Is Opium legal in Netherlands?

Legal status

Controlled as a hard drug. Opium is named in lijst I of the Opiumwet. Lijst I is the hard drug list and it carries the article 10 penalties, which are materially higher than the lijst II penalties for cannabis.

Consequences if caught

The entry read from the cached copy of lijst I is 'opium'. Article 10 of the Opiumwet sets the penalties for lijst I. Acting deliberately against the article 2 under C prohibition, which is having the substance present, carries imprisonment of up to six years or a fifth category fine. Article 2 under B or D, which covers preparing, processing, selling, delivering, supplying, transporting and manufacturing, carries up to eight years. Article 2 under A, bringing the substance into or out of the territory of the Netherlands, carries up to twelve years. Article 10(6) provides that where the act concerns a small quantity intended for the person's own use the penalty is imprisonment of up to one year or a third category fine.

If prescribed or medical

Whether an authorised medicinal form exists in the Netherlands was not established per substance here. Carry any prescribed medicine in its original packaging with the prescription. For controlled medicines on Schengen travel see documentation.

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.