Is Phenibut legal in Australia?

Legal status

Phenibut is a Schedule 9 (Prohibited Substance) poison in the Poisons Standard (SUSMP), added by the TGA scheduling delegate's final decision of October 2017 with effect from 1 February 2018; the delegate found no defined therapeutic role, so phenibut is a substance named specifically for prohibition (mechanism: named entry), lawful only for approved research.

Consequences if caught

Manufacture, supply, possession and use of phenibut outside an S9 research authority are prohibited under state and territory drugs-and-poisons law, and unapproved importation breaches the same controls.

If prescribed or medical

Phenibut has no prescription status in Australia — it was placed in Schedule 9 rather than the Schedule 4 prescription category precisely because the delegate identified no medical need, so it cannot be dispensed as a medicine.

Documentation

Travellers cannot lawfully bring phenibut in as a personal medicine, and online 'nootropic' orders are captured by the S9 prohibition and import controls; genuine research use is left to confirmation against a permit.

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