a controlled psychotropic.

unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026

Mephedrone (4-MMC) in Laos, full detail →

Methadone

Legal status: Methadone is a controlled narcotic under Laos's Narcotics Law (No. 10/NA, as amended); it is NOT named in the Article 146 capital weight bands (which name heroin/morphine above 500 g), its drug-specific capital tier is left to confirmation.
Consequences if caught: Non-capital narcotic offences draw fixed-term imprisonment; the Article 146 death list is exhaustive by named drug and weight and does not reach methadone.
If prescribed / medical: Handled as a controlled narcotic medicine (OST availability limited).
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging and confirm import rules with Lao authorities before travel.

laotradeportal.gov.la · Updated July 13, 2026

Methadone in Laos, full detail →

Methamphetamine

Legal status: Methamphetamine controlled under the Lao Penal Code (Art 146), DEATH above 3 kg (amphetamines/methamphetamine/ecstasy/psychotropics); personal use <0.3 g treated as a victim, 0.3-3 g 1-5 years; [retained; abolitionist in practice, no executions since 1989]
Consequences if caught: Methamphetamine is controlled under the Lao Penal Code (2017, Art 146; Law on Narcotics No. 22/NA of 2012). Death applies to producing, distributing, possessing or transporting more than 3,000 g (3 kg) of amphetamines, methamphetamine, ecstasy or other psychotropics. Personal-use possession is graduated: less than 0.3 g is treated as a victim needing treatment, and 0.3-3 g draws 1-5 years. [retained; abolitionist in practice, no executions since 1989, routine commutation] The death penalty is retained for drugs (Penal Code Art 146), and some sources describe it as MANDATORY above the thresholds [reported], but NO executions have been carried out since 1989 and commutation is routine (e.g. the Orobator case, where a pregnant defendant caught with 680 g of heroin received life, not death).
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: Laos (a Golden Triangle state where about 90% of death-row sentences are drug-related, with roughly 315 people on death row) retains the death penalty for drugs under the Lao Penal Code (2017, Art 146, consolidating the earlier Penal Law and the Law on Narcotics No. 22/NA of 2012). Death applies to producing, distributing, possessing or transporting more than 500 g of heroin, morphine or cocaine; more than 3,000 g (3 kg) of amphetamines, methamphetamine, ecstasy or other psychotropics; or more than 10,000 g of drug precursors. Some sources describe the death penalty as MANDATORY above these thresholds [reported], but it is abolitionist in practice, NO executions have been carried out since 1989, and commutation is routine (e.g. the Orobator case, where a pregnant defendant caught with 680 g of heroin received life, not death). Personal-use possession is graduated: for heroin, morphine or cocaine, less than 0.2 g is treated as a victim needing treatment and 0.2-2 g draws 2-10 years plus a fine; for methamphetamine or ecstasy, less than 0.3 g is treated as a victim and 0.3-3 g draws 1-5 years; using a marijuana-smoking service draws 3 months, 5 years. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Lao Penal Code (2017), Art 146, consolidating Penal Law Art 146 + Law on Narcotics No. 22/NA (2012) · laoofficialgazette.gov.la · loc.gov · Updated June 26, 2026

Methamphetamine in Laos, full detail →

Modafinil

Legal status: Prescription medicine, NOT on the Lao MoH List of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (not scheduled).
Consequences if caught: Regulated/prescription medicine; no narcotics-trafficking (capital) exposure documented (the capital tier targets listed narcotics by quantity).
If prescribed / medical: Carry the prescription.
Documentation: Laos (a Golden Triangle state where about 90% of death-row sentences are drug-related, with roughly 315 people on death row) retains the death penalty for drugs under the Lao Penal Code (2017, Art 146, consolidating the earlier Penal Law and the Law on Narcotics No. 22/NA of 2012). Death applies to producing, distributing, possessing or transporting more than 500 g of heroin, morphine or cocaine; more than 3,000 g (3 kg) of amphetamines, methamphetamine, ecstasy or other psychotropics; or more than 10,000 g of drug precursors. Some sources describe the death penalty as MANDATORY above these thresholds [reported], but it is abolitionist in practice, NO executions have been carried out since 1989, and commutation is routine (e.g. the Orobator case, where a pregnant defendant caught with 680 g of heroin received life, not death). Personal-use possession is graduated: for heroin, morphine or cocaine, less than 0.2 g is treated as a victim needing treatment and 0.2-2 g draws 2-10 years plus a fine; for methamphetamine or ecstasy, less than 0.3 g is treated as a victim and 0.3-3 g draws 1-5 years; using a marijuana-smoking service draws 3 months, 5 years. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Not on the MoH controlled list (prescription medicine) · laotradeportal.gov.la · The power that moves this list is amended article 9 of the Law on Drugs, which names examples and then reaches other narcotic drugs prescribed by regulation, and this project's Laos substance dossier checked on 18 September 2026 records that the complete current delegated prohibited drug list was not located. No version of that list is established, so the finding stated above is anchored to the 2007 statute as amended in 2012 and 2021, and it does not rule out a later amendment made or commenced since. · Updated September 21, 2026

Modafinil in Laos, full detail →

Morphine

Legal status: Morphine is a scheduled narcotic under Laos's Narcotics Law and is death-eligible: producing, trading, transporting or possessing more than 500 g of morphine or heroin carries the death penalty (Article 146(1)), subject to a de facto moratorium.
Consequences if caught: Use and small-quantity possession draw fixed-term imprisonment; trafficking or possessing more than 500 g of morphine is death-eligible under Article 146(1).
If prescribed / medical: Handled as a controlled narcotic for severe and cancer pain where available.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging and confirm import rules with Lao authorities before travel.

laotradeportal.gov.la · Updated July 13, 2026

Morphine in Laos, full detail →

Oxycodone

Legal status: Oxycodone is a controlled narcotic under the Law on Narcotics (as amended), a strong opioid; it is NOT separately named in the Criminal Law art. 146 capital weight bands (which name heroin/morphine at above 500 g), so the drug-specific capital threshold for oxycodone is left to confirmation.
Consequences if caught: Narcotic possession/trafficking draws fixed-term imprisonment up to life; the art. 146 death bands name heroin/morphine (above 500 g), oxycodone is not separately listed, so its capital exposure is left to confirmation (de facto moratorium).
If prescribed / medical: Handled as a controlled prescription narcotic; strong-opioid access is limited.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging and confirm import rules with Lao authorities before travel.

laotradeportal.gov.la · Updated July 13, 2026

Oxycodone in Laos, full detail →

Pink Cocaine / Tusi

Legal status: Pink cocaine (tusi) is not scheduled as such; it is a variable mixture (typically ketamine + MDMA) prosecuted through its constituents, Laos controls MDMA (ecstasy) as a psychotropic under the Penal Code (Art 146), and drug law reaches any preparation containing a controlled substance. Because the blend varies batch to batch, exposure follows the most-severely-controlled component, so an MDMA-containing tusi sample carries the Art 146 capital exposure.
Consequences if caught: An MDMA-positive mixture is prosecuted under Art 146, where trafficking above 3 kg of amphetamine-type/psychotropic substances is death-eligible; personal use of a small amount draws lesser penalties.
If prescribed / medical: No lawful supply of the mixture; MDMA has no accepted medical use, and ketamine, where present, is a controlled medicine.
Documentation: Sold as a party powder of unknown makeup; because the blend varies batch to batch, buyers cannot know whether death-eligible MDMA is present, so capital-level legal exposure is unknowable at purchase.

laotradeportal.gov.la · The power that moves this list is amended article 9 of the Law on Drugs, which names examples and then reaches other narcotic drugs prescribed by regulation, and this project's Laos substance dossier checked on 18 September 2026 records that the complete current delegated prohibited drug list was not located. No version of that list is established, so the finding stated above is anchored to the 2007 statute as amended in 2012 and 2021, and it does not rule out a later amendment made or commenced since. · Updated September 21, 2026

Pink Cocaine / Tusi in Laos, full detail →

Tramadol

Legal status: Tramadol is a controlled prescription medicine in Laos under Law 07/NA and the MoH toxic/narcotic/dangerous-drug list; its specific schedule entry is left to confirmation, and whether it is captured by the 'other psychotropic substances' capital provision is undocumented, so the tramadol-specific capital tier is left to confirmation.
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised handling is punishable under the drug-control law; controlled and narcotic medicines are tightly restricted.
If prescribed / medical: Handled as a controlled/prescription medicine.
Documentation: Carry a prescription or doctor's letter for a personal supply and confirm rules with Lao authorities before travel.

laotradeportal.gov.la · Updated July 13, 2026

Tramadol in Laos, full detail →

Xanax (Alprazolam)

Legal status: Alprazolam is handled under Laos's general controlled-psychotropic regime (Law on Narcotics No. 10/NA, as amended); individual benzodiazepines are not separately enumerated in an accessible schedule.
Consequences if caught: Non-death-eligible psychotropic offences draw fixed-term imprisonment (months to years for use/possession; up to life for larger trafficking). The amended Article 146 death list is exhaustive by named drug and weight with no 'other psychotropics' catch-all, benzodiazepines are not death-eligible.
If prescribed / medical: Handled as a controlled prescription medicine.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging and confirm import rules with Lao authorities before travel.

laotradeportal.gov.la · Updated July 13, 2026

Xanax (Alprazolam) in Laos, full detail →

Not individually verified

59 substances are not individually verified for Laos

For these the governing national drug law is cited, but we have not verified that the substance specifically is scheduled under it. Treat them as unanswered, not as legal. Confirm with Laos’s drug authority or your embassy.

Substance	What we found
1P-LSD	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
2-FDCK	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
25I-NBOMe	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
2C-B	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
2C-E	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
2C-I	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
2C-T-7	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
3-MMC	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
4-AcO-DMT	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
4-HO-MET	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
5-MeO-DMT (Bufo / Toad)	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
6-APB	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
7-Hydroxymitragynine (7-OH)	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Amanita muscaria	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Amyl Nitrite	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Ayahuasca	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Benzodiazepines	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Caffeine	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Cannabinol	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
DMT	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
DOM	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
DXM	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Etizolam	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Fentanyl	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Gabapentin	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
GBL	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
GHB	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
HHC	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Ketamine	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Khat	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Kratom	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
LSA (Morning Glory)	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
LSD	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
MDPV	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Memantine	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Mescaline	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Methaqualone (Quaaludes)	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Methylone	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Methylphenidate	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Mitragynine	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
MXE	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Nicotine	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Nimetazepam	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Nitrous Oxide	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Opium	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
PCP	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Peyote	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Phenibut	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Poppers	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Pregabalin	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Psilocybin	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Quetiapine	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Salvia divinorum	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Scopolamine (Devil's Breath)	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Synthetic Cannabinoids (K2 / Spice)	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
THC-P	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Tobacco	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Xylazine	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...
Zolpidem	Not confirmed, status not individually verified; confirm with Laos's authorities (Lao Penal Code Art 146; Law on...

Drug laws and enforcement change and vary by country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with the destination’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 →

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