Is Morphine legal in Dominican Republic?

Legal status

Controlled. Morphine is the entry «Morfina» at number 13 of acápite I of Categoría II of article 8 of Ley 50-88 under identification code 9300.

Consequences if caught

Morphine is the principal alkaloid of opium and therefore a derivative of it, which is the limb article 7 names beside LSD, so the trafficker classification attaches at any quantity. Article 7 is the harshest rule in the law and it carries no quantity at all: «Cuando se trate de LSD o cualquier otra sustancia alucinógena, lo mismo que el opio y sus derivados, en la cantidad que fuera, se clasificará a la persona o las personas procesadas como traficantes.» The effect is that the article 75 role scale starts at its trafficker band for this row rather than at simple possession, so the prison band is five to twenty years. The quantity scales that decide which of those roles a case falls into are printed for cocaine in article 5 and for marihuana and hashish in article 6, and Ley 50-88 prints no quantity scale for any other substance. The fine for a trafficker is not less than the value of the drugs seized and never less than RD$50,000, and for a patrocinador not less than RD$1,000,000. Article 59 adds five to twenty years with a fine of not less than RD$250,000 for taking a controlled drug into or out of the national territory in international traffic, and thirty years with a fine of not less than RD$1,000,000 where the Dominican Republic is the final destination. Article 58 classifies illicit trafficking, the manufacture, distribution or possession of equipment for producing controlled drugs, and the acquisition or laundering of the proceeds, as delitos graves to be punished with the maximum of the penalties and the fines, and its párrafo calls illicit trafficking an international offence. Article 85 doubles the penalty for a reincident trafficker or patrocinador and caps the resulting prison term at thirty years, and article 87 withdraws provisional liberty on bail, conditional liberty and the conditional pardon of the sentence from every offence in this law. Those figures are set out here because they describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play. Ley 50-88 provides no death penalty for any drug offence, and the highest prison term it prints anywhere is thirty years.

If prescribed or medical

A medicine containing this substance is a sustancia controlada under article 2 acápite XLIII because it sits in acápite I of Categoría II. Articles 31 and 48 of Ley 50-88 confine such medicines to pharmacies and to a dispensed prescription, and article 28 forbids carrying controlled drugs without lawful authority. Carry the medicine in its original packaging with the prescription and the dispensing label, and confirm the requirement with your embassy before travel.

Documentation

A preparation carrying not more than 50 milligrams of morphine per 100 millilitres or per 100 grams with one or more active non narcotic ingredients in therapeutic doses sits instead at number 8 of acápite III of Categoría III under code 9810, so concentration decides which Categoría a morphine product falls in. Article 9(a) reaches the alkaloids of opium by name. There is no medical cannabis programme in the Dominican Republic and CBD is treated the same as THC. The United States embassy warns of zero tolerance enforcement in which small quantities can lead to arrest, and it states that United States cannabis or medical marijuana cards are not recognised.

Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Dominican Republic’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.