Is MDA legal in Sri Lanka?
- Legal status
- Controlled — MDA is a scheduled drug under the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance. NAMED/scheduled mechanism. Capital on paper (de facto moratorium): trafficking above statutory thresholds is death-eligible, but no execution has been carried out since 1976; MDA's specific threshold left to confirmation.
- Consequences if caught
- Trafficking death-eligible in law; no executions in practice (moratorium).
- If prescribed or medical
- Scheduled dangerous drug with no recognised medical use; no lawful prescription route.
- Documentation
- No lawful personal import; capital in law but subject to a long-standing moratorium.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Sri Lanka’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 →