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Legality · PCP

Is PCP legal in United Kingdom?

Confirmed against a primary sourceVerified September 16, 2026
Legal status
Controlled. PCP is a Class A drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, named in Part I of Schedule 2. Possession is an offence.
Consequences if caught
The entry read from the cached copy of Schedule 2 is 'Phencyclidine.'. Possession of a Class A drug under section 5(2) carries up to 7 years on indictment, or a fine, or both. Production under section 4(2) and supplying or offering to supply under section 4(3) each carry imprisonment for life on indictment, or a fine, or both. The Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 does not apply to it. Schedule 1 to that act exempts controlled drugs, so a substance in Schedule 2 to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 is outside the 2016 act by definition rather than by exception: section 2(1) provides that a psychoactive substance means any substance which is capable of producing a psychoactive effect and is not an exempted substance.
If prescribed or medical
Whether an authorised medicinal form exists in the United Kingdom, and the schedule of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 it sits in, decide whether it can be prescribed. That was not established per substance here. Carry any prescribed medicine in its original packaging with the prescription.
Documentation
For a prescribed controlled medicine, carry it in its original pharmacy packaging with the prescription. The United Kingdom is not in the Schengen area, so a Schengen certificate is not the British document. For a journey of three months or more, or for larger quantities, a Home Office personal licence may be needed and that was not established per substance here.
Primary sources
  • Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, Schedule 2 and Schedule 4, and ss. 4 and 5
  • legislation.gov.uk
  • Psychoactive Substances Act 2016, ss. 2, 3, 9 and 10 and Schedule 1
  • legislation.gov.uk
  • Open Government Licence v3.0

Court records

We have applied to The National Archives for the licence required to analyse Find Case Law records, and will publish outcomes once it is determined.

Source checked Find Case Law, The National Archives · 2026-08-26

PCP in related jurisdictions

Other substances confirmed in United Kingdom