Legal status in Sri Lanka

Per-substance legal status for Sri Lanka, from sourced statutes where available. Legal information, not legal advice — drug laws change; confirm with the destination’s embassy or drug authority before you travel.

Last updated: 2026-07-14

1P-LSD

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

2-FDCK

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

25I-NBOMe

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

2C-B

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

2C-E

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

2C-I

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

2C-T-7

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

3-MMC

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

4-AcO-DMT

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

4-HO-MET

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

5-MeO-DMT (Bufo / Toad)

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

6-APB

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

7-Hydroxymitragynine (7-OH)

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Adderall

Legal status: Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts) has no separate legal identity — it is regulated AS amphetamine: controlled dangerous drug under the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (as amended).
Consequences if caught: Possession/supply is punishable by imprisonment and/or a fine. The Ordinance's capital thresholds name methamphetamine/heroin/cocaine/morphine — amphetamine is NOT among the named capital drugs (and Sri Lanka has observed an execution moratorium since 1976), so amphetamine falls outside the capital tier.
If prescribed / medical: Prescription stimulant via strictly controlled medical channels; carrying it without a local permit/prescription risks arrest.
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Alcohol

Legal status: Legal — alcohol (ethanol) is a licensed, age-regulated beverage under the Excise Ordinance, not a controlled drug; minimum purchase age 21.
Consequences if caught: No penalty for adult consumption; unlicensed sale and excise breaches are offences.
If prescribed / medical: n/a — a beverage, not a medicine.
Documentation: Sold at licensed wine stores and hotels on proof of age (21+); off-sales barred on poya (full-moon) holidays; no traveller permit.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Amanita muscaria

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Amphetamine

Legal status: Controlled dangerous drug under the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (as amended).
Consequences if caught: Possession/supply is punishable by imprisonment and/or a fine. The Ordinance's capital thresholds name methamphetamine/heroin/cocaine/morphine — amphetamine is NOT among the named capital drugs (and Sri Lanka has observed an execution moratorium since 1976), so amphetamine falls outside the capital tier.
If prescribed / medical: Prescription stimulant via strictly controlled medical channels; carrying it without a local permit/prescription risks arrest.
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Amyl Nitrite

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Ayahuasca

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Barbiturates

Legal status: Barbiturates are prescription-only psychotropics (Schedule IIB, Cosmetics, Devices and Drugs Act No. 27 of 1980) — a class transposing the 1971 Convention, distinct from the narcotics regime.
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised possession or trafficking of psychotropics draws imprisonment and fines. The capital drug provisions (Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, s.54A) apply only to ≥5g of morphine/cocaine/heroin/methamphetamine — barbiturates are not death-eligible (and Sri Lanka has a de facto moratorium since 1976).
If prescribed / medical: Phenobarbital is dispensed as a Schedule IIB antiepileptic (a WHO Essential Medicine); the sedative-hypnotic barbiturates are tightly controlled.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging; declare controlled medicines.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Benzodiazepines

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

Buprenorphine

Legal status: Buprenorphine is a controlled prescription opioid under Sri Lanka's drug-control law — a lighter tier than methadone; it is not among the s.54A named capital-manufacture drugs, so it sits below the capital tier, confirmed.
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised possession or trafficking draws imprisonment and fines; the capital provisions (Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance s.54A) reach only heroin/cocaine/morphine/opium — buprenorphine is not death-eligible (de facto moratorium since 1976), confirmed.
If prescribed / medical: Dispensed as a controlled prescription medicine.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging; declare controlled medicines.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Caffeine

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Cannabis / THC

Legal status: Controlled (Sec 29) — penalized but NOT capital: general penalty (Sec 78) a fine plus up to 5 years; licensed Ayurvedic/medicinal carve-out exists
Consequences if caught: Cannabis (ganja) is controlled under Section 29 but, unlike heroin or cocaine, is NOT a capital offence: the general penalty (Sec 78) is a fine plus up to 5 years' imprisonment. A cultural/Ayurvedic licensed-medicinal carve-out exists. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act).
If prescribed / medical: Cannabis is permitted only within the licensed Ayurvedic/medicinal carve-out; it is otherwise controlled.
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

Cathinone

Legal status: Controlled — cathinone (khat's natural principal alkaloid) is a 1971 Convention SCHEDULE I psychotropic and falls within the psychotropics schedule of the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (NDDCB), which incorporates the UN conventions. Mechanism: 1971 Sch-I transposition (convention-mirroring), named. As the parent compound it is DISTINCT from the khat PLANT (Catha edulis, not separately named) and from the synthetic cathinones (mephedrone etc.) that derive from it; cathinone is the named Sch-I alkaloid, cathine the milder metabolite (1971 Schedule III). Capital reach is left to confirmation: thresholds are keyed to heroin/cocaine quantities and cathinone is not separately capital-listed (long-standing execution moratorium).
Consequences if caught: Controlled substance: penalties apply for the alkaloid; capital reserved for named drugs/quantities and not carried out in practice.
If prescribed / medical: 1971 Schedule I substance with no accepted medical use and no lawful prescription route for the isolated alkaloid.
Documentation: No licit personal-import route for a controlled substance.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

CBD

Legal status: CBD (cannabidiol) is controlled as cannabis under the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (as amended), which controls cannabis and its seeds/leaves/flowers/resin/preparations with no THC-threshold exemption; the only lawful channel is licensed Ayurvedic dispensing, which does not cover imported commercial CBD.
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised possession carries a fine and/or up to about 5 years, and sale/trafficking up to about 10 years; imported CBD falls outside the Ayurvedic licence.
If prescribed / medical: Access is only via the Ayurvedic framework by registered practitioners; there is no conventional/import CBD route, and a foreign prescription does not authorise import.
Documentation: No documentation legalises imported CBD — controlled as cannabis outside the licensed Ayurvedic channel; a foreign prescription does not permit import.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Clonazepam

Legal status: Clonazepam is a prescription-only psychotropic (Schedule IIB, Cosmetics, Devices and Drugs Act No. 27 of 1980) — distinct from the narcotics regime.
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised possession or trafficking of psychotropics draws imprisonment and fines. The capital drug provisions (Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, s.54A) apply only to ≥5g of morphine/cocaine/heroin/methamphetamine — benzodiazepines are not death-eligible (and Sri Lanka has a de facto moratorium since 1976).
If prescribed / medical: Dispensed as a Schedule IIB prescription medicine.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging; declare controlled medicines.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Cocaine

Legal status: Controlled under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance — Sec 54A: DEATH or life (non-mandatory, under execution moratorium); Third Schedule threshold applies
Consequences if caught: Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. For cocaine the Third Schedule threshold is 2 g — trafficking or possession above it is death-eligible.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine; a prohibited narcotic.
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

Codeine

Legal status: Codeine is a controlled prescription substance under Sri Lanka's drugs regime; it is not among the drugs named in the capital-manufacture/trafficking provision (Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance s.54A, which names morphine/cocaine/heroin/opium), so it sits below the capital tier (Sri Lanka also has a de facto moratorium since 1976).
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised possession or trafficking draws imprisonment and fines; codeine is not death-eligible.
If prescribed / medical: Dispensed as a controlled prescription medicine.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging; declare controlled medicines.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Crack Cocaine

Legal status: Crack is the freebase (base) form of cocaine and has no separate legal identity in Sri Lanka: it is controlled AS cocaine under the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, whose scheduling covers cocaine, its salts and preparations and thus reaches the base/freebase form. The capital regime (Sec 54A) applies by the Third Schedule quantity threshold and carries over to crack, so trafficking above the threshold is death- or life-eligible whether powder or base (under an execution moratorium).
Consequences if caught: Trafficking crack (as cocaine) above the Third Schedule threshold carries death or life (non-mandatory, moratorium in force); lesser possession draws imprisonment.
If prescribed / medical: Cocaine has only narrow controlled medical use; the crack/freebase base has no medicinal preparation and cannot be prescribed.
Documentation: No prescription documentation exists for crack/freebase cocaine.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Delta-8-THC

Legal status: Controlled — delta-8-THC (Δ8-THC) is caught as a tetrahydrocannabinol under the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, which controls cannabis and THC; delta-8 is controlled as an isomer of THC. Distinct from cannabis (penalised but not capital; a licensed Ayurvedic/medicinal carve-out exists that does not extend to isolated delta-8).
Consequences if caught: Illegal; general penalty (fine plus up to 5 years) — not a capital offence for cannabis-type substances.
If prescribed / medical: No recognised medical use; delta-8-THC is not a prescribable medicine.
Documentation: No lawful personal import of a controlled tetrahydrocannabinol.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Diazepam

Legal status: Diazepam is a prescription-only psychotropic (Schedule IIB, Cosmetics, Devices and Drugs Act No. 27 of 1980) — distinct from the narcotics regime.
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised possession or trafficking of psychotropics draws imprisonment and fines. The capital drug provisions (Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, s.54A) apply only to ≥5g of morphine/cocaine/heroin/methamphetamine — benzodiazepines are not death-eligible (and Sri Lanka has a de facto moratorium since 1976).
If prescribed / medical: Dispensed as a Schedule IIB prescription medicine.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging; declare controlled medicines.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

DMT

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

DOM

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

DXM

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Ephedrine

Legal status: Regulated as a chemical PRECURSOR (1988 UN Convention Table I — a methamphetamine precursor), NOT as a scheduled narcotic; a controlled precursor (NDDCB import authorisation) anchored in the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (s.79A, added by Act No. 13/1984).
Consequences if caught: No capital exposure — s.79A precursor possession is a distinct non-capital offence; the death penalty applies to heroin/cocaine trafficking, not precursors (and Sri Lanka has a long execution moratorium).
If prescribed / medical: Also a pharmacy/prescription decongestant-bronchodilator medicine subject to sales limits; carry documentation for a personal supply.
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Etizolam

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Fentanyl

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

Gabapentin

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

GBL

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

GHB

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

Heroin

Legal status: Controlled under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance — Sec 54A: DEATH or life (non-mandatory, under execution moratorium); Third Schedule thresholds apply
Consequences if caught: Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. For heroin the Third Schedule thresholds are: manufacturing 500 g; trafficking or possession above about 2 g is death-eligible.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine; a prohibited narcotic.
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

HHC

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Hydrocodone

Legal status: Hydrocodone is a controlled dangerous drug under the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance; it is not marketed in Sri Lanka and is NOT among the s.54A capital-named drugs (which name morphine, heroin, cocaine and opium), so its drug-specific capital tier is left to confirmation.
Consequences if caught: Manufacture or trafficking of the s.54A named drugs is death or life (de facto moratorium since 1976), but hydrocodone is not among them; unauthorised handling is otherwise penalised.
If prescribed / medical: No marketed Sri Lankan hydrocodone product; a controlled narcotic is dispensed only under narcotic control.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging; declare controlled medicines.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Ketamine

Legal status: Controlled dangerous drug under the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (1929, as amended by Act No. 13 of 1984); the exact schedule placement is left to confirmation against the current Ordinance.
Consequences if caught: Unlawful possession or supply is punishable by imprisonment and/or a fine. The death penalty under Sec 54A targets the manufacture of heroin, cocaine, morphine or opium and the trafficking of specified Column-II dangerous drugs above threshold quantities; ketamine is not among those named capital drugs (and Sri Lanka has observed an execution moratorium since 1976), so it does not fall within the Sec 54A capital category.
If prescribed / medical: Available through controlled medical channels.
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Khat

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

Kratom

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

Lorazepam

Legal status: Lorazepam is a prescription-only psychotropic (Schedule IIB, Cosmetics, Devices and Drugs Act No. 27 of 1980) — distinct from the narcotics regime.
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised possession or trafficking of psychotropics draws imprisonment and fines. The capital drug provisions (Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, s.54A) apply only to ≥5g of morphine/cocaine/heroin/methamphetamine — benzodiazepines are not death-eligible (and Sri Lanka has a de facto moratorium since 1976).
If prescribed / medical: Dispensed as a Schedule IIB prescription medicine.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging; declare controlled medicines.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

LSA (Morning Glory)

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

LSD

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

MDA

Legal status: Controlled — MDA is a scheduled drug under the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance. NAMED/scheduled mechanism. Capital on paper (de facto moratorium): trafficking above statutory thresholds is death-eligible, but no execution has been carried out since 1976; MDA's specific threshold left to confirmation.
Consequences if caught: Trafficking death-eligible in law; no executions in practice (moratorium).
If prescribed / medical: Scheduled dangerous drug with no recognised medical use; no lawful prescription route.
Documentation: No lawful personal import; capital in law but subject to a long-standing moratorium.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

MDMA

Legal status: Controlled under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance — illegal; not confirmed in the Sec 54A capital schedule in the primary source — confirm classification
Consequences if caught: MDMA is controlled under the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, but it is NOT confirmed in the Sec 54A capital schedule in the reachable primary source — confirm its classification before relying on it. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

MDPV

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Memantine

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Mephedrone (4-MMC)

Legal status: Controlled — TREATY-floor. Mephedrone is controlled via national incorporation of the 1971 Schedule II addition into the NDDCB / Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance psychotropics schedule; no standalone named Sri Lankan amendment is confirmable. Capital reach is left to confirmation: capital trafficking thresholds are keyed to heroin/cocaine quantities and mephedrone is not separately capital-listed (lean below-tier; long-standing execution moratorium).
Consequences if caught: Controlled substance: penalties apply; capital reserved for named drugs/quantities and not carried out in practice.
If prescribed / medical: Controlled substance with no recognised medical use and no lawful prescription route.
Documentation: No licit personal-import route for a controlled substance.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Mescaline

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

Methadone

Legal status: Methadone is a controlled narcotic in Sri Lanka; it is NOT among the four capital-manufacture drugs named in the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance s.54A (heroin/cocaine/morphine/opium) — its drug-specific capital tier is left to confirmation (and Sri Lanka has a de facto execution moratorium since 1976).
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised handling or trafficking draws imprisonment and fines; the s.54A capital provisions name morphine but not methadone.
If prescribed / medical: Dispensed as a controlled prescription medicine (OST availability limited).
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging; import of controlled medicines needs NMRA authorisation — declare on entry.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Methamphetamine

Legal status: Controlled under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (Sec 54A as amended 2022) — DEATH or life (non-mandatory, under execution moratorium); exact meth gram threshold not in primary source
Consequences if caught: Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Methamphetamine was added to the Sec 54A death/life schedule by the 2022 amendment; the exact methamphetamine gram threshold is not captured in the primary source — confirm the exact quantity.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine; a prohibited narcotic.
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

Methaqualone (Quaaludes)

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Methylone

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Methylphenidate

Legal status: Controlled prescription medicine (Schedule II B, Cosmetics Devices and Drugs Act) / controlled substance under the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance.
Consequences if caught: Dispensing/possession without a prescription is a controlled-medicine offence; no capital exposure (the Ordinance's capital list names heroin/cocaine/etc., not methylphenidate; execution moratorium since 1976).
If prescribed / medical: Prescription ADHD/narcolepsy medicine (e.g. Ritalin/Concerta) via controlled channels; carry the original prescription and any required import permit.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Mitragynine

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Modafinil

Legal status: Prescription-only medicine (Schedule II B, Cosmetics Devices and Drugs Act) — NOT a 'dangerous drug' under the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance.
Consequences if caught: Dispensing/possession without a prescription is a medicines-regulatory offence; no dangerous-drugs (capital) exposure.
If prescribed / medical: Carry the prescription.
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Morphine

Legal status: Morphine is expressly named in section 54A of the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance and is death-eligible: manufacturing morphine (alongside heroin, cocaine and opium) is punishable by death or life at any quantity, and trafficking above the schedule thresholds is death or life — though Sri Lanka has observed a de facto execution moratorium since 1976.
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised possession or trafficking draws imprisonment and fines; manufacturing morphine is death-eligible at any quantity under s.54A.
If prescribed / medical: Available on prescription as a controlled narcotic for severe and cancer pain.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging and declare controlled narcotics on entry.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

MXE

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Nicotine

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Nitrous Oxide

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Oxycodone

Legal status: Oxycodone is a controlled strong opioid in Sri Lanka; the capital manufacture/trafficking provisions of the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (s.54A) name heroin, cocaine, morphine and opium only — oxycodone is NOT among them, so the drug-specific capital tier for oxycodone is left to confirmation (de facto moratorium since 1976).
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised possession or trafficking draws imprisonment; the s.54A death/life tier applies to the four named drugs only — oxycodone is not among them, so its capital exposure is left to confirmation.
If prescribed / medical: Dispensed as a controlled prescription medicine (NMRA).
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging; import of controlled medicines needs NMRA authorisation — declare on arrival.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

PCP

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

Peyote

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

Phenibut

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

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 — ketamine is a controlled dangerous drug under the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (1929, as amended by Act No. 13 of 1984), and MDMA is likewise a controlled substance, the Ordinance reaching any preparation containing a dangerous drug. Because the blend varies batch to batch, exposure follows the most-severely-controlled detected component.
Consequences if caught: Possession and trafficking are offences under the Ordinance, and trafficking above statutory thresholds is death-eligible in law — though Sri Lanka maintains a moratorium and imposes long imprisonment in practice — charged on whichever constituent is detected.
If prescribed / medical: No lawful supply of the mixture; ketamine is a controlled medicine used as an anaesthetic, while MDMA has no accepted medical use.
Documentation: Sold as a party powder of unknown makeup; because the blend varies batch to batch, buyers cannot know its constituents, so heavy legal exposure under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance is unknowable at purchase.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Poppers

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Pregabalin

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Psilocybin

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

Quetiapine

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Salvia divinorum

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

Scopolamine (Devil's Breath)

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Synthetic Cannabinoids (K2 / Spice)

Legal status: Controlled. Synthetic cannabinoids are controlled under the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, which incorporates the synthetic cannabinoids added to Schedule II of the 1971 Convention (Sri Lanka being a party). This class is penalised but not capital: general penalties (fine plus up to about 5 years) apply rather than the death penalty.
Consequences if caught: Illegal; possession and supply carry a fine plus imprisonment (up to about 5 years). Not a capital offence for this class.
If prescribed / medical: These synthetic cannabinoids have no recognised medical use and no lawful prescription route in Sri Lanka.
Documentation: No lawful personal-import route for controlled synthetic cannabinoids; do not carry.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

THC-P

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Tobacco

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

Tramadol

Legal status: Tramadol is a prescription-only medicine (POM) under the NMRA (Cosmetics, Devices and Drugs Act), and its listing as a scheduled 'dangerous drug' under the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance is left to confirmation; the capital drug provisions target heroin and cocaine, so a tramadol-specific capital tier does not clearly attach and is left to confirmation.
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised handling is an offence; the death-eligible dangerous-drug tier is not established for tramadol (and Sri Lanka observes a long execution moratorium).
If prescribed / medical: Dispensed as a prescription-only medicine under NMRA control.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and personal-use quantities; import of prescription/psychotropic medicines needs NMRA authorisation — declare and confirm NMRA/NDDCB rules.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Xanax (Alprazolam)

Legal status: Alprazolam is a prescription-only psychotropic (Schedule IIB, Cosmetics, Devices and Drugs Act No. 27 of 1980) — distinct from the narcotics regime.
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised possession or trafficking of psychotropics draws imprisonment and fines. The capital drug provisions (Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, s.54A) apply only to ≥5g of morphine/cocaine/heroin/methamphetamine — benzodiazepines are not death-eligible (and Sri Lanka has a de facto moratorium since 1976).
If prescribed / medical: Dispensed as a Schedule IIB prescription medicine.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging; declare controlled medicines.

Source · Updated 2026-07-13

Xylazine

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-06-26

Zolpidem

Legal status: Not confirmed — status not individually verified; confirm with Sri Lanka's NDDCB (Dangerous Drugs Ordinance) / your embassy
Consequences if caught: SRI LANKA IS A DEATH-PENALTY COUNTRY for serious drug offences. This specific substance was not named in the reachable Sri Lankan sources (Ordinance No. 17 of 1929, as amended) — do NOT assume it is permitted; verify before travel. Sri Lanka retains the DEATH penalty for this offence (Sec 54A): death OR life imprisonment for manufacturing or for trafficking/possessing/importing/exporting above the Third Schedule thresholds. CRITICAL NUANCE: the death penalty is NON-MANDATORY (courts treat it as discretionary) AND Sri Lanka is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades.
If prescribed / medical: If a controlled medicine, carry the prescription and confirm with your embassy (see documentation).
Documentation: Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for serious drug offences (Sec 54A), but it is NON-MANDATORY (treated as discretionary) and the country is under a long-standing EXECUTION MORATORIUM — death sentences are passed and people held on death row, but no executions have been carried out for decades. Cannabis is NOT a capital offence. Possession of under 1 g where the person agrees to rehabilitation can be diverted to treatment (2007 Act). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Source · Updated 2026-07-14

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

Verify current rules with the destination country’s official drug authorityand your own country’s embassy before traveling. Find the destination’s U.S. embassy & official country guidance →
Non-U.S. travelers: check your own government’s travel advisory and embassy.

If you’re detained or arrested abroad

Contact your own country’s embassy or consulatein the destination immediately — notthe destination’s authorities. U.S. citizens: contact the nearest U.S. embassy/consulate and the U.S. State Department at +1-202-501-4444 (from abroad). If a U.S. citizen is arrested or detained abroad →

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