Is Nimetazepam legal in Netherlands?

Legal status

Controlled as a soft drug. Nimetazepam is named in lijst II of the Opiumwet, not lijst I. That places it on the same footing as cannabis for penalty purposes and well below the hard drugs.

Consequences if caught

The entry read from the cached copy of lijst II is 'nimetazepam'. Which list a substance sits in is the whole question in Dutch drug law, because the two lists carry different articles. Article 11 of the Opiumwet sets the penalties for lijst II. Acting deliberately against article 3 under B, C or D carries imprisonment of up to two years or a fifth category fine, rising to six years where the person acts in the exercise of a profession or business. Article 3 under A, bringing the substance into or out of the territory, carries up to four years. A large quantity raises the two year and four year cases to six years, and what counts as a large quantity is fixed by order in council.

If prescribed or medical

Nimetazepam has no authorised medicinal form in the Netherlands. Carry any prescribed benzodiazepine medicine in its original packaging with the prescription.

Documentation

For a prescribed controlled medicine on Schengen travel, carry a Schengen certificate issued under article 75 of the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement, together with the original packaging and the prescription. In the Netherlands the certificate is issued by the CAK.

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