Is Lorazepam legal in Philippines?
- Legal status
- Lorazepam is a controlled dangerous drug under RA 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act 2002), listed as a 1971 Convention Schedule IV benzodiazepine by the Dangerous Drugs Board.
- Consequences if caught
- RA 9165 imposes graduated imprisonment by quantity (up to life for trafficking). The death penalty was abolished for all crimes by RA 9346 (2006) — the statutory maximum is life, never death.
- If prescribed or medical
- Licit supply is essentially nil: the Philippines’ INCB assessed 2026 requirement for lorazepam is a token 2 g (diazepam, by contrast, 62,000 g). Do not expect to fill a lorazepam prescription locally. Carrying your own is governed by Dangerous Drugs Board Regulation No. 1, s. 2014, §35; above 30 days’ supply you need PDEA authorisation requested 30 working days before arrival.
- Documentation
- Carry a prescription and original packaging; declare controlled medicines.
- officialgazette.gov.ph
- officialgazette.gov.ph
- INCB Psychotropics — Assessments of annual medical and scientific requirements, as at 21 Aug 2026: https://www.incb.org/incb/en/psychotropics/status-of-assessments.html
- INCB Country Regulations for Travellers: https://www.incb.org/incb/en/travellers/country-regulations.html
- incb.org
Court records
The Supreme Court E-Library publishes decisions back to 1901, but its robots policy does not permit automated access, so we have not verified a court record for this jurisdiction.
Source checked Supreme Court E-Library · 2026-08-27
Lorazepam in related jurisdictions
Other substances confirmed in Philippines
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Philippines’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 →