Legal status in New Zealand

Per-substance legal status for New Zealand, from sourced statutes where available. Legal information, not legal advice — drug laws change; confirm with the destination’s embassy or drug authority before you travel.

Last updated: 2026-07-14

1P-LSD

Legal status: 1P-LSD is treated in New Zealand as a controlled drug analogue of lysergide (LSD, a Class A controlled drug) under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975: a substance with a structure substantially similar to a controlled drug is itself a Class C controlled drug.
Consequences if caught: As a Class C controlled drug analogue, supplying or manufacturing 1P-LSD carries up to 8 years' imprisonment, and possession up to 3 months and/or a NZ$500 fine (a custodial term is generally unavailable for a first Class C possession).
If prescribed / medical: No approved medicinal or prescription use; controlled-drug analogues have no recognised therapeutic listing.
Documentation: Confirmed via the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 controlled-drug-analogue definition; lysergide/LSD is Class A and structurally-similar lysergamides such as 1P-LSD default to Class C.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

2-FDCK

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with New Zealand's authorities (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named in the cited New Zealand sources (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Possession (Sec 7) is an offence, but the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) codified Police discretion: prosecute only where 'required in the public interest', with an explicit steer toward a health-centred approach for personal use — yielding more warnings and fewer prosecutions (criticized as a 'postcode lottery'). Supply or dealing (Sec 6) carries up to life imprisonment for Class A drugs. A presumption of supply applies (Schedule 5) above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine — possession above that presumes supply unless rebutted.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

25I-NBOMe

Legal status: 25I-NBOMe is a Class B controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, individually named by the Misuse of Drugs (Classification and Presumption of Supply-25B-NBOMe, 25C-NBOMe, and 25I-NBOMe) Order 2016 (SR 2016/89).
Consequences if caught: Possession is an offence; supply, manufacture or import of a Class B drug carries up to 14 years' imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical: No approved medical use; not prescribable outside restricted research authorisation.
Documentation: Misuse of Drugs (Classification and Presumption of Supply-25B-NBOMe, 25C-NBOMe, and 25I-NBOMe) Order 2016 (SR 2016/89).

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

2C-B

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with New Zealand's authorities (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named in the cited New Zealand sources (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Possession (Sec 7) is an offence, but the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) codified Police discretion: prosecute only where 'required in the public interest', with an explicit steer toward a health-centred approach for personal use — yielding more warnings and fewer prosecutions (criticized as a 'postcode lottery'). Supply or dealing (Sec 6) carries up to life imprisonment for Class A drugs. A presumption of supply applies (Schedule 5) above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine — possession above that presumes supply unless rebutted.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

2C-E

Legal status: 2C-E is a Class C controlled drug in New Zealand as a controlled drug analogue under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 — its structure is substantially similar to scheduled 2C-phenethylamines such as 2C-B, bringing it within the Schedule 3, Part 7 analogue provision without an individual listing.
Consequences if caught: Possession/use of 2C-E is an offence (up to 3 months or a fine, with police discretion since the 2019 amendment); supply, manufacture or import of a Class C analogue carries up to 8 years imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical: 2C-E has no therapeutic use or prescription pathway; as a controlled drug analogue it can be handled only under a Ministry of Health licence or approval.
Documentation: Captured by the controlled-drug-analogue statute (the 'substantially similar structure' provision) — an ANALOG mechanism, contrasting with the named/generic phenethylamine catches used in the UK, Ireland and Germany.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

2C-I

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with New Zealand's authorities (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named in the cited New Zealand sources (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Possession (Sec 7) is an offence, but the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) codified Police discretion: prosecute only where 'required in the public interest', with an explicit steer toward a health-centred approach for personal use — yielding more warnings and fewer prosecutions (criticized as a 'postcode lottery'). Supply or dealing (Sec 6) carries up to life imprisonment for Class A drugs. A presumption of supply applies (Schedule 5) above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine — possession above that presumes supply unless rebutted.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

2C-T-7

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with New Zealand's authorities (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named in the cited New Zealand sources (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Possession (Sec 7) is an offence, but the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) codified Police discretion: prosecute only where 'required in the public interest', with an explicit steer toward a health-centred approach for personal use — yielding more warnings and fewer prosecutions (criticized as a 'postcode lottery'). Supply or dealing (Sec 6) carries up to life imprisonment for Class A drugs. A presumption of supply applies (Schedule 5) above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine — possession above that presumes supply unless rebutted.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

3-MMC

Legal status: 3-MMC (3-methylmethcathinone) is controlled as a Class C controlled-drug analogue of the Class B cathinone under the analogue provision of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, which reaches the 3-isomer without individual naming.
Consequences if caught: Class C analogue offences: possession and supply are criminal, with supply carrying up to 8 years' imprisonment. Non-death-penalty jurisdiction.
If prescribed / medical: No recognised medical use and no lawful prescription route.
Documentation: No lawful personal-import route for a controlled-drug analogue.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

4-AcO-DMT

Legal status: 4-AcO-DMT is a Class C controlled drug analogue in New Zealand. Psilocine is a Class A controlled drug (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, Schedule 1), and the Act's 'controlled drug analogue' definition captures any substance with a structure substantially similar to that of a controlled drug. O-acetylpsilocin, the acetate ester of psilocin, falls within that definition and is treated as a Class C drug rather than being named.
Consequences if caught: As a controlled drug analogue (Class C), possession or use is an offence carrying up to 3 months' imprisonment or a fine (with health-centred police discretion since the 2019 amendment); supply or manufacture carries up to 8 years.
If prescribed / medical: No approved therapeutic use; 4-AcO-DMT is available only under licence or approval for research.
Documentation: MoDA 1975 s2 'controlled drug analogue' definition; psilocine Class A (Schedule 1); analogues default to Class C.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

4-HO-MET

Legal status: 4-HO-MET is a Class C controlled drug in New Zealand as a controlled drug analogue under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975; the Act's analogue provision (s 2) catches any substance whose chemical structure is substantially similar to that of a controlled drug, and 4-HO-MET is a close structural analogue of psilocine, a Class A controlled drug.
Consequences if caught: Treated as a Class C controlled drug analogue: possession is an offence (up to 3 months imprisonment or a fine) and supply, manufacture or dealing up to 8 years. Police retain the personal-use, health-based discretion introduced by the 2019 amendment to the Act.
If prescribed / medical: A controlled drug analogue is not an approved product or an authorised medicine, so 4-HO-MET has no lawful medical or prescription route.
Documentation: Controlled through the analogue statute, not by any explicit 4-HO-MET entry: the 'substantially similar structure' test links it to Schedule 1 psilocine. The analogue mechanism is New Zealand's characteristic route for novel tryptamines and is a contrast to the named psilocine listing.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

5-MeO-DMT (Bufo / Toad)

Legal status: 5-MeO-DMT is controlled in New Zealand as a Class C controlled drug by operation of the controlled-drug-analogue provision of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 — it is a structural analogue of DMT (a Class A drug), and analogues fall within Schedule 3 Part 7.
Consequences if caught: Importing, producing, supplying or possessing a controlled-drug analogue is an offence; Class C possession carries up to 3 months imprisonment or a fine, and dealing/supply up to 8 years.
If prescribed / medical: No recognised therapeutic use; a controlled-drug analogue is not available on prescription outside a Ministry of Health licence or approval.
Documentation: Not individually named; caught as a 'controlled drug analogue' (a substance with a structure substantially similar to a Class A/B controlled drug) under s2 and Schedule 3 Part 7 of the MDA 1975, DMT being the Class A parent.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

6-APB

Legal status: 6-APB is controlled in New Zealand — caught by the controlled-drug analogue provision (structural analogue of MDA, a Class B drug) under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, where analogues are treated as Class C; the blanket Psychoactive Substances Act 2013 also applies.
Consequences if caught: Controlled-drug analogue (Class C for penalty): possession up to 3 months and a fine; supply or dealing up to 8 years. No death penalty.
If prescribed / medical: No recognised medical use; no lawful prescription route.
Documentation: No lawful personal-import route for a controlled-drug analogue.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

7-Hydroxymitragynine (7-OH)

Legal status: 7-Hydroxymitragynine, a kratom alkaloid, is controlled together with the plant (no separate isolate carve-out): as a constituent of Mitragyna speciosa it falls under the Medicines Act 1981 prescription-medicine regime that Medsafe applies to kratom and mitragynine; 7-OH is not separately named — its individual listing is left to confirmation.
Consequences if caught: Selling or supplying a prescription medicine without authority is an offence under the Medicines Act 1981.
If prescribed / medical: Lawful only on prescription — Mitragyna speciosa is a prescription medicine and may not be used in herbal remedies.
Documentation: Personal import is limited to a prescription-medicine allowance carried with a prescription; kratom may not be sold as a herbal product.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Adderall

Legal status: Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts) has no separate legal identity — it is regulated AS amphetamine: class B controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975; ministerial approval required to prescribe.
Consequences if caught: Possession/use up to 3 months and/or NZ$500; supplying/dealing up to 14 years.
If prescribed / medical: Travellers may bring up to one month's supply lawfully supplied overseas, in original containers, declared on arrival with the prescription.
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Alcohol

Legal status: Legal — alcohol (ethanol) is a licensed, age-regulated commodity under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act, not a controlled drug; minimum purchase age 18.
Consequences if caught: No penalty for adult consumption; offences for unlicensed sale, supply to minors and alcohol-ban-area breaches.
If prescribed / medical: n/a — a beverage, not a medicine.
Documentation: Sold at licensed outlets on proof of age; no traveller permit required.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Amanita muscaria

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with New Zealand's authorities (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named in the cited New Zealand sources (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Possession (Sec 7) is an offence, but the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) codified Police discretion: prosecute only where 'required in the public interest', with an explicit steer toward a health-centred approach for personal use — yielding more warnings and fewer prosecutions (criticized as a 'postcode lottery'). Supply or dealing (Sec 6) carries up to life imprisonment for Class A drugs. A presumption of supply applies (Schedule 5) above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine — possession above that presumes supply unless rebutted.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Amphetamine

Legal status: Class B controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975; ministerial approval required to prescribe.
Consequences if caught: Possession/use up to 3 months and/or NZ$500; supplying/dealing up to 14 years.
If prescribed / medical: Travellers may bring up to one month's supply lawfully supplied overseas, in original containers, declared on arrival with the prescription.
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Amyl Nitrite

Legal status: Amyl nitrite is classified as a prescription medicine under New Zealand's Medicines Act 1981 (Medicines Classification), except when sold in circumstances complying with the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 / Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Act 1997 regime for cyanide paste used in vertebrate-pest control.
Consequences if caught: Selling amyl nitrite without a prescription or authorisation is an offence under the Medicines Act; this is a prescription-medicine control, not a Misuse of Drugs Act controlled-drug offence, so no controlled-drug criminal tier applies.
If prescribed / medical: Amyl nitrite (the specific compound, distinct from the consumer 'poppers' category) is available only on a doctor's prescription; from March 2020 Medsafe moved to treat amyl/alkyl nitrites as prescription medicines, and a patient may import amyl nitrite as an unapproved medicine with a prescription.
Documentation: No over-the-counter sale; amyl nitrite requires a prescription and pharmacist dispensing.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Ayahuasca

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with New Zealand's authorities (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named in the cited New Zealand sources (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Possession (Sec 7) is an offence, but the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) codified Police discretion: prosecute only where 'required in the public interest', with an explicit steer toward a health-centred approach for personal use — yielding more warnings and fewer prosecutions (criticized as a 'postcode lottery'). Supply or dealing (Sec 6) carries up to life imprisonment for Class A drugs. A presumption of supply applies (Schedule 5) above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine — possession above that presumes supply unless rebutted.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Barbiturates

Legal status: Barbiturates are Class C controlled drugs (Schedule 3, Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) — the class is scheduled by compound (secobarbital, pentobarbital, amobarbital, phenobarbital, barbital) and is also regulated under the Medicines Act 1981.
Consequences if caught: Class C possession up to 3 months and/or a $500 fine; supplying up to 8 years.
If prescribed / medical: Phenobarbital is prescribed as a Class C antiepileptic (a WHO Essential Medicine); the sedative-hypnotic barbiturates are rarely used.
Documentation: Personal import up to a 1-month supply; declare it and keep it in the original container with a prescription or doctor's letter.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Benzodiazepines

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with New Zealand's authorities (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named in the cited New Zealand sources (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Possession (Sec 7) is an offence, but the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) codified Police discretion: prosecute only where 'required in the public interest', with an explicit steer toward a health-centred approach for personal use — yielding more warnings and fewer prosecutions (criticized as a 'postcode lottery'). Supply or dealing (Sec 6) carries up to life imprisonment for Class A drugs. A presumption of supply applies (Schedule 5) above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine — possession above that presumes supply unless rebutted.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

Buprenorphine

Legal status: Buprenorphine is a Class C controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 (buprenorphine/naloxone) — a lighter tier than Class B methadone; it is approved and fully funded for opioid-substitution treatment.
Consequences if caught: Class C possession up to 3 months and/or a $500 fine; supplying up to 8 years.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed for opioid substitution via specialist services and authorised s24 prescribers (GPs, NPs, pharmacist prescribers); take-home permitted.
Documentation: Personal import up to a 1-month supply with a s22A/INCB certificate or prescription; declare it in original packaging.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Caffeine

Legal status: Caffeine is legal everywhere as an ordinary food and beverage ingredient; the notable New Zealand status is the joint prohibition on pure and highly concentrated caffeine at retail. The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, which applies in New Zealand, bans retail sale of foods in which total caffeine is present at 5% or more in solid or semi-solid form (such as pure caffeine powders) or 1% or more in liquid form, a measure that came into effect in December 2019 after a caffeine-powder toxicity death.
Consequences if caught: No penalty attaches to ordinary caffeinated foods, drinks or coffee; enforcement targets sellers, with retail supply of pure or highly concentrated caffeine powders prohibited under the Food Standards Code and enforceable by New Zealand food-safety authorities.
If prescribed / medical: n/a — a food ingredient
Documentation: Ordinary caffeinated products need no documentation; formulated caffeinated (energy) drinks carry mandatory advisory statements and pure/high-concentration caffeine foods may not be sold to consumers.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Cannabis / THC

Legal status: Cannabis plant Class C / oil & hashish Class B (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) — possession an offence (Sec 7; Police discretion since 2019); medical scheme since 2019; 2020 legalization referendum narrowly rejected
Consequences if caught: Possession (Sec 7) is an offence, but the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) codified Police discretion: prosecute only where 'required in the public interest', with an explicit steer toward a health-centred approach for personal use — yielding more warnings and fewer prosecutions (criticized as a 'postcode lottery'). Cannabis plant/leaf/seed is Class C and cannabis oil/hashish is Class B. For cannabis the presumption-of-supply threshold is 28 g. A 2020 referendum on recreational legalization was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Supply or dealing (Sec 6) carries up to life imprisonment for Class A drugs. A presumption of supply applies (Schedule 5) above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine — possession above that presumes supply unless rebutted.
If prescribed / medical: Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020), following the 2018 palliative exemption.
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

Cathinone

Legal status: Controlled — cathinone (khat's natural principal alkaloid) is a 1971 Convention SCHEDULE I psychotropic and is a Class C controlled drug in Schedule 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975. Mechanism: 1971 Sch-I transposition, named. As the parent compound it is DISTINCT from the khat PLANT (Catha edulis leaf, itself Class C) and from the synthetic cathinones (mephedrone etc., separately controlled) that derive from it; cathinone is the named Class-C alkaloid, cathine the milder Schedule-III metabolite.
Consequences if caught: Class C controlled drug: possession of the isolated alkaloid up to 3 months, supply/dealing up to 8 years under the MODA 1975. No death penalty in New Zealand.
If prescribed / medical: 1971 Schedule I substance with no accepted medical use and no lawful prescription route for the isolated alkaloid.
Documentation: No licit personal-import route for a Class C controlled drug.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

CBD

Legal status: CBD (cannabidiol) is a prescription medicine, not a controlled drug: a 'CBD product' is statutorily defined in s 2A of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 as one where THC and specified psychoactive substances are no more than 2% of total cannabinoids, and a product exceeding that 2% ceiling is a Class B1 controlled drug.
Consequences if caught: Selling or possessing CBD without a prescription is unlawful possession of a prescription medicine, and a product breaching the 2% definition is prosecuted as a controlled drug.
If prescribed / medical: Doctors may prescribe CBD since the 2017 amendment; Epidyolex has a Medsafe data sheet and Sativex is available. Distinct from cannabis (plant Class C, oil Class B).
Documentation: CBD is a prescription medicine — carry the prescription; a product over the 2% ceiling is a controlled drug that paperwork cannot legalise.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Clonazepam

Legal status: Clonazepam is a Class C controlled drug (Schedule 3, Misuse of Drugs Act 1975), also regulated under the Medicines Act 1981.
Consequences if caught: Class C possession up to 3 months and/or a $500 fine; supplying up to 8 years.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as a Class C benzodiazepine medicine.
Documentation: Personal import up to a 1-month supply; declare it and keep it in the original container with a prescription or doctor's letter.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Cocaine

Legal status: Class A controlled drug (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) — possession an offence (Sec 7; Police discretion since 2019); supply up to life (Sec 6)
Consequences if caught: Cocaine is a Class A controlled drug. Possession (Sec 7) is an offence, but the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) codified Police discretion: prosecute only where 'required in the public interest', with an explicit steer toward a health-centred approach for personal use — yielding more warnings and fewer prosecutions (criticized as a 'postcode lottery'). Supply or dealing (Sec 6) carries up to life imprisonment for Class A drugs. A presumption of supply applies (Schedule 5) above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine — possession above that presumes supply unless rebutted.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

Codeine

Legal status: Codeine is prescription-only for all formulations since 5 November 2020 (Medsafe reclassification), ending pharmacist/OTC codeine sales. Codeine is controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975.
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised possession or supply is an offence under the Misuse of Drugs Act; prescribed use is lawful.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as a controlled medicine - no OTC/pharmacist codeine since November 2020.
Documentation: Personal import is roughly a 1-month supply carried with a prescription or doctor's letter, declared at the border.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Crack Cocaine

Legal status: Crack is the freebase (base) form of cocaine and has no separate legal identity in New Zealand: it is controlled AS cocaine, a Class A controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, whose scheduling covers cocaine, its salts, esters and preparations and thus reaches the base/freebase form. Crack is a Class A drug on the same terms as cocaine.
Consequences if caught: Possession of crack (as cocaine) is an offence (Sec 7, up to 6 months, with police discretion since 2019); supply and manufacture carry up to life (Sec 6).
If prescribed / medical: Cocaine hydrochloride has narrow authorised medical use as a topical anaesthetic; the crack/freebase base has no medicinal form and cannot be prescribed.
Documentation: No prescription documentation exists for crack/freebase cocaine.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Delta-8-THC

Legal status: Controlled as a Class B drug — delta-8-THC (Δ8-THC) is caught as a tetrahydrocannabinol under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, whose Class B 'cannabis preparations' entry covers any preparation containing any tetrahydrocannabinols; delta-8 is controlled as an isomer of THC (a CBD product is expressly excluded, but delta-8 is not CBD). Distinct from cannabis plant (Class C). No death penalty.
Consequences if caught: Illegal; Class B possession and trafficking penalties (supply up to 14 years).
If prescribed / medical: No recognised medical use; delta-8-THC is not an approved medicine under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (which uses delta-9 products).
Documentation: No lawful personal-import route for a Class B tetrahydrocannabinol.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Diazepam

Legal status: Diazepam is a Class C controlled drug (Schedule 3, Misuse of Drugs Act 1975), also regulated under the Medicines Act 1981.
Consequences if caught: Class C possession up to 3 months and/or a $500 fine; supplying up to 8 years.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as a Class C benzodiazepine medicine.
Documentation: Personal import up to a 1-month supply; declare it and keep it in the original container with a prescription or doctor's letter.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

DMT

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with New Zealand's authorities (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named in the cited New Zealand sources (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Possession (Sec 7) is an offence, but the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) codified Police discretion: prosecute only where 'required in the public interest', with an explicit steer toward a health-centred approach for personal use — yielding more warnings and fewer prosecutions (criticized as a 'postcode lottery'). Supply or dealing (Sec 6) carries up to life imprisonment for Class A drugs. A presumption of supply applies (Schedule 5) above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine — possession above that presumes supply unless rebutted.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

DOM

Legal status: DOM (STP) is a Class A controlled drug in Schedule 1 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 (listed as STP/DOM), New Zealand's transposition of DOM's individual Schedule I listing under the 1971 UN Convention.
Consequences if caught: Possession is an offence under s.7 (up to 6 months; police discretion since 2019); supply or manufacture up to life imprisonment under s.6.
If prescribed / medical: Class A: no recognised medical use; not prescribable.
Documentation: Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, Schedule 1 (Class A controlled drugs).

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

DXM

Legal status: Over-the-counter, pharmacy-only medicine. Under the Medicines Regulations 1984 classification schedules, dextromethorphan (DXM) in liquid form in packs of not more than 600 mg and a maximum recommended daily dose of 120 mg (adults and children 6+) is a Pharmacy-Only Medicine (Schedule 3); DXM is not a controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975.
Consequences if caught: No Misuse of Drugs Act offence; DXM must be supplied within the pharmacy-only classification and pack-size limit, and non-compliant sale is a Medicines Act breach.
If prescribed / medical: Cough-suppressant status: OTC pharmacy-only medicine, capped at 600 mg per pack and 120 mg daily dose.
Documentation: DXM cough medicine is bought at an NZ pharmacy without a prescription, subject to the 600 mg pack limit.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Ephedrine

Legal status: Class C (Part V) controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 AND a listed precursor substance; ephedrine medicines remain unavailable to the public. (Unlike pseudoephedrine, ephedrine was NOT freed to pharmacy OTC in 2024.)
Consequences if caught: Class C controlled-drug offences apply: supply/manufacture up to 8 years; precursor offences (possessing/importing a precursor to produce a controlled drug) up to 5–7 years.
If prescribed / medical: Also a pharmacy/prescription decongestant-bronchodilator medicine subject to sales limits; carry documentation for a personal supply.
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Etizolam

Legal status: Etizolam is controlled by a Temporary Class Drug Order (Gazette 2022-go164) as an unapproved psychoactive substance; notably, personal possession of a temporary-class drug is NOT an offence, but supply and import are.
Consequences if caught: Personal possession carries no penalty under a Temporary Class Drug Order; supply and import are penalised.
If prescribed / medical: An unapproved/unregistered substance — there is no licensed etizolam medicine.
Documentation: No lawful commercial import route; personal possession is not an offence but importing is.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Fentanyl

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with New Zealand's authorities (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named in the cited New Zealand sources (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Possession (Sec 7) is an offence, but the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) codified Police discretion: prosecute only where 'required in the public interest', with an explicit steer toward a health-centred approach for personal use — yielding more warnings and fewer prosecutions (criticized as a 'postcode lottery'). Supply or dealing (Sec 6) carries up to life imprisonment for Class A drugs. A presumption of supply applies (Schedule 5) above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine — possession above that presumes supply unless rebutted.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

Gabapentin

Legal status: Gabapentin is a Prescription Medicine under the Medicines Act 1981, not a controlled drug: it is Medsafe-approved and does not appear in the schedules of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975. New Zealand, like Ireland, kept gabapentin (and pregabalin) as ordinary prescription medicines rather than following the UK's 2019 scheduling.
Consequences if caught: Gabapentin carries no Misuse of Drugs Act penalty; unauthorised supply of a prescription medicine is a Medicines Act matter, not drug trafficking.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed for epilepsy and neuropathic pain on an ordinary prescription, with no controlled-drug prescribing requirements.
Documentation: Gabapentin products (e.g. Nupentin and generics) have Medsafe datasheets/consumer information as approved prescription medicines; carried lawfully with a prescription.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

GBL

Legal status: GBL (gamma-butyrolactone) is a named Class B controlled drug — it is listed by name in Schedule 2 (Class B) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 alongside 1,4-butanediol and GHB, as a GHB prodrug. New Zealand scheduled the substance itself as a drug rather than treating it only as a precursor.
Consequences if caught: Possession, supply, importation and manufacture attract Class B penalties, with supply or manufacture drawing up to 14 years' imprisonment; because GBL is a GHB prodrug, recreational use falls squarely within controlled-drug offences.
If prescribed / medical: No medicinal use as GBL. Although GBL has genuine industrial-solvent applications, New Zealand scheduled the substance directly (Class B) instead of adopting an ingestion-based carve-out, so legitimate industrial handling requires authority under the Act and regulations.
Documentation: As a named Class B drug, importing or possessing GBL — including GBL-containing liquids — is a controlled-drug offence; this represents the drug-scheduling end of the spectrum, contrasting with the industrial carve-out models used elsewhere.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

GHB

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with New Zealand's authorities (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named in the cited New Zealand sources (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Possession (Sec 7) is an offence, but the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) codified Police discretion: prosecute only where 'required in the public interest', with an explicit steer toward a health-centred approach for personal use — yielding more warnings and fewer prosecutions (criticized as a 'postcode lottery'). Supply or dealing (Sec 6) carries up to life imprisonment for Class A drugs. A presumption of supply applies (Schedule 5) above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine — possession above that presumes supply unless rebutted.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

Heroin

Legal status: Class A controlled drug (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) — possession an offence (Sec 7; Police discretion since 2019); supply up to life (Sec 6)
Consequences if caught: Heroin is a Class A controlled drug. Possession (Sec 7) is an offence, but the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) codified Police discretion: prosecute only where 'required in the public interest', with an explicit steer toward a health-centred approach for personal use — yielding more warnings and fewer prosecutions (criticized as a 'postcode lottery'). Supply or dealing (Sec 6) carries up to life imprisonment for Class A drugs. A presumption of supply applies (Schedule 5) above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine — possession above that presumes supply unless rebutted.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

HHC

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with New Zealand's authorities (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named in the cited New Zealand sources (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Possession (Sec 7) is an offence, but the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) codified Police discretion: prosecute only where 'required in the public interest', with an explicit steer toward a health-centred approach for personal use — yielding more warnings and fewer prosecutions (criticized as a 'postcode lottery'). Supply or dealing (Sec 6) carries up to life imprisonment for Class A drugs. A presumption of supply applies (Schedule 5) above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine — possession above that presumes supply unless rebutted.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Hydrocodone

Legal status: Hydrocodone is a Class B controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975; it is not marketed in New Zealand but sits in the same Class B strong-opioid tier as morphine and oxycodone — left to confirmation.
Consequences if caught: Class B possession up to 3 months; supply or dealing up to 14 years.
If prescribed / medical: No marketed New Zealand hydrocodone product; a Class B opioid is dispensed only on a controlled-drug prescription.
Documentation: Carry up to a 1-month personal supply in original packaging with a prescription or doctor's letter and declare it at customs.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Ketamine

Legal status: Class C controlled drug — Schedule 3 Part 4 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 (added by the Misuse of Drugs (Classification of Ketamine) Order 2009, in force 1 Dec 2010).
Consequences if caught: Possession up to 3 months' imprisonment; supply or dealing up to 8 years; a presumption of supply applies at 10 g or more.
If prescribed / medical: A listed prescription medicine (anaesthetic).
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Khat

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with New Zealand's authorities (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named in the cited New Zealand sources (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Possession (Sec 7) is an offence, but the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) codified Police discretion: prosecute only where 'required in the public interest', with an explicit steer toward a health-centred approach for personal use — yielding more warnings and fewer prosecutions (criticized as a 'postcode lottery'). Supply or dealing (Sec 6) carries up to life imprisonment for Class A drugs. A presumption of supply applies (Schedule 5) above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine — possession above that presumes supply unless rebutted.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

Kratom

Legal status: Kratom is restricted in New Zealand — Mitragyna speciosa is a prescription medicine under the Medicines Act 1981, so it is lawful only on prescription and may not be used in herbal remedies; Medsafe controls the plant and mitragynine together.
Consequences if caught: Selling or supplying a prescription medicine without authority is an offence under the Medicines Act 1981; unauthorised import is likewise restricted.
If prescribed / medical: Lawful only as a prescription medicine — there is no marketed product, so any use requires an individual prescription.
Documentation: No general personal-import allowance for herbal or self-medication use; import requires the prescription-medicine pathway.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Lorazepam

Legal status: Lorazepam is a Class C controlled drug (Schedule 3, Misuse of Drugs Act 1975), also regulated under the Medicines Act 1981.
Consequences if caught: Class C possession up to 3 months and/or a $500 fine; supplying up to 8 years.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as a Class C benzodiazepine medicine.
Documentation: Personal import up to a 1-month supply; declare it and keep it in the original container with a prescription or doctor's letter.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

LSA (Morning Glory)

Legal status: LSA (ergine, d-lysergic acid amide) is caught as a controlled drug analogue under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975: it falls within the statutory "controlled drug analogue" definition (a substance with a structure substantially similar to that of a controlled drug, here lysergide/LSD), which makes it a Class C controlled drug by operation of the Act. The compound is reached by the analogue provision, while the morning-glory and Hawaiian baby woodrose plants and their seeds are not scheduled and stay legal to possess, cultivate and sell.
Consequences if caught: Dealing with the analogue LSA/ergine is a Class C offence — possession up to 3 months and supply up to 8 years' imprisonment; cultivating or holding the seeds and plants themselves is lawful, so enforcement turns on the extracted or prepared LSA rather than the ornamental seed.
If prescribed / medical: No therapeutic or prescription status; as a controlled drug analogue LSA is treated as Class C with no approved medical use.
Documentation: Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, s2 "controlled drug analogue" definition (Part 7 of Schedule 3) — the analogue mechanism captures ergine/LSA as an LSD analogue, while the seed-bearing plants remain unscheduled.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

LSD

Legal status: Class A controlled drug (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) — possession an offence (Sec 7; Police discretion since 2019); supply up to life (Sec 6)
Consequences if caught: LSD is a Class A controlled drug. Possession (Sec 7) is an offence, but the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) codified Police discretion: prosecute only where 'required in the public interest', with an explicit steer toward a health-centred approach for personal use — yielding more warnings and fewer prosecutions (criticized as a 'postcode lottery'). Supply or dealing (Sec 6) carries up to life imprisonment for Class A drugs. A presumption of supply applies (Schedule 5) above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine — possession above that presumes supply unless rebutted.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

MDA

Legal status: Controlled — MDA is listed by name as a Class B1 controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 (a notch below Class A, unlike the UK/Canada). NAMED mechanism.
Consequences if caught: Class B: supply up to 14 years; possession up to 3 months or fine.
If prescribed / medical: Class B controlled drug — no recognised medical use, no lawful prescription route.
Documentation: No lawful personal import of a Class B controlled drug.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

MDMA

Legal status: Class A controlled drug (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) — possession an offence (Sec 7; Police discretion since 2019); supply up to life (Sec 6)
Consequences if caught: MDMA is a Class A controlled drug. Possession (Sec 7) is an offence, but the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) codified Police discretion: prosecute only where 'required in the public interest', with an explicit steer toward a health-centred approach for personal use — yielding more warnings and fewer prosecutions (criticized as a 'postcode lottery'). Supply or dealing (Sec 6) carries up to life imprisonment for Class A drugs. A presumption of supply applies (Schedule 5) above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine — possession above that presumes supply unless rebutted.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

MDPV

Legal status: Controlled. MDPV is caught as a controlled drug analogue of pyrovalerone (a Class C1 drug) under the analogue provision of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, and is therefore treated as a Class C controlled drug.
Consequences if caught: Illegal as a Class C controlled drug (analogue); possession and supply carry Misuse of Drugs Act imprisonment penalties. No death penalty.
If prescribed / medical: MDPV has no recognised medical use and no lawful prescription route in New Zealand.
Documentation: No lawful personal-import route for a controlled-drug analogue; do not carry.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Memantine

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with New Zealand's authorities (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named in the cited New Zealand sources (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Possession (Sec 7) is an offence, but the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) codified Police discretion: prosecute only where 'required in the public interest', with an explicit steer toward a health-centred approach for personal use — yielding more warnings and fewer prosecutions (criticized as a 'postcode lottery'). Supply or dealing (Sec 6) carries up to life imprisonment for Class A drugs. A presumption of supply applies (Schedule 5) above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine — possession above that presumes supply unless rebutted.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Mephedrone (4-MMC)

Legal status: Controlled — mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone / 4-MMC) is a Class B controlled drug, listed by name in Part 2 of Schedule 2 to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975. It was added by the Misuse of Drugs (Classification and Presumption of Supply) Order 2022 (SL 2022/35), in force 15 December 2022. A firm named listing (replacing prior control as a cathinone analogue).
Consequences if caught: Class B offences under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975: possession/use punishable by up to 3 months' imprisonment and/or a fine; supplying, dealing, importing or manufacturing punishable by up to 14 years' imprisonment, with a presumption-of-supply quantity threshold.
If prescribed / medical: No approved medicine contains mephedrone; as a Class B controlled drug it has no ordinary prescription pathway.
Documentation: Named in Schedule 2, Part 2 (Class B) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, inserted by the Misuse of Drugs (Classification and Presumption of Supply) Order 2022 (SL 2022/35), commencing 15 December 2022.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Mescaline

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with New Zealand's authorities (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named in the cited New Zealand sources (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Possession (Sec 7) is an offence, but the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) codified Police discretion: prosecute only where 'required in the public interest', with an explicit steer toward a health-centred approach for personal use — yielding more warnings and fewer prosecutions (criticized as a 'postcode lottery'). Supply or dealing (Sec 6) carries up to life imprisonment for Class A drugs. A presumption of supply applies (Schedule 5) above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine — possession above that presumes supply unless rebutted.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

Methadone

Legal status: Methadone is a Class B controlled drug (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975), also regulated under the Medicines Act 1981 — approved and fully funded for OST.
Consequences if caught: Class B possession up to 3 months; supply or dealing up to 14 years.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed for OST via specialist services and authorised s24 prescribers (GPs, NPs, pharmacist prescribers); take-home permitted.
Documentation: Personal import up to a 1-month supply; carry an s22A/INCB certificate or prescription and declare it; confirm with Medsafe.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Methamphetamine

Legal status: Class A controlled drug (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) — possession an offence (Sec 7; Police discretion since 2019); supply up to life (Sec 6)
Consequences if caught: Methamphetamine is a Class A controlled drug. Possession (Sec 7) is an offence, but the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) codified Police discretion: prosecute only where 'required in the public interest', with an explicit steer toward a health-centred approach for personal use — yielding more warnings and fewer prosecutions (criticized as a 'postcode lottery'). Supply or dealing (Sec 6) carries up to life imprisonment for Class A drugs. A presumption of supply applies (Schedule 5) above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine — possession above that presumes supply unless rebutted. For methamphetamine the presumption-of-supply threshold is 5 g.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

Methaqualone (Quaaludes)

Legal status: Methaqualone is a Class C controlled drug — methaqualone and its analogues are named in Schedule 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, the transposition of its 1971 Convention Schedule II status; a withdrawn hypnotic with no marketed medical use.
Consequences if caught: Possession or use can carry up to 3 months' imprisonment or a fine (Class C); supplying or dealing carries up to 8 years.
If prescribed / medical: No recognised medical use / withdrawn — methaqualone is not an available prescription medicine.
Documentation: No medical or traveller route; there is no lawful prescription supply.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Methylone

Legal status: Controlled as a Class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 — methylone was brought in by the amendment adding mephedrone and methylone (previously treated as a Class C controlled-drug analogue). No death penalty.
Consequences if caught: Illegal; Class B possession and trafficking penalties (supply up to 14 years).
If prescribed / medical: No recognised medical use; no lawful prescription route.
Documentation: No lawful personal-import route for a Class B controlled drug.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Methylphenidate

Legal status: Class B controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975; ministerial approval required to prescribe.
Consequences if caught: Possession/use up to 3 months and/or NZ$500; supplying/dealing up to 14 years.
If prescribed / medical: Prescription ADHD/narcolepsy medicine (e.g. Ritalin/Concerta) via controlled channels; carry the original prescription and any required import permit.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Mitragynine

Legal status: Mitragynine, the principal alkaloid of kratom, is controlled together with the plant in New Zealand: Medsafe treats Mitragyna speciosa and mitragynine together as prescription medicines under the Medicines Act 1981, so kratom is lawful only on prescription and may not be used in herbal remedies.
Consequences if caught: Selling or supplying a prescription medicine without authority is an offence under the Medicines Act 1981.
If prescribed / medical: Lawful only on prescription — Mitragyna speciosa is a prescription medicine and may not be used in herbal remedies.
Documentation: Personal import is limited to a prescription-medicine allowance carried with a prescription; kratom may not be sold as a herbal product.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Modafinil

Legal status: Prescription-only medicine (Medsafe) — NOT a controlled drug (not scheduled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975).
Consequences if caught: Prescription-medicine offence only.
If prescribed / medical: Travellers may bring up to 3 months' supply with a prescription.
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Morphine

Legal status: Morphine is a Class B controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 (also regulated under the Medicines Act 1981).
Consequences if caught: Possession up to 3 months; supply or dealing up to 14 years.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as a Class B controlled drug for severe and cancer pain.
Documentation: Personal import up to a 1-month supply with a prescription or doctor's letter in original packaging; declare it at customs.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

MXE

Legal status: MXE (methoxetamine) is captured by New Zealand's blanket regime for novel dissociatives: as an unapproved psychoactive substance it may not be manufactured, imported, supplied or sold under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2013, which prohibits all psychoactive products lacking pre-market approval (none has been granted).
Consequences if caught: Manufacture, import and supply of MXE as an unapproved psychoactive substance are offences under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2013 carrying imprisonment and fines; personal possession of a small amount is not itself an offence under that Act.
If prescribed / medical: MXE has no approved medicinal use in New Zealand and cannot be prescribed.
Documentation: No approved product exists, so all commercial supply is unlawful; MXE ordered from overseas is an illicit import subject to Customs seizure.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Nicotine

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with New Zealand's authorities (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named in the cited New Zealand sources (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Possession (Sec 7) is an offence, but the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) codified Police discretion: prosecute only where 'required in the public interest', with an explicit steer toward a health-centred approach for personal use — yielding more warnings and fewer prosecutions (criticized as a 'postcode lottery'). Supply or dealing (Sec 6) carries up to life imprisonment for Class A drugs. A presumption of supply applies (Schedule 5) above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine — possession above that presumes supply unless rebutted.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Nitrous Oxide

Legal status: Nitrous oxide is a medicine under the Medicines Act 1981 when intended for therapeutic use, but a psychoactive substance under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2013 when supplied for a recreational effect; no recreational product is approved, so selling or possessing-for-sale nitrous oxide for a psychoactive purpose is illegal, and from 5 June 2026 importing it requires a permit from the Director-General of Health.
Consequences if caught: Selling, offering or possessing-for-sale for recreational use carries up to 2 years' imprisonment (individual) or fines up to $500,000 (company) under the Psychoactive Substances Act. No death penalty (non-DP).
If prescribed / medical: Therapeutic nitrous oxide is a lawful medical/anaesthetic gas; genuine culinary use of small food cartridges is permitted.
Documentation: Large 'whipped-cream' canisters over 10 g of nitrous oxide are treated as psychoactive substances; importing nitrous oxide without a permit is unlawful from 5 June 2026.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Oxycodone

Legal status: Oxycodone is a Class B controlled drug (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975), also regulated under the Medicines Act 1981 — a marketed strong opioid.
Consequences if caught: Class B possession up to 3 months; supply or dealing up to 14 years.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as a Class B controlled drug on a controlled-drug prescription.
Documentation: Personal import up to a 1-month supply, carried with a prescription/doctor's letter in original packaging; declare at customs.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

PCP

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with New Zealand's authorities (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named in the cited New Zealand sources (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Possession (Sec 7) is an offence, but the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) codified Police discretion: prosecute only where 'required in the public interest', with an explicit steer toward a health-centred approach for personal use — yielding more warnings and fewer prosecutions (criticized as a 'postcode lottery'). Supply or dealing (Sec 6) carries up to life imprisonment for Class A drugs. A presumption of supply applies (Schedule 5) above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine — possession above that presumes supply unless rebutted.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

Peyote

Legal status: New Zealand controls BOTH: mescaline is a Class A controlled drug in Schedule 1 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, and the peyote plant is named directly — Lophophora williamsii and Lophophora lewinii are regulated under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 1977 — so the living cactus is caught as well as the alkaloid.
Consequences if caught: Possession or supply of the named Lophophora cactus, or of mescaline, is a Class A offence; supply carries up to life imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical: Mescaline is Class A with no accepted medical use; peyote is not a prescribable substance.
Documentation: MDA 1975 Schedule 1 lists mescaline (with its isomers, esters, ethers and salts) as Class A; the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 1977 name Lophophora williamsii and Lophophora lewinii among controlled plants.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Phenibut

Legal status: Phenibut is classified as a prescription medicine under the Medicines Act 1981 by the Medicines Classification notice gazetted in 2018 (NZ Gazette 2018-go4068); Medsafe's committee found it did not meet the harm threshold for a Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 controlled drug, so phenibut is regulated as a medicine and is not named as a scheduled controlled drug (mechanism: medicines classification, gabapentinoid/nootropic-class approach).
Consequences if caught: Selling or supplying phenibut when it is not a lawfully prescribed medicine breaches the Medicines Act; because it is not a Misuse of Drugs Act controlled drug there is no drug-possession offence, but unauthorised sale of an unapproved/prescription medicine is an offence.
If prescribed / medical: Phenibut is available only on a doctor's prescription as a prescription medicine, consistent with Medsafe's treatment of the gabapentinoid class.
Documentation: Lawful supply requires a prescription, so over-the-counter 'supplement' sale is not permitted and personal importation is constrained by prescription-medicine rules; individual purchase routes are left to confirmation.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Pink Cocaine / Tusi

Legal status: Pink cocaine (tusi) is not scheduled as such; it is a variable mixture (typically ketamine + MDMA) prosecuted through its constituents — New Zealand controls MDMA as a Class A and ketamine as a Class C controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, which reaches any preparation containing a controlled drug. Because the blend varies batch to batch, exposure follows the most-severely-controlled component, so an MDMA-containing tusi sample is treated as Class A.
Consequences if caught: Possession is an offence (Sec 7, with police discretion since 2019) and supply of a Class A constituent carries up to life imprisonment (Sec 6); penalty tracks whichever constituent is detected.
If prescribed / medical: No lawful supply of the mixture; ketamine is a Class C prescribed medicine, while MDMA has no marketed medical use.
Documentation: Sold as a party powder of unknown makeup; because the blend varies batch to batch, buyers cannot know whether Class A MDMA is present, so legal exposure is unknowable at purchase.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Poppers

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with New Zealand's authorities (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named in the cited New Zealand sources (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Possession (Sec 7) is an offence, but the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) codified Police discretion: prosecute only where 'required in the public interest', with an explicit steer toward a health-centred approach for personal use — yielding more warnings and fewer prosecutions (criticized as a 'postcode lottery'). Supply or dealing (Sec 6) carries up to life imprisonment for Class A drugs. A presumption of supply applies (Schedule 5) above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine — possession above that presumes supply unless rebutted.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Pregabalin

Legal status: Pregabalin is a prescription medicine under the Medicines Act 1981 and is NOT a controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 — the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs considered scheduling it on 15 October 2019 and decided against, leaving it (like gabapentin) an ordinary prescription medicine.
Consequences if caught: Supply without a prescription is a medicines-law offence; pregabalin is not subject to Misuse of Drugs Act controlled-drug penalties.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed and dispensed as an ordinary prescription medicine.
Documentation: Carry a personal supply with a prescription or doctor's letter in original packaging; standard prescription-medicine import rules apply.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Psilocybin

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with New Zealand's authorities (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named in the cited New Zealand sources (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Possession (Sec 7) is an offence, but the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) codified Police discretion: prosecute only where 'required in the public interest', with an explicit steer toward a health-centred approach for personal use — yielding more warnings and fewer prosecutions (criticized as a 'postcode lottery'). Supply or dealing (Sec 6) carries up to life imprisonment for Class A drugs. A presumption of supply applies (Schedule 5) above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine — possession above that presumes supply unless rebutted.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

Quetiapine

Legal status: Quetiapine is a prescription medicine, not a controlled drug: Seroquel and quetiapine (Quetapel and generics) are approved by Medsafe with published data sheets under the Medicines Act 1981 and quetiapine is not scheduled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975.
Consequences if caught: Quetiapine attracts no Misuse of Drugs Act penalty; supply of this prescription medicine without authorisation is a Medicines Act offence only.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as an atypical antipsychotic for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder; Medsafe advises prescribing the smallest quantity consistent with good management to reduce overdose risk.
Documentation: The Seroquel data sheet and quetiapine products are published in the Medsafe register; carried lawfully with a prescription.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Salvia divinorum

Legal status: Controlled by the psychoactive-products regime. Salvia divinorum is not a controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, but it is a psychoactive substance under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2013; because no salvia product has been approved as low-risk, importing, manufacturing, selling or supplying it is prohibited. Mechanism: BLANKET NPS / product-approval regime (salvia is an unapproved psychoactive product).
Consequences if caught: Importing, manufacturing, selling or supplying salvia as an unapproved psychoactive product is an offence under the 2013 Act; there is no approved product on the market.
If prescribed / medical: Salvia divinorum and salvinorin A have no approved therapeutic product and no lawful prescription route.
Documentation: No lawful commercial import/sale route absent product approval; salvia is treated as a prohibited unapproved psychoactive product.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Scopolamine (Devil's Breath)

Legal status: Scopolamine (hyoscine) is an approved medicine, not a controlled drug: the Scopoderm patch is a Medsafe-classified pharmacy-only medicine sold without prescription, and hyoscine is not scheduled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975.
Consequences if caught: Hyoscine carries no Misuse of Drugs penalty; unauthorised supply of a pharmacy-only medicine is a Medicines Act matter, not a drug-trafficking offence.
If prescribed / medical: The Scopoderm patch is bought over the counter from a pharmacy for motion sickness; hyoscine butylbromide (Buscopan) is dispensed for spasm; injectable hyoscine is used clinically.
Documentation: Scopoderm (scopolamine transdermal) is Medsafe-approved and available as a pharmacy-only motion-sickness patch; travellers carry it lawfully.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Synthetic Cannabinoids (K2 / Spice)

Legal status: Controlled as a class. After a wave of fatal poisonings, New Zealand classified the most harmful synthetic cannabinoids AMB-FUBINACA and 5F-ADB as Class A controlled drugs by the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Act 2019 (in force 13 August 2019); other synthetic cannabinoids are caught as controlled-drug analogues (Class C) under the analogue provision of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975.
Consequences if caught: Illegal; the named Class A synthetic cannabinoids carry supply penalties up to life imprisonment, analogues up to 8 years. No death penalty.
If prescribed / medical: These synthetic cannabinoids have no recognised medical use and no lawful prescription route in New Zealand.
Documentation: No lawful personal-import route for controlled synthetic cannabinoids; do not carry.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

THC-P

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with New Zealand's authorities (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: This specific substance was not named in the cited New Zealand sources (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Possession (Sec 7) is an offence, but the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) codified Police discretion: prosecute only where 'required in the public interest', with an explicit steer toward a health-centred approach for personal use — yielding more warnings and fewer prosecutions (criticized as a 'postcode lottery'). Supply or dealing (Sec 6) carries up to life imprisonment for Class A drugs. A presumption of supply applies (Schedule 5) above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine — possession above that presumes supply unless rebutted.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Possession is an offence, but since the 2019 amendment (Sec 7(5)–(6)) Police exercise discretion toward a health-centred approach for personal use — more warnings and fewer prosecutions, criticized as a 'postcode lottery'. A presumption of supply applies above 28 g of cannabis or 5 g of methamphetamine. Medical cannabis is available by prescription under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (2019/2020) following the 2018 palliative exemption. A 2020 recreational-legalization referendum was narrowly rejected (50.7% no). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Tobacco

Legal status: Tobacco is legal and regulated in New Zealand (minimum sales age 18). The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act 2022 had legislated a 'smokefree generation' that would have permanently prohibited tobacco sales to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, but that generational prohibition was REPEALED by the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Act 2024 (No 6) before it ever took effect; no generational tobacco ban is in force.
Consequences if caught: No birth-cohort prohibition applies to adults buying or possessing tobacco — the repealed generational ban never commenced. Selling smoked tobacco to a person under 18 remains an offence enforced against the retailer.
If prescribed / medical: n/a — tobacco is not a prescription product.
Documentation: No consumer permit; retailers verify age (18+) at point of sale.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Tramadol

Legal status: Tramadol was reclassified as a Class C2 controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 effective October 2023, with a maximum one-month supply on prescription.
Consequences if caught: Class C possession up to 3 months and/or a $500 fine; supplying up to 8 years.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as a Class C2 controlled drug (also regulated under the Medicines Act 1981).
Documentation: Personal import up to a one-month supply with a prescription or doctor's letter; declare it as a controlled drug on arrival.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Xanax (Alprazolam)

Legal status: Alprazolam is a Class C controlled drug (Schedule 3, Misuse of Drugs Act 1975), also regulated under the Medicines Act 1981.
Consequences if caught: Class C possession up to 3 months and/or a $500 fine; supplying up to 8 years.
If prescribed / medical: Prescribed as a Class C benzodiazepine medicine.
Documentation: Personal import up to a 1-month supply; declare it and keep it in the original container with a prescription or doctor's letter.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Xylazine

Legal status: Xylazine is regulated in New Zealand as a Restricted Veterinary Medicine (RVM) under the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines (ACVM) Act 1997, usable only under veterinary authorisation; it is a veterinary sedative and is not a controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975.
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised sale or use of xylazine is an ACVM Act offence rather than a Misuse of Drugs Act offence, as it is not a scheduled controlled drug.
If prescribed / medical: Available only through a veterinarian's authorisation (including for sedation and for the removal of deer velvet antler); no human use of xylazine is approved.
Documentation: Xylazine is a registered RVM sold and used under veterinary authorisation per MPI's ACVM controls.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Zolpidem

Legal status: Zolpidem is a Class C5 controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, inserted by the Misuse of Drugs (Classification and Presumption of Supply) Order 2022 with effect from 1 July 2023, reflecting its 1971 Convention Schedule IV status.
Consequences if caught: Unlawful supply of this Class C controlled hypnotic is an offence under the Misuse of Drugs Act; a lawfully prescribed personal supply is lawful.
If prescribed / medical: Zolpidem is prescribed short-term for insomnia, with a maximum three-month supply per prescription for medical and nurse practitioners.
Documentation: A traveller carries prescribed zolpidem with the prescription; controlled-drug personal-supply limits apply.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Drug laws and enforcement change and vary by country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with the destination’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 authorityand 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 consulatein the destination immediately — notthe 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 →

← All countries Drug index