Is MXE legal in Thailand?

Legal status

MXE is a Category 1 psychotropic substance in Thailand. The Ministry of Public Health notification ประกาศกระทรวงสาธารณสุข เรื่อง ระบุชื่อวัตถุออกฤทธิ์ในประเภท ๑ พ.ศ. ๒๕๖๕, made under section 30 paragraph 2 of the Narcotics Code B.E. 2564 and published in the Royal Gazette volume 139, special part 182 ง, on 5 August 2565 (2022), names it at item 37 of its list as "เมทอกซีตามีน หรือ เอ็มเอ็กซ์อี (methoxetamine หรือ MXE)", with the chemical name "2-(3-methoxyphenyl)-2-(ethylamino)cyclohexanone". That is the structure PubChem records for methoxetamine under CID 52911279. Clause 2 of the notification extends every entry to any stereoisomer and to any salt, ester or ether of it. MXE is named in its own right and does not borrow a category from ketamine, which is a separate entry one category lower, in psychotropic Category 2. Section 94 of the Code prohibits producing, importing, exporting, selling, possessing or transiting any psychotropic substance without a licence under section 35(5), and section 149 carries the penalties.

Consequences if caught

Capital exposure: none. MXE is a psychotropic substance. No provision of the Narcotics Code B.E. 2564 sets death for any psychotropic substance. Life imprisonment is reachable for a psychotropic only under section 172, which punishes inducing, deceiving, threatening or forcing another person to use one: up to 5 years or a fine up to 500,000 baht or both, 1 to 10 years with a weapon or two or more offenders acting together, and 3 years to life and a fine of 300,000 to 5,000,000 baht where the person is a woman or aged 18 or under, or the purpose is a criminal offence. The ordinary penalties are in section 149. For Category 1, section 149 paragraph 1(1) reads "วัตถุออกฤทธิ์ในประเภท ๑ ต้องระวางโทษจำคุกไม่เกินสิบปี และปรับไม่เกินหนึ่งล้านบาท": up to 10 years and a fine up to 1,000,000 baht for unlicensed production, import, export, sale or possession. Section 149 paragraph 2 raises that to 1 to 15 years and a fine of 100,000 to 1,500,000 baht where the conduct is for trade, spreads use among the public, is a sale to a person aged 18 or under, is a sale in the vicinity of a school, a place of worship or government premises, or involves force, the threat of force, or a weapon. Unlicensed transit carries up to 5 years and up to 500,000 baht. Use carries up to 1 year or a fine up to 20,000 baht or both under section 162, and possession for use up to 2 years or a fine up to 40,000 baht or both under section 164. The death alternative in this Code sits only in section 145 paragraph 3, which belongs to Category 1 narcotics and is reserved for a criminal network leader or conduct affecting state security or public safety; a psychotropic placement does not carry a person into it, and no stated quantity triggers it. Section 146 covers narcotic Categories 2 and 4 and is not this substance's section either.

If prescribed or medical

No lawful route for a traveller was found. Section 39 paragraph 2 of the Narcotics Code B.E. 2564 lets a traveller carry a psychotropic substance of Category 2, 3 or 4 into or out of Thailand without a permit, up to the quantity needed for personal treatment within 30 days and with a prescription or certificate from a physician, dentist or first class veterinarian. Category 1 is not in that list, so the exemption does not reach MXE, and a foreign prescription cannot create it. Any lawful possession would need a licence under section 35(5), and no such licence for MXE was looked for or found in this reading.

Documentation

Carry nothing that contains MXE: no document turns a Category 1 psychotropic into a lawful personal import under section 39. The placement was read on 3 October 2026 from the Thai FDA Narcotics Control Division copy of the B.E. 2565 Category 1 psychotropic notification at https://narcotic.fda.moph.go.th/law-type/pc-185, and the four amending notifications No. 2 B.E. 2566 to No. 5 B.E. 2569 on the same site (pc-194, pc-203, pc-211 and pc-183, the last gazetted on 17 September 2569) were each read; every one adds entries and none touches item 37. The penalties were read from the Code as gazetted in volume 138 part 73 ก on 8 November 2564, at https://narcotic.fda.moph.go.th/law-type/na-10. No express open reuse licence was located on the cited pages, so only the wording needed for verification is reproduced, with attribution and a direct link. The status is stated as in force on 3 October 2026; names and categories are set by ministerial notification and can move without the Code changing, so re-read before relying on this.

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