Legal status in Nicaragua

2-FDCK

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «2-fluorodeschloroketamine», printed in the current schedules of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, which article 1 of Ley No. 735 incorporates directly as one of the instruments in force, and which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. Ketamine itself is named nowhere in the international instruments, so this row does not rest on a parent entry. The fluorinated analogue carries an entry of its own, and it is the only place the word ketamine appears in those lists at all. It is not named in the lists as annexed in 1999, so it is the third limb and not the annexed tables that carries it. The international list read for this row is the Green List, 35th edition, 2024, and naming it is not a claim that no later change has been made. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: 2-FDCK is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «2-fluorodeschloroketamine» in the current international schedules. Ketamine itself is named nowhere in the international instruments, so this row does not rest on a parent entry. The fluorinated analogue carries an entry of its own, and it is the only place the word ketamine appears in those lists at all. It is not named in the lists as annexed in 1999, so it is the third limb and not the annexed tables that carries it. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

2-FDCK in Nicaragua, full detail →

25I-NBOMe

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «25I-NBOMe», printed in the current schedules of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, which article 1 of Ley No. 735 incorporates directly as one of the instruments in force, and which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. The iodinated N benzylmethoxy compound is named expressly, and its two siblings 25B-NBOMe and 25C-NBOMe are named separately beside it, so the series is enumerated one by one and not by a generic rule. It is not named in the lists as annexed in 1999, so it is the third limb and not the annexed tables that carries it. The international list read for this row is the Green List, 35th edition, 2024, and naming it is not a claim that no later change has been made. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: 25I-NBOMe is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «25I-NBOMe» in the current international schedules. The iodinated N benzylmethoxy compound is named expressly, and its two siblings 25B-NBOMe and 25C-NBOMe are named separately beside it, so the series is enumerated one by one and not by a generic rule. It is not named in the lists as annexed in 1999, so it is the third limb and not the annexed tables that carries it. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

25I-NBOMe in Nicaragua, full detail →

2C-B

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «2C-B», printed in the current schedules of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, which article 1 of Ley No. 735 incorporates directly as one of the instruments in force, and which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. The 1971 Convention list names it expressly under the same short form the street uses, and the chemical name printed beside it, 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine, is what separates it from brolamfetamine, the other brominated entry that a name search reaches first. It is not named in the lists as annexed in 1999, so it is the third limb and not the annexed tables that carries it. The international list read for this row is the Green List, 35th edition, 2024, and naming it is not a claim that no later change has been made. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: 2C-B is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «2C-B» in the current international schedules. The 1971 Convention list names it expressly under the same short form the street uses, and the chemical name printed beside it, 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine, is what separates it from brolamfetamine, the other brominated entry that a name search reaches first. It is not named in the lists as annexed in 1999, so it is the third limb and not the annexed tables that carries it. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

2C-B in Nicaragua, full detail →

Adderall

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Anfetamina», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. The product is a mixture of amphetamine salts, and the annex's preamble extends each entry to the salts of that substance, so the mixture is reached through the printed amphetamine and dexamfetamine entries. The trade name is not named in the annexed lists, which carry international non proprietary names only. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Adderall is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Anfetamina». The product is a mixture of amphetamine salts, and the annex's preamble extends each entry to the salts of that substance, so the mixture is reached through the printed amphetamine and dexamfetamine entries. The trade name is not named in the annexed lists, which carry international non proprietary names only. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Lawful handling runs through Ministry of Health authorisation, which is the exception every offence in the title is drafted against. Carry the prescription and the prescriber's letter, and confirm the import allowance with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Adderall in Nicaragua, full detail →

Amphetamine

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Anfetamina», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. The annex prints the racemate, dexamfetamine and levamfetamine as three separate entries, so a single enantiomer is reached by name and not through the parent. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Amphetamine is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Anfetamina». The annex prints the racemate, dexamfetamine and levamfetamine as three separate entries, so a single enantiomer is reached by name and not through the parent. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Amphetamine in Nicaragua, full detail →

Ayahuasca

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «DMT», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. The brew is reached as a preparation of the printed tryptamine entry, which the annex's preamble covers in terms. The brew and the plants that make it are not named in the annexed lists, so what the law reaches is the printed molecule inside the preparation and not the drink as such. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Ayahuasca is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «DMT». The brew is reached as a preparation of the printed tryptamine entry, which the annex's preamble covers in terms. The brew and the plants that make it are not named in the annexed lists, so what the law reaches is the printed molecule inside the preparation and not the drink as such. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Ayahuasca in Nicaragua, full detail →

Barbiturates

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Fenobarbital», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. The annex carries no line for the class. It prints individual barbiturates across three different tables, from secobarbital in a stricter tier down to phenobarbital and barbital in the mildest, so the answer depends on which member is in hand. The class term barbiturates is not named in the annexed lists, and a member in the stricter table does not share a tier with a member in the mildest. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Barbiturates is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Fenobarbital». The annex carries no line for the class. It prints individual barbiturates across three different tables, from secobarbital in a stricter tier down to phenobarbital and barbital in the mildest, so the answer depends on which member is in hand. The class term barbiturates is not named in the annexed lists, and a member in the stricter table does not share a tier with a member in the mildest. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Lawful handling runs through Ministry of Health authorisation, which is the exception every offence in the title is drafted against. Carry the prescription and the prescriber's letter, and confirm the import allowance with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Barbiturates in Nicaragua, full detail →

Benzodiazepines

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Diazepam», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. The annex carries no line for the class and instead prints roughly thirty individual benzodiazepines by name, which is why a member absent from that enumeration does not inherit the treatment of the members present. The class term benzodiazepines is not named in the annexed lists, so a benzodiazepine that is not itself printed is not reached by the printed ones. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Benzodiazepines is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Diazepam». The annex carries no line for the class and instead prints roughly thirty individual benzodiazepines by name, which is why a member absent from that enumeration does not inherit the treatment of the members present. The class term benzodiazepines is not named in the annexed lists, so a benzodiazepine that is not itself printed is not reached by the printed ones. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Lawful handling runs through Ministry of Health authorisation, which is the exception every offence in the title is drafted against. Carry the prescription and the prescriber's letter, and confirm the import allowance with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Benzodiazepines in Nicaragua, full detail →

Buprenorphine

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Buprenorfina», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. It is printed in the third of the psychotropic tables, the tier the annex uses for substances kept in medical circulation, rather than among the narcotics. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Buprenorphine is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Buprenorfina». It is printed in the third of the psychotropic tables, the tier the annex uses for substances kept in medical circulation, rather than among the narcotics. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Lawful handling runs through Ministry of Health authorisation, which is the exception every offence in the title is drafted against. Carry the prescription and the prescriber's letter, and confirm the import allowance with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Buprenorphine in Nicaragua, full detail →

Cannabis / THC

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Cannabis y su resina», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. Plant and resin travel in one entry, and marihuana is the only substance article 358 gives its own gram band to, separate from the band that covers everything else. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Cannabis is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Cannabis y su resina». Plant and resin travel in one entry, and marihuana is the only substance article 358 gives its own gram band to, separate from the band that covers everything else. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Cannabis / THC in Nicaragua, full detail →

Cathinone

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Catinona», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. Cathinone is printed in the tightest psychotropic table while cathine, the milder constituent of the same plant, is printed two tables lower, so the two khat alkaloids are placed at different levels. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Cathinone is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Catinona». Cathinone is printed in the tightest psychotropic table while cathine, the milder constituent of the same plant, is printed two tables lower, so the two khat alkaloids are placed at different levels. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Cathinone in Nicaragua, full detail →

Clonazepam

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Clonazepam», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. Clonazepam is printed by name in the same table as the other benzodiazepines rather than among the nitrazepam type hypnotics, which the annex also prints separately. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Clonazepam is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Clonazepam». Clonazepam is printed by name in the same table as the other benzodiazepines rather than among the nitrazepam type hypnotics, which the annex also prints separately. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Lawful handling runs through Ministry of Health authorisation, which is the exception every offence in the title is drafted against. Carry the prescription and the prescriber's letter, and confirm the import allowance with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Clonazepam in Nicaragua, full detail →

Cocaine

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Cocaina», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. The annex prints the alkaloid, the coca leaf and the ecgonine esters as separate entries, so leaf, salt and worked product are each reached on their own terms rather than by analogy. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Cocaine is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Cocaina». The annex prints the alkaloid, the coca leaf and the ecgonine esters as separate entries, so leaf, salt and worked product are each reached on their own terms rather than by analogy. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Cocaine in Nicaragua, full detail →

Codeine

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Codeína», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. Codeine sits in the lighter of the two 1961 tables the annex reproduces, not the table that carries morphine, which is why a codeine preparation is not treated as a morphine preparation. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Codeine is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Codeína». Codeine sits in the lighter of the two 1961 tables the annex reproduces, not the table that carries morphine, which is why a codeine preparation is not treated as a morphine preparation. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Lawful handling runs through Ministry of Health authorisation, which is the exception every offence in the title is drafted against. Carry the prescription and the prescriber's letter, and confirm the import allowance with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Codeine in Nicaragua, full detail →

Crack Cocaine

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Cocaina», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. Crack is a base form of the printed cocaine entry, and the annex's own preamble extends each entry to its preparations. The word crack is not named in the annexed lists, so the row runs through the cocaine entry and the preparations rule rather than through a line of its own. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Crack cocaine is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Cocaina». Crack is a base form of the printed cocaine entry, and the annex's own preamble extends each entry to its preparations. The word crack is not named in the annexed lists, so the row runs through the cocaine entry and the preparations rule rather than through a line of its own. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Crack Cocaine in Nicaragua, full detail →

Delta-8-THC

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Tetrahidrocannabinol», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. The annex prints tetrahydrocannabinol without qualifying the double bond position, and its preamble extends each entry to the isomers of that substance where the isomer can exist. The delta 8 isomer is not named in the annexed lists as a separate line, so it is reached by the printed entry read with the isomers rule and not by an entry of its own. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Delta 8 THC is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Tetrahidrocannabinol». The annex prints tetrahydrocannabinol without qualifying the double bond position, and its preamble extends each entry to the isomers of that substance where the isomer can exist. The delta 8 isomer is not named in the annexed lists as a separate line, so it is reached by the printed entry read with the isomers rule and not by an entry of its own. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Delta-8-THC in Nicaragua, full detail →

Diazepam

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Diazepam», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. Diazepam is printed by name, and the annex separately prints several of its metabolites and close relatives, so a metabolite is not assumed into the parent entry. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Diazepam is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Diazepam». Diazepam is printed by name, and the annex separately prints several of its metabolites and close relatives, so a metabolite is not assumed into the parent entry. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Lawful handling runs through Ministry of Health authorisation, which is the exception every offence in the title is drafted against. Carry the prescription and the prescriber's letter, and confirm the import allowance with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Diazepam in Nicaragua, full detail →

DMT

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «DMT», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. Dimethyltryptamine is printed as the bare initialism, and the annex separately prints DET, so the tryptamines are enumerated one by one rather than as a family. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: DMT is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «DMT». Dimethyltryptamine is printed as the bare initialism, and the annex separately prints DET, so the tryptamines are enumerated one by one rather than as a family. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

DMT in Nicaragua, full detail →

DOM

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «STP, DOM», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. The annex prints the street initialism and the chemical initialism on one line, which is the only entry in these tables to carry a street name at all. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: DOM is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «STP, DOM». The annex prints the street initialism and the chemical initialism on one line, which is the only entry in these tables to carry a street name at all. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

DOM in Nicaragua, full detail →

Ephedrine

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua as a precursor rather than as a narcotic or a psychotropic. The entry relied on is «Efedrina», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text. Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are printed among the annexed precursor substances taken from the 1988 Convention, not among the narcotics or the psychotropics. Ley No. 641 prices precursor conduct in its own article, at 5 to 10 years under article 350, and the trafficking article does not reach a precursor as such. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Ephedrine is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Efedrina». Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are printed among the annexed precursor substances taken from the 1988 Convention, not among the narcotics or the psychotropics. Ley No. 641 prices precursor conduct in its own article, at 5 to 10 years under article 350, and the trafficking article does not reach a precursor as such. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. This row is placed outside that regime, so they are recorded as Nicaragua's published drug penalties and not as this substance's exposure.
If prescribed / medical: Lawful handling runs through Ministry of Health authorisation, which is the exception every offence in the title is drafted against. Carry the prescription and the prescriber's letter, and confirm the import allowance with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Ephedrine in Nicaragua, full detail →

Etizolam

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «ETIZOLAM», printed in the current schedules of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, which article 1 of Ley No. 735 incorporates directly as one of the instruments in force, and which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. It is named in the mildest tier in its own right. That matters because it is a thienotriazolo compound and would not have been reached by any of the roughly thirty benzodiazepines the Nicaraguan annex prints. It is not named in the lists as annexed in 1999, so it is the third limb and not the annexed tables that carries it. The international list read for this row is the Green List, 35th edition, 2024, and naming it is not a claim that no later change has been made. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Etizolam is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «ETIZOLAM» in the current international schedules. It is named in the mildest tier in its own right. That matters because it is a thienotriazolo compound and would not have been reached by any of the roughly thirty benzodiazepines the Nicaraguan annex prints. It is not named in the lists as annexed in 1999, so it is the third limb and not the annexed tables that carries it. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Lawful handling runs through Ministry of Health authorisation, which is the exception every offence in the title is drafted against. Carry the prescription and the prescriber's letter, and confirm the import allowance with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Etizolam in Nicaragua, full detail →

Fentanyl

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Fentanil», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. Fentanyl is printed in one table while eight of its analogues are printed in the tighter table, so the parent and the analogues are not on the same footing in this annex. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Fentanyl is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Fentanil». Fentanyl is printed in one table while eight of its analogues are printed in the tighter table, so the parent and the analogues are not on the same footing in this annex. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Lawful handling runs through Ministry of Health authorisation, which is the exception every offence in the title is drafted against. Carry the prescription and the prescriber's letter, and confirm the import allowance with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Fentanyl in Nicaragua, full detail →

GHB

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «GHB», printed in the current schedules of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, which article 1 of Ley No. 735 incorporates directly as one of the instruments in force, and which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. It is named under its trivial initialism with the acid name printed alongside. The lactone that converts to it in the body carries no entry, which is why the two are not interchangeable here. It is not named in the lists as annexed in 1999, so it is the third limb and not the annexed tables that carries it. The international list read for this row is the Green List, 35th edition, 2024, and naming it is not a claim that no later change has been made. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: GHB is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «GHB» in the current international schedules. It is named under its trivial initialism with the acid name printed alongside. The lactone that converts to it in the body carries no entry, which is why the two are not interchangeable here. It is not named in the lists as annexed in 1999, so it is the third limb and not the annexed tables that carries it. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

GHB in Nicaragua, full detail →

Heroin

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Heroina», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. It sits in the annex table reserved for the substances the 1961 Convention treats as most tightly held, alongside the fentanyl analogues rather than beside morphine. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Heroin is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Heroina». It sits in the annex table reserved for the substances the 1961 Convention treats as most tightly held, alongside the fentanyl analogues rather than beside morphine. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Heroin in Nicaragua, full detail →

Hydrocodone

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Hidrocodona», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. It is printed as its own entry rather than as a codeine preparation, which matters because the annex treats codeine and its derivatives in a different table. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Hydrocodone is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Hidrocodona». It is printed as its own entry rather than as a codeine preparation, which matters because the annex treats codeine and its derivatives in a different table. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Lawful handling runs through Ministry of Health authorisation, which is the exception every offence in the title is drafted against. Carry the prescription and the prescriber's letter, and confirm the import allowance with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Hydrocodone in Nicaragua, full detail →

Khat

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Catinona», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. The plant is reached through its two printed alkaloids, cathinone and cathine, which the annex places in different tables from each other. The plant khat is not named in the annexed lists, so the leaf is reached only through whichever alkaloid a laboratory actually finds in it. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Khat is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Catinona». The plant is reached through its two printed alkaloids, cathinone and cathine, which the annex places in different tables from each other. The plant khat is not named in the annexed lists, so the leaf is reached only through whichever alkaloid a laboratory actually finds in it. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Khat in Nicaragua, full detail →

Lorazepam

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Lorazepam», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. Lorazepam is printed by name and delorazepam is printed as a separate entry immediately near it, so the two are not collapsed. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Lorazepam is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Lorazepam». Lorazepam is printed by name and delorazepam is printed as a separate entry immediately near it, so the two are not collapsed. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Lawful handling runs through Ministry of Health authorisation, which is the exception every offence in the title is drafted against. Carry the prescription and the prescriber's letter, and confirm the import allowance with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Lorazepam in Nicaragua, full detail →

LSD

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «(+)-Liségida», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. Lysergide is printed under its lysergide name with the optical prefix, and the printing read here has lost a letter from the middle of the word. A search on the ordinary spelling returns nothing, which is a property of the print and not of the law. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: LSD is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «(+)-Liségida». Lysergide is printed under its lysergide name with the optical prefix, and the printing read here has lost a letter from the middle of the word. A search on the ordinary spelling returns nothing, which is a property of the print and not of the law. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

LSD in Nicaragua, full detail →

MDA

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Tenamifetamina», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. MDA appears under its international non proprietary name and not under the initialism, so a search on the three letters alone returns nothing while the substance is squarely printed. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: MDA is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Tenamifetamina». MDA appears under its international non proprietary name and not under the initialism, so a search on the three letters alone returns nothing while the substance is squarely printed. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

MDA in Nicaragua, full detail →

MDMA

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «MDMA», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. The annex prints the initialism itself rather than a systematic name, which is unusual in this list and leaves the ring substituted homologues to be found under their own entries. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: MDMA is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «MDMA». The annex prints the initialism itself rather than a systematic name, which is unusual in this list and leaves the ring substituted homologues to be found under their own entries. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

MDMA in Nicaragua, full detail →

MDPV

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «MDPV, 3,4-», printed in the current schedules of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, which article 1 of Ley No. 735 incorporates directly as one of the instruments in force, and which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. It is named by initialism with its methylenedioxypyrovalerone name printed under it. Pyrovalerone, a different pyrrolidinophenone, appears in the Nicaraguan annex and is not this substance, which is the confusion this row is written to keep apart. It is not named in the lists as annexed in 1999, so it is the third limb and not the annexed tables that carries it. The international list read for this row is the Green List, 35th edition, 2024, and naming it is not a claim that no later change has been made. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: MDPV is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «MDPV, 3,4-» in the current international schedules. It is named by initialism with its methylenedioxypyrovalerone name printed under it. Pyrovalerone, a different pyrrolidinophenone, appears in the Nicaraguan annex and is not this substance, which is the confusion this row is written to keep apart. It is not named in the lists as annexed in 1999, so it is the third limb and not the annexed tables that carries it. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

MDPV in Nicaragua, full detail →

Mephedrone (4-MMC)

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «mephedrone, 4-», printed in the current schedules of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, which article 1 of Ley No. 735 incorporates directly as one of the instruments in force, and which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. It is named with its 4-methylmethcathinone name printed under it. The ring position is load bearing: the 3-methyl isomer is not carried by this entry. It is not named in the lists as annexed in 1999, so it is the third limb and not the annexed tables that carries it. The international list read for this row is the Green List, 35th edition, 2024, and naming it is not a claim that no later change has been made. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Mephedrone is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «mephedrone, 4-» in the current international schedules. It is named with its 4-methylmethcathinone name printed under it. The ring position is load bearing: the 3-methyl isomer is not carried by this entry. It is not named in the lists as annexed in 1999, so it is the third limb and not the annexed tables that carries it. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Mephedrone (4-MMC) in Nicaragua, full detail →

Mescaline

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Mescal», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. The entry is printed in the text read as a truncated form of the mescaline name. That truncation is a defect of the printing this cell was read from and not a different substance, and the entry is quoted here exactly as it stands rather than silently repaired. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Mescaline is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Mescal». The entry is printed in the text read as a truncated form of the mescaline name. That truncation is a defect of the printing this cell was read from and not a different substance, and the entry is quoted here exactly as it stands rather than silently repaired. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Mescaline in Nicaragua, full detail →

Methadone

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Metadona», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. Methadone is printed, and so are its intermediate and normethadone, so a manufacturing intermediate is caught by a named line rather than by the preparations rule. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Methadone is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Metadona». Methadone is printed, and so are its intermediate and normethadone, so a manufacturing intermediate is caught by a named line rather than by the preparations rule. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Lawful handling runs through Ministry of Health authorisation, which is the exception every offence in the title is drafted against. Carry the prescription and the prescriber's letter, and confirm the import allowance with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Methadone in Nicaragua, full detail →

Methamphetamine

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Metafetamina», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. Methamphetamine and its racemate are printed as two entries, which keeps the racemic and the single isomer forms distinct on the face of the list. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Methamphetamine is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Metafetamina». Methamphetamine and its racemate are printed as two entries, which keeps the racemic and the single isomer forms distinct on the face of the list. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Methamphetamine in Nicaragua, full detail →

Methaqualone (Quaaludes)

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Metacualona», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. Methaqualone and mecloqualone are printed as two entries in the same table, so the chlorinated analogue does not depend on the parent. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Methaqualone is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Metacualona». Methaqualone and mecloqualone are printed as two entries in the same table, so the chlorinated analogue does not depend on the parent. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Methaqualone (Quaaludes) in Nicaragua, full detail →

Methylone

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «methylone, beta-keto-», printed in the current schedules of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, which article 1 of Ley No. 735 incorporates directly as one of the instruments in force, and which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. It is named with its beta-keto-MDMA name printed under it, which places it through its own line rather than through the MDMA entry it is named after. It is not named in the lists as annexed in 1999, so it is the third limb and not the annexed tables that carries it. The international list read for this row is the Green List, 35th edition, 2024, and naming it is not a claim that no later change has been made. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Methylone is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «methylone, beta-keto-» in the current international schedules. It is named with its beta-keto-MDMA name printed under it, which places it through its own line rather than through the MDMA entry it is named after. It is not named in the lists as annexed in 1999, so it is the third limb and not the annexed tables that carries it. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Methylone in Nicaragua, full detail →

Methylphenidate

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Metilfenidato», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. It is printed beside the amphetamines in the same psychotropic table, so the prescription stimulant carries the same list position as the street stimulants and not a lighter one. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Methylphenidate is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Metilfenidato». It is printed beside the amphetamines in the same psychotropic table, so the prescription stimulant carries the same list position as the street stimulants and not a lighter one. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Lawful handling runs through Ministry of Health authorisation, which is the exception every offence in the title is drafted against. Carry the prescription and the prescriber's letter, and confirm the import allowance with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Methylphenidate in Nicaragua, full detail →

Morphine

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Morfina», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. The annex prints morphine and then prints its bromomethylate and other pentavalent nitrogen derivatives as further entries, so a derivative is reached by its own line and not by inference. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Morphine is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Morfina». The annex prints morphine and then prints its bromomethylate and other pentavalent nitrogen derivatives as further entries, so a derivative is reached by its own line and not by inference. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Lawful handling runs through Ministry of Health authorisation, which is the exception every offence in the title is drafted against. Carry the prescription and the prescriber's letter, and confirm the import allowance with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Morphine in Nicaragua, full detail →

MXE

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «methoxetamine,», printed in the current schedules of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, which article 1 of Ley No. 735 incorporates directly as one of the instruments in force, and which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. It is named expressly, alongside its MXE initialism. It sits in the same tier as the substances that the Nicaraguan annex reached through the three cyclidine entries, none of which is this one. It is not named in the lists as annexed in 1999, so it is the third limb and not the annexed tables that carries it. The international list read for this row is the Green List, 35th edition, 2024, and naming it is not a claim that no later change has been made. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: MXE is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «methoxetamine,» in the current international schedules. It is named expressly, alongside its MXE initialism. It sits in the same tier as the substances that the Nicaraguan annex reached through the three cyclidine entries, none of which is this one. It is not named in the lists as annexed in 1999, so it is the third limb and not the annexed tables that carries it. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

MXE in Nicaragua, full detail →

Nimetazepam

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Nimetazapam», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. The entry is printed in the text read with a vowel altered in the middle of the word. The substance is printed, and the spelling is quoted here as it stands. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Nimetazepam is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Nimetazapam». The entry is printed in the text read with a vowel altered in the middle of the word. The substance is printed, and the spelling is quoted here as it stands. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Lawful handling runs through Ministry of Health authorisation, which is the exception every offence in the title is drafted against. Carry the prescription and the prescriber's letter, and confirm the import allowance with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Nimetazepam in Nicaragua, full detail →

Opium

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Opio», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. Opium is printed as an entry in its own right, and poppy straw concentrate is printed separately, which keeps the raw gum and the industrial concentrate apart. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Opium is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Opio». Opium is printed as an entry in its own right, and poppy straw concentrate is printed separately, which keeps the raw gum and the industrial concentrate apart. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Opium in Nicaragua, full detail →

Oxycodone

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Oxicodona», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. The entry is printed among the 1961 table that also carries hydrocodone and hydromorphone, so the semi synthetic opioids are reached individually and none of them rests on the morphine entry. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Oxycodone is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Oxicodona». The entry is printed among the 1961 table that also carries hydrocodone and hydromorphone, so the semi synthetic opioids are reached individually and none of them rests on the morphine entry. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Lawful handling runs through Ministry of Health authorisation, which is the exception every offence in the title is drafted against. Carry the prescription and the prescriber's letter, and confirm the import allowance with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Oxycodone in Nicaragua, full detail →

PCP

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «eciclidina», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. The entry is printed in the text read with its first letter lost, in the table that in this annex carries the amphetamines and methaqualone. Reading it as the phencyclidine entry is a judgement about the printing, and it is recorded here rather than made silently. The annex separately prints eticyclidine, rolicyclidine and tenocyclidine, which is what places the reading beyond a guess. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: PCP is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «eciclidina». The entry is printed in the text read with its first letter lost, in the table that in this annex carries the amphetamines and methaqualone. Reading it as the phencyclidine entry is a judgement about the printing, and it is recorded here rather than made silently. The annex separately prints eticyclidine, rolicyclidine and tenocyclidine, which is what places the reading beyond a guess. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

PCP in Nicaragua, full detail →

Peyote

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Mescal», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. The cactus is reached through the printed mescaline entry rather than by any botanical line. The prohibition on hallucinogenic plants that once named peyote sat in a chapter of Ley No. 285 that article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogated, so it is no longer available. The cactus itself is not named in the annexed lists, and the botanical prohibition that used to name it has been repealed. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Peyote is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Mescal». The cactus is reached through the printed mescaline entry rather than by any botanical line. The prohibition on hallucinogenic plants that once named peyote sat in a chapter of Ley No. 285 that article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogated, so it is no longer available. The cactus itself is not named in the annexed lists, and the botanical prohibition that used to name it has been repealed. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Peyote in Nicaragua, full detail →

Psilocybin

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Psilocibina», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. Psilocybin and psilocin are printed as two entries, so the prodrug and the active metabolite each stand on their own line. The mushroom that carries them is not named in the annexed lists, so the fungus is reached only so far as the two printed molecules reach it. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Psilocybin is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Psilocibina». Psilocybin and psilocin are printed as two entries, so the prodrug and the active metabolite each stand on their own line. The mushroom that carries them is not named in the annexed lists, so the fungus is reached only so far as the two printed molecules reach it. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Psilocybin in Nicaragua, full detail →

Xanax (Alprazolam)

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «Alprazolam», printed among the lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of its consolidated text, which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. Alprazolam is printed by name in the fourth psychotropic table, which is where this annex places the benzodiazepines kept in ordinary medical use. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Alprazolam is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «Alprazolam». Alprazolam is printed by name in the fourth psychotropic table, which is where this annex places the benzodiazepines kept in ordinary medical use. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Lawful handling runs through Ministry of Health authorisation, which is the exception every offence in the title is drafted against. Carry the prescription and the prescriber's letter, and confirm the import allowance with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Xanax (Alprazolam) in Nicaragua, full detail →

Zolpidem

Legal status: Controlled in Nicaragua. The entry relied on is «ZOLPIDEM», printed in the current schedules of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, which article 1 of Ley No. 735 incorporates directly as one of the instruments in force, and which article 361 of Ley No. 641 then makes the object of the drug offences in Titulo XIV. It is named as an international non proprietary name in the mildest of the four tiers, which is where the hypnotics kept in ordinary prescribing sit, and it is an imidazopyridine rather than a benzodiazepine. It is not named in the lists as annexed in 1999, so it is the third limb and not the annexed tables that carries it. The international list read for this row is the Green List, 35th edition, 2024, and naming it is not a claim that no later change has been made. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.
Consequences if caught: Zolpidem is reached in Nicaragua through the printed entry «ZOLPIDEM» in the current international schedules. It is named as an international non proprietary name in the mildest of the four tiers, which is where the hypnotics kept in ordinary prescribing sit, and it is an imidazopyridine rather than a benzodiazepine. It is not named in the lists as annexed in 1999, so it is the third limb and not the annexed tables that carries it. Trafficking under article 359 of Ley No. 641 carries 5 to 15 years of prison, rising to 10 to 20 years where the trafficking is international. Article 358, as reformed in September 2024, bands simple possession at more than 1 gram and under 5 grams for cocaine or any other controlled substance, at more than 5 grams and under 20 grams for marihuana, and at 1 to 5 psychoactive plants, with a heavier band of 3 to 8 years above those figures. The fine article 359 attaches is 300 to 800 day fines, and 500 to 1000 day fines for the international form. Those figures describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play.
If prescribed / medical: Lawful handling runs through Ministry of Health authorisation, which is the exception every offence in the title is drafted against. Carry the prescription and the prescriber's letter, and confirm the import allowance with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling.
Documentation: Nicaragua controls by three limbs at once: the lists and tables annexed to the law, whatever the Ministry of Health incorporates afterwards, and whatever the international instruments in force contain. The first limb is readable and was read for this cell. The second is published by the Ministry of Health and article 1 allows it to appear in any newspaper of national circulation before the gazette carries it, so it cannot be enumerated from the gazette alone. The third moves whenever the international schedules move. The same title prices the other conduct separately: financing at 10 to 25 years under article 348, sowing, growing or harvesting at 5 to 10 under article 349, industrial or artisanal processing at 5 to 20 under article 351, transport at 5 to 15 under article 352, carrying on the body at 2 to 8 under article 353, and storage at 5 to 15 under article 355. Carry any controlled medicine in its original labelled packaging with the prescription and confirm the position with a Nicaraguan consulate before travelling. The lists relied on are those as annexed in 1999 and carried into Ley No. 735 by article 101 of the consolidated text published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024. That reading does not rule out a later incorporation by the Ministry of Health, which article 1 permits to be published in any newspaper of national circulation before it reaches the gazette.

Ley No. 735 consolidated text, articles 1 and 101, published in La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 32 of 20 February 2024 under the Digesto Juridico of Ley No. 1159 · Ley No. 1220, reforming article 1, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 171 of 13 September 2024 · Ley No. 641 Codigo Penal, Titulo XIV, articles 348 to 362, in that same consolidated text · Ley No. 1216, reforming article 358 and adding articles 362 bis and 362 ter, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 166 of 6 September 2024 · lists and tables annexed to Ley No. 285, La Gaceta Diario Oficial No. 70 of 16 April 1999, incorporated by article 101 of Ley No. 735 · pgr.gob.ni · pgr.gob.ni · uaf.gob.ni · Penalty, quantity and fine figures in this cell were re-derived from the articles named above and were NOT carried forward from the entry this replaces. The figures in that entry traced to the 1994 text of Ley No. 177, which article 101 of Ley No. 735 derogates, and they are displaced rather than preserved. · Updated September 21, 2026

Zolpidem in Nicaragua, full detail →

Substance	What we found
1P-LSD	Not confirmed. 1P-LSD was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. The annex prints the...
2C-E	Not confirmed. 2C-E was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. The annex prints no entry for...
2C-I	Not confirmed. 2C-I was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. The annex prints no entry for...
2C-T-7	Not confirmed. 2C-T-7 was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. The annex prints no entry...
3-MMC	Not confirmed. 3-MMC was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. The annex prints cathinone...
4-AcO-DMT	Not confirmed. 4-AcO-DMT was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. The annex prints...
4-HO-MET	Not confirmed. 4-HO-MET was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. The annex prints psilocin...
5-MeO-DMT (Bufo / Toad)	Not confirmed. 5-MeO-DMT was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. The annex prints DMT and...
6-APB	Not confirmed. 6-APB was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. The annex prints no...
7-Hydroxymitragynine (7-OH)	Not confirmed. 7-hydroxymitragynine was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. The metabolite...
Alcohol	Not confirmed. Alcohol was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. Ethanol is not named in the...
Amanita muscaria	Not confirmed. Amanita muscaria was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. The mushroom is...
Amyl Nitrite	Not confirmed. Amyl nitrite was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. Alkyl nitrites are not...
Caffeine	Not confirmed. Caffeine was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. Caffeine is not named in...
Cannabinol	Not confirmed. Cannabinol was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. The annex prints...
CBD	Not confirmed. CBD was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. Cannabidiol is not named in the...
DXM	Not confirmed. DXM was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. Dextromethorphan is not named...
Gabapentin	Not confirmed. Gabapentin was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. Gabapentin is not named...
GBL	Not confirmed. GBL was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. The lactone is not named in the...
HHC	Not confirmed. HHC was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. The annex prints...
Ketamine	Not confirmed. Ketamine was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. Ketamine is not named in...
Kratom	Not confirmed. Kratom was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. The leaf is not named in the...
LSA (Morning Glory)	Not confirmed. LSA was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. The dossier read for this batch...
Memantine	Not confirmed. Memantine was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. Memantine is not named in...
Mitragynine	Not confirmed. Mitragynine was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. The alkaloid is not...
Modafinil	Not confirmed. Modafinil was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. Modafinil is not named in...
Nicotine	Not confirmed. Nicotine was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. Nicotine is not named in...
Nitrous Oxide	Not confirmed. Nitrous oxide was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. Nitrous oxide is not...
Phenibut	Not confirmed. Phenibut was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. Phenibut is not named in...
Pink Cocaine / Tusi	Not confirmed. Pink cocaine was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. This is a street name...
Poppers	Not confirmed. Poppers was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. This is a commercial label...
Pregabalin	Not confirmed. Pregabalin was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. Pregabalin is not named...
Quetiapine	Not confirmed. Quetiapine was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. Quetiapine is not named...
Salvia divinorum	Not confirmed. Salvia divinorum was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. Neither the plant...
Scopolamine (Devil's Breath)	Not confirmed. Scopolamine was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. The dossier read for...
Synthetic Cannabinoids (K2 / Spice)	Not confirmed. Synthetic cannabinoids was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. This is an...
THC-P	Not confirmed. THC-P was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. The annex prints...
Tobacco	Not confirmed. Tobacco was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. Tobacco is not named in the...
Tramadol	Not confirmed. Tramadol was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. Tramadol is not named in...
Xylazine	Not confirmed. Xylazine was not settled against Nicaragua's controlled list in this pass. Xylazine is not named in...