Is Nicotine legal in Moldova?

Legal status

Not in Moldova's national tables of controlled substances as at 3 October 2026. Nicotine, searched as 'nicotină', returns nothing; the only near matches are the codeine and morphine nicotinoyl esters, «Nicodicodină», «Nicocodină» and «Nicomorfină», which are opioid esters, and «Arecolină», «tetrahidronicotinat de metil», an areca alkaloid at Table I, Lista nr. 3, item 271. Searched in the born-digital text of all four tables of Decision 479/2026 and read on the page images where a related entry sits. Criminal Code Article 134^1(6) defines an analogue by use, and nothing read applies it to this row. Law 201/2025 on the circulation of narcotic and psychotropic substances (Monitorul Oficial 2025 nr. 448-451, item 619, 28 August 2025) repealed Law 382/1999 and came into force on 28 August 2026: its Article 80(1) as enacted read six months from publication, and Law 22/2026 (Monitorul Oficial 2026 nr. 104, item 65, 27 February 2026) replaced «6 luni» with «12 luni». Government Decision 479/2026 (Monitorul Oficial 2026 nr. 398-400, Part II, item 473, 28 August 2026) approves the national tables of controlled substances, repeals Government Decision 1088/2004 at its point 2, and by its point 3 entered into force with Law 201/2025. This is the position under Decision 479/2026 as published, read on page images, as at 3 October 2026. The contents list of every Monitorul Oficial issue from 28 August 2026 to 3 October 2026, nr. 398-400 to nr. 498-499, was read for any act touching the tables, and the only one is Government Decision 480/2026 (nr. 439, 9 September 2026), which sets the procedure for updating the tables and changes no entry in them.

Consequences if caught

Capital exposure: none. No article read for this cell provides death or life imprisonment: the highest terms are 15 to 17 years for trafficking under Criminal Code Article 217^1(5) and «de la 12 la 20 de ani» for smuggling under Article 248(8), both as replaced by Law 173/2026 in force on 28 August 2026. It is not in the national tables, so Criminal Code Articles 217 and 217^1 and Contravention Code Article 85 do not reach it as a drug. They also reach «analogi ai substanțelor stupefiante sau psihotrope», which Criminal Code Article 134^1(6) defines by use, as any substance, plant or mushroom with psychoactive capacity that «este ori poate fi folosită în locul unei substanțe» under control; nothing read applies that definition to this row. Law 201/2025 Article 19, as amended by Law 173/2026, provides that an unlisted psychoactive substance under evaluation «sunt» subject to a temporary restriction of up to 12 months, and Criminal Code Article 216^1 punishes breaching such a restriction; no restriction naming this row was found. Law 201/2025 Article 2 point 43 defines a drug substitute, and Article 19(11) treats one designated as controlled until listed; no designation naming this row was found. The earlier cell's Criminal Code figures, Article 217 and Article 217^1 including the seven to fifteen years it read at Article 217^1(4), were the text before Law 173/2026 replaced those articles, and are superseded. The earlier cell, record MOL-68, rested on the lists approved by Hotărârea Guvernului nr. 79/2006 under Legea nr. 382/1999.

If prescribed or medical

Law 201/2025 Article 37 governs medicines containing substances in the national tables, and this row is not in them, so it does not apply to it as such. Rules for it as a medicine or a product under other laws were not read.

Documentation

Law 201/2025 sets no carriage document for a substance outside its tables. Customs, medicines and product rules for it were not read; the earlier cell's reliance on Legea nr. 1409/1997 cu privire la medicamente is not re-read here.

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