Is Peyote legal in Canada?
- Legal status
- Peyote (Lophophora williamsii) is expressly EXEMPTED from control: the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act schedules the alkaloid mescaline but the entry reads "Mescaline ... and any salt thereof, but not peyote (lophophora)", so the living cactus is lawful while isolated mescaline is a Schedule III substance.
- Consequences if caught
- Possessing or selling the peyote cactus itself is not a CDSA offence because the plant is carved out of the mescaline entry; extracting or trafficking isolated mescaline is a Schedule III offence.
- If prescribed or medical
- Mescaline has no approved medical use; the peyote cactus, being outside the schedule, is not a prescription-controlled item.
- Documentation
- CDSA Schedule III, item 17 lists mescaline (3,4,5-trimethoxybenzeneethanamine) and its salts with the explicit exclusion "but not peyote (lophophora)".
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Canada’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
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