LegalityAlcohol in South Sudan, full detail →Barbiturates in South Sudan, full detail →Buprenorphine in South Sudan, full detail →Cannabis / THC in South Sudan, full detail →Clonazepam in South Sudan, full detail →Codeine in South Sudan, full detail →Diazepam in South Sudan, full detail →Hydrocodone in South Sudan, full detail →Lorazepam in South Sudan, full detail →Methadone in South Sudan, full detail →Oxycodone in South Sudan, full detail →Pink Cocaine / Tusi in South Sudan, full detail →Xanax (Alprazolam) in South Sudan, full detail →
Legal status in South Sudan
Per-substance legal status for South Sudan, from sourced statutes where available. Legal information, not legal advice; drug laws change, so confirm with the destination’s embassy or drug authority before you travel.
Confirmed legal status
Alcohol
- Legal status
- Legal, alcohol (ethanol) is a legal, openly-available beverage in the Christian/animist-majority state, not a controlled drug; regulation is limited.
- Consequences if caught
- No criminal penalty for adult consumption; local by-laws and public-order rules may apply.
- If prescribed / medical
- n/a, a beverage, not a medicine.
- Documentation
- Sold in shops, hotels and bars in Juba and elsewhere; no permit required, though supply is affected by conflict and economic conditions.
travel.state.gov · No power that moves a narcotics list is established for South Sudan in the sources cited above, which rest on the Penal Code Act 2008 and the Drug and Food Control Authority Act 2012 rather than on a scheduling regime, and no version of any list was recorded when this cell was authored on 14 July 2026. That does not rule out a later amendment made or commenced since. · Updated September 21, 2026
Barbiturates
- Legal status
- Barbiturates are regulated as medicines under South Sudan's Drug and Food Control Authority Act 2012; they are not a 'dangerous drug' under the Penal Code (which covers only coca, opium and cannabis), a prescription-controlled psychotropic class transposing the 1971 Convention.
- Consequences if caught
- Unlawful possession or use is handled under the 2012 Act (up to ~5 years plus fine). The only capital drug offence (Penal Code Art. 383) is confined to coca/opium/cannabis, barbiturates are not death-eligible.
- If prescribed / medical
- Phenobarbital is dispensed as a controlled antiepileptic (a WHO Essential Medicine) under the 2012 Act; the sedative-hypnotic barbiturates are tightly controlled.
- Documentation
- Carry a prescription and original packaging; declare controlled medicines.
unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026
Buprenorphine
- Legal status
- Buprenorphine is a controlled medicine under South Sudan's Drug and Food Control Authority Act 2012, a lighter tier than methadone; it is not a 'dangerous drug' under the Penal Code (which covers only coca, opium and cannabis), so it is non-capital.
- Consequences if caught
- Unlawful handling is penalised under the 2012 Act; the only capital drug offence (Penal Code Art. 383) is confined to coca/opium/cannabis, buprenorphine is not death-eligible.
- If prescribed / medical
- Dispensed as a controlled medicine under the 2012 Act.
- Documentation
- Carry a prescription and original packaging; declare controlled medicines.
unodc.org · Updated July 13, 2026
Cannabis / THC
- Legal status
- Controlled. The cannabis plant, prepared cannabis and cannabis resin are dangerous drugs under Chapter XXVI of the Penal Code Act, 2008. Section 382 defines a dangerous drug as «(a) any coca bush, coca leaf, raw opium or cannabis plant; (b) prepared opium, prepared cannabis or cannabis resin». It defines the cannabis plant as «any plant of the genus cannabis», prepared cannabis as «cannabis which has been prepared for smoking and any dross or other residue remaining after cannabis has been smoked», and cannabis resin as «the separated resin, whether crude or purified, obtained from the cannabis plant». The defined term «cannabis», «the flowering or fruiting tops of the cannabis plant (excluding the seeds and leaves when not accompanied by the tops) from which the resin has not been extracted», is not itself an entry in the list, so whether harvested tops that are neither a growing plant nor prepared for smoking are reached is not settled by the text. The Penal Code Act, 2008 was read in the text WIPO Lex publishes, fetched on 3 October 2026; whether Chapter XXVI has been amended since was not searched.
- Consequences if caught
- Capital exposure: not settled by the text. Section 383(2)(a) carries death or life imprisonment for unlawful dealing in aggravating circumstances, and section 383(3) confines those circumstances to a case where «the dangerous drug in question was a dangerous drug other than cannabis». «Cannabis» is a defined term that is not itself an entry in the section 382 list, so whether that exception reaches the cannabis plant, prepared cannabis and cannabis resin is a question of construction this record does not settle. Outside aggravating circumstances, unlawful dealing is punished under section 383(2)(b) by imprisonment for a period not exceeding fourteen years, a fine, or both. Unlawfully acquiring, possessing or consuming a dangerous drug under section 384 carries imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years, a fine, or both, and where the person is established to be an abuser of or addicted to a dangerous drug, section 384(3) lets the court order treatment as well or instead. Chapter XXVI prints no quantity threshold.
- If prescribed / medical
- Section 387 lets medical, dental and veterinary practitioners, pharmaceutical chemists employed in a Government or approved hospital, clinic or dispensary, certain laboratory heads, State analysts and persons the Minister prescribes acquire, possess and supply the cannabis plant, and prescribe, administer, manufacture or compound it, so far as their profession requires. It states no route for a patient or a traveller to carry cannabis, and none is asserted here.
- Documentation
- Chapter XXVI states no documentation route for bringing cannabis into South Sudan, and none is asserted here.
The Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan), Chapter XXVI, sections 382 to 384 and 387, read in the text published at https://www.wipo.int/edocs/lexdocs/laws/en/ss/ss014en.pdf, which WIPO Lex served on 3 October 2026 as an HTML rendering titled «The Penal Code Act, 2008, South Sudan, WIPO Lex». · Updated October 4, 2026
Clonazepam
- Legal status
- Clonazepam is regulated as a medicine under South Sudan's Drug and Food Control Authority Act 2012; it is not a 'dangerous drug' under the Penal Code (which covers only coca, opium and cannabis).
- Consequences if caught
- Unlawful possession or use is handled under the 2012 Act (up to ~5 years plus fine). The only capital drug offence (Penal Code Art. 383) is confined to coca/opium/cannabis, benzodiazepines are not death-eligible.
- If prescribed / medical
- Dispensed as a controlled medicine under the 2012 Act.
- Documentation
- Carry a prescription and original packaging; declare controlled medicines.
unodc.org · Updated July 13, 2026
Codeine
- Legal status
- Codeine is controlled as a medicine under South Sudan's Drug and Food Control Authority Act 2012; it is non-capital. The Penal Code's only capital drug provision is confined to coca, opium and cannabis, so codeine is not death-eligible.
- Consequences if caught
- Unlawful possession or use is handled under the 2012 Act (imprisonment plus fine); codeine is non-capital.
- If prescribed / medical
- Dispensed as a controlled medicine under the 2012 Act.
- Documentation
- Nominal Ministry of Health authorisation applies; carry full documentation (infrastructure is weak).
unodc.org · Updated July 13, 2026
Diazepam
- Legal status
- Diazepam is regulated as a medicine under South Sudan's Drug and Food Control Authority Act 2012; it is not a 'dangerous drug' under the Penal Code (which covers only coca, opium and cannabis).
- Consequences if caught
- Unlawful possession or use is handled under the 2012 Act (up to ~5 years plus fine). The only capital drug offence (Penal Code Art. 383) is confined to coca/opium/cannabis, benzodiazepines are not death-eligible.
- If prescribed / medical
- Dispensed as a controlled medicine under the 2012 Act.
- Documentation
- Carry a prescription and original packaging; declare controlled medicines.
unodc.org · Updated July 13, 2026
Hydrocodone
- Legal status
- Hydrocodone is regulated as a controlled medicine under South Sudan's Drug and Food Control Authority Act (2012); it is not marketed in South Sudan. The only capital drug provision (Penal Code Art. 383) is confined to coca, opium and cannabis, so hydrocodone in the therapeutic opioid tier is not death-eligible.
- Consequences if caught
- Unlawful handling is dealt with under the 2012 Act (up to about 5 years plus fine); the capital drug offence does not reach the therapeutic opioid tier.
- If prescribed / medical
- No marketed hydrocodone product; a controlled medicine is dispensed only under the 2012 Act.
- Documentation
- Nominal Ministry of Health authorisation applies amid weak infrastructure; carry full documentation.
unodc.org · Updated July 13, 2026
Lorazepam
- Legal status
- Lorazepam is regulated as a medicine under South Sudan's Drug and Food Control Authority Act 2012; it is not a 'dangerous drug' under the Penal Code (which covers only coca, opium and cannabis).
- Consequences if caught
- Unlawful possession or use is handled under the 2012 Act (up to ~5 years plus fine). The only capital drug offence (Penal Code Art. 383) is confined to coca/opium/cannabis, benzodiazepines are not death-eligible.
- If prescribed / medical
- Dispensed as a controlled medicine under the 2012 Act.
- Documentation
- Carry a prescription and original packaging; declare controlled medicines.
unodc.org · Updated July 13, 2026
Methadone
- Legal status
- Methadone is a controlled medicine under South Sudan's Drug and Food Control Authority framework; the only capital drug offence (Penal Code Art. 383) is confined to coca/opium/cannabis, so methadone (a therapeutic opioid) is not death-eligible; prescribed use is non-capital.
- Consequences if caught
- Unlawful handling is prosecuted under the medicines framework; the capital drug provision does not reach methadone.
- If prescribed / medical
- Dispensed as a controlled medicine (OST access minimal).
- Documentation
- Infrastructure is weak; carry full documentation and a prescription under nominal MoH authorisation.
unodc.org · Updated July 13, 2026
Oxycodone
- Legal status
- Oxycodone is regulated as a controlled medicine under South Sudan's Drug and Food Control Authority Act 2012, a strong opioid; it is not a 'dangerous drug' under the Penal Code (which covers only coca, opium and cannabis), so oxycodone is not death-eligible.
- Consequences if caught
- Unlawful possession or use is handled under the 2012 Act (imprisonment plus fine); the only capital drug offence (Penal Code Art. 383) is confined to coca/opium/cannabis, oxycodone is not death-eligible.
- If prescribed / medical
- Dispensed as a controlled medicine under the 2012 Act; strong-opioid access is limited.
- Documentation
- Carry a prescription and original packaging and declare controlled medicines; infrastructure is weak, carry full documentation.
unodc.org · Updated July 13, 2026
Pink Cocaine / Tusi
- Legal status
- Pink cocaine (tusi) is not scheduled as such; it is a variable mixture (typically ketamine + MDMA) prosecuted through its constituents, South Sudan controls MDMA under the Penal Code Act, 2008, which reaches any preparation containing a controlled substance. Because the blend varies batch to batch, exposure follows the most-severely-controlled component, so an MDMA-containing tusi sample can carry capital exposure for high-level trafficking.
- Consequences if caught
- An MDMA-positive mixture engages the Penal Code Act 2008, where high-level/aggravated drug trafficking is a capital offence while lower-level offences and personal-use possession draw imprisonment.
- If prescribed / medical
- No lawful supply of the mixture; MDMA has no accepted medical use, and ketamine, where present, is a controlled medicine.
- Documentation
- Sold as a party powder of unknown makeup; because the blend varies batch to batch, buyers and travellers cannot know whether death-eligible MDMA is present, so legal exposure under the Penal Code Act is unknowable at purchase.
loc.gov · No power that moves a narcotics list is established for South Sudan in the sources cited above, which rest on the Penal Code Act 2008 and the Drug and Food Control Authority Act 2012 rather than on a scheduling regime, and no version of any list was recorded when this cell was authored on 14 July 2026. That does not rule out a later amendment made or commenced since. · Updated September 21, 2026
Xanax (Alprazolam)
- Legal status
- Alprazolam is regulated as a medicine under South Sudan's Drug and Food Control Authority Act 2012; it is not a 'dangerous drug' under the Penal Code (which covers only coca, opium and cannabis).
- Consequences if caught
- Unlawful possession or use is handled under the 2012 Act (up to ~5 years plus fine). The only capital drug offence (Penal Code Art. 383) is confined to coca/opium/cannabis, benzodiazepines are not death-eligible.
- If prescribed / medical
- Dispensed as a controlled medicine under the 2012 Act.
- Documentation
- Carry a prescription and original packaging; declare controlled medicines.
unodc.org · Updated July 13, 2026
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Not individually verified
75 substances are not individually verified for South Sudan
For these the governing national drug law is cited, but we have not verified that the substance specifically is scheduled under it. Treat them as unanswered, not as legal. Confirm with South Sudan’s drug authority or your embassy.
| Substance | What we found |
|---|---|
| 1P-LSD | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| 2-FDCK | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| 25I-NBOMe | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| 2C-B | Not confirmed. 2C-B is not a dangerous drug under the Penal Code Act, 2008, on the words of Chapter XXVI. Section... |
| 2C-E | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| 2C-I | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| 2C-T-7 | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| 3-MMC | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| 4-AcO-DMT | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| 4-HO-MET | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| 5-MeO-DMT (Bufo / Toad) | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| 6-APB | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| 7-Hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Adderall | Not confirmed. This record said Adderall, which this record treats as amphetamine, is handled under the Penal Code... |
| Amanita muscaria | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Amphetamine | Not confirmed. This record said amphetamine is handled under the Penal Code Act, 2008, at section 384, and under the... |
| Amyl Nitrite | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Ayahuasca | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Benzodiazepines | Not confirmed. Benzodiazepines are not dangerous drugs under the Penal Code Act, 2008, on the words of Chapter XXVI.... |
| Caffeine | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Cannabinol | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Cathinone | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| CBD | Not confirmed. This record said CBD is controlled as a dangerous drug under Chapter XXVI of the Penal Code Act... |
| Cocaine | Not confirmed. Cocaine is not a dangerous drug under the Penal Code Act, 2008, on the words of Chapter XXVI. Section... |
| Crack Cocaine | Not confirmed. This record treats crack as the freebase form of cocaine. Section 382 of the Penal Code Act, 2008... |
| Delta-8-THC | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| DMT | Not confirmed. DMT is not a dangerous drug under the Penal Code Act, 2008, on the words of Chapter XXVI. Section 382... |
| DOM | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| DXM | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Ephedrine | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Etizolam | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Fentanyl | Not confirmed. Fentanyl is not a dangerous drug under the Penal Code Act, 2008, on the words of Chapter XXVI.... |
| Gabapentin | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| GBL | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| GHB | Not confirmed. GHB is not a dangerous drug under the Penal Code Act, 2008, on the words of Chapter XXVI. Section 382... |
| Heroin | Not confirmed. Heroin is not a dangerous drug under the Penal Code Act, 2008, on the words of Chapter XXVI. Section... |
| HHC | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Ketamine | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Khat | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Kratom | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| LSA (Morning Glory) | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| LSD | Not confirmed. LSD is not a dangerous drug under the Penal Code Act, 2008, on the words of Chapter XXVI. Section 382... |
| MDA | Not confirmed. This record said MDA is scheduled under an inherited penal or narcotics framework, citing the Penal... |
| MDMA | Not confirmed. MDMA is not a dangerous drug under the Penal Code Act, 2008, on the words of Chapter XXVI. Section... |
| MDPV | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Memantine | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Mephedrone (4-MMC) | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Mescaline | Not confirmed. Mescaline is not a dangerous drug under the Penal Code Act, 2008, on the words of Chapter XXVI.... |
| Methamphetamine | Not confirmed. Methamphetamine is not a dangerous drug under the Penal Code Act, 2008, on the words of Chapter XXVI.... |
| Methaqualone (Quaaludes) | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Methylone | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Methylphenidate | Not confirmed. This record said methylphenidate is handled under the Penal Code Act, 2008, at section 384, and under... |
| Mitragynine | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Modafinil | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Morphine | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| MXE | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Nicotine | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Nimetazepam | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Nitrous Oxide | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Opium | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| PCP | Not confirmed. PCP is not a dangerous drug under the Penal Code Act, 2008, on the words of Chapter XXVI. Section 382... |
| Peyote | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Phenibut | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Poppers | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Pregabalin | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Psilocybin | Not confirmed. Psilocybin is not a dangerous drug under the Penal Code Act, 2008, on the words of Chapter XXVI.... |
| Quetiapine | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Salvia divinorum | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Scopolamine (Devil's Breath) | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Synthetic Cannabinoids (K2 / Spice) | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| THC-P | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Tobacco | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Tramadol | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Xylazine | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
| Zolpidem | Not confirmed, the Penal Code Act, 2008 (South Sudan) is the governing drug law; the specific scheduling/penalty for... |
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary by country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with the destination’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
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If you’re detained or arrested abroad
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