Is Morphine legal in China?
- Legal status
- Morphine is a controlled narcotic under Criminal Law Article 347 and is death-eligible: the Supreme People's Court treats 100 g or more of morphine as a 'large quantity', which carries 15 years, life or death for trafficking, manufacture or transport.
- Consequences if caught
- Unauthorised possession is handled administratively at small amounts; trafficking, manufacturing or transporting 100 g or more of morphine is death-eligible under Article 347.
- If prescribed or medical
- Available on prescription as a controlled narcotic for severe and cancer pain under strict hospital records.
- Documentation
- Declare controlled narcotics on entry and carry a prescription in original packaging; unlicensed import is treated as smuggling.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with China’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 →