Is MDMA legal in Hong Kong?
- Legal status
- Dangerous drug (First Schedule) under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (Cap. 134) — possession (Sec 8) up to 7 years + HK$1m; trafficking (Sec 4) up to life + HK$5m; NO death penalty (abolished); no soft/hard tiering
- Consequences if caught
- MDMA (ecstasy) is a dangerous drug in the single First Schedule of Hong Kong's Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (Cap. 134), with no soft/hard penalty tiering. Possession (Sec 8) carries a maximum of 7 years plus a HK$1 million fine; trafficking (Sec 4) carries a maximum of life imprisonment plus a HK$5 million fine on indictment. Importing or exporting even for personal use counts as trafficking. Hong Kong has NO death penalty (abolished) — the maximum is life. Sentencing within these maxima is quantity-band-driven through case law, not fixed statutory gram thresholds.
- If prescribed or medical
- Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
- Documentation
- All controlled drugs sit in a single First Schedule under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (Cap. 134) with no soft/hard penalty tiering — cannabis, heroin, cocaine, ice (methamphetamine), ecstasy (MDMA), ketamine and CBD are all 'dangerous drugs.' Trafficking (Sec 4) carries a maximum of life imprisonment plus a HK$5 million fine on indictment (3 years plus HK$500,000 summary); possession (Sec 8) carries a maximum of 7 years plus a HK$1 million fine; possession of a pipe or equipment carries HK$10,000 and 3 years. Cultivation of cannabis or opium poppy is an offence, and importing or exporting (even for personal use) counts as trafficking. CBD was reclassified as a dangerous drug from 1 February 2023 (trafficking CBD = life plus HK$5 million; possession = 7 years plus HK$1 million), and 'space oil' (etomidate) was scheduled in February 2025. There is NO medical-cannabis program. Hong Kong has NO death penalty (abolished) — the maximum is life imprisonment. Sentencing within these maxima is quantity-band-driven through case law rather than fixed statutory gram thresholds. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
- Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (Cap. 134, in force 1969), Secs 4/8
- elegislation.gov.hk
- police.gov.hk
- nd.gov.hk
Court records
The Hong Kong Judiciary publishes judgments from 1966 onwards, but states they may be downloaded for private study and research only, so we have not verified a court record for this jurisdiction.
Source checked Judiciary Legal Reference System · 2026-08-27
Other substances confirmed in Hong Kong
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Hong Kong’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 →