Is Methadone legal in Kuwait?
- Legal status
- Controlled narcotic. Methadone is a 1961 Single Convention Schedule I opioid and Kuwait furnishes annual estimates to INCB under it. The governing statute is Amiri Decree-Law No. 59 of 2025, whose Article 83 repealed Law No. 74 of 1983 - the statute this cell previously cited as current.
- Consequences if caught
- Chapter Nine of Decree-Law 59/2025 provides death or life imprisonment plus fines of KD 100,000 to KD 2 million for trafficking, and death for organising an international trafficking operation. Chapter Ten grants immunity from prosecution to addicts who seek treatment before charges are filed. No published threshold attaches capital exposure to methadone by name.
- If prescribed or medical
- Prescribed as a controlled narcotic, with opioid substitution treatment access limited. Kuwait's 2026 INCB estimated requirement for methadone is 400 g - a small figure that is consistent with restricted rather than routine substitution prescribing.
- Documentation
- Ministry of Health prior authorisation is required to import controlled medicines. Carry prescription documentation.
- Amiri Decree-Law No. 59 of 2025 on combating drugs and psychotropic substances, Chapter Nine and Arts. 82-84 (KUNA, via Kuwait Times): https://kuwaittimes.com/article/36271/kuwait/amiri-decree-issued-on-combating-drugs-psychotropic-substances-regulating-use-trafficking/
- INCB, Estimated World Requirements of Narcotic Drugs for 2026 (July update): https://www.incb.org/incb/uploads/documents/Narcotic-Drugs/Status-of-Estimates/2026/EstJul26_rev.pdf
Court records
We have not yet assessed whether court records are publicly available for this jurisdiction.
Other substances confirmed in Kuwait
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Kuwait’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
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