Legal status of psychoactive cactus by country

For the legal status of the psychoactive substance found in psychoactive cactus, see mescaline § Legal status.

This is a list of the legal status of psychoactive cactus by country. This includes but is not limited to the peyote, the San Pedro and the Peruvian torch.

Country | Possession | Sale | Transport | Cultivation | Notes

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Australia  | [citation needed] | [citation needed] | [citation needed] | [citation needed] | Mescaline (3,4,5‑TRIMETHOXYPHENETHYLAMINE and other substances structurally derived from methoxy‑phenylethylamine except methoxyphenamine) is listed under "Schedule 9 - Prohibited substances" in Australia as per the Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard—July 2023) Instrument made under paragraph 52D(2)(b) of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989.[1] Legality regarding cultivation / possession of plants and regulations containing schedules of "controlled substances" those plants may not contain is typically covered by individual state / territory legislation.
Brazil  | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Possession, production and sale is illegal as it is listed on Portaria SVS/MS nº344[2]
Canada  | Illegal except Peyote | Illegal except Peyote | Illegal except Peyote | Legal | Mescaline and any salt thereof is illegal, but not peyote (Lophophora).[3] Only ornamental growing is allowed.[4]
Denmark  | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | "Cactus and seeds of the species Echinopsis pachanoi and Echinopsis peruviana or others containing the substance mescaline are illegal. (3,4,5-trimethoxy-phenethylamin)."[5]
Czech Republic  | Legal | legal | Legal | Legal | Cultivating or selling the cacti itself is legal. [6]
France  | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Peyote is regulated | Mescaline is classified as a narcotic in France by the decree of February 22, 1990 establishing the list of substances classified as narcotics[7]
Germany  | Legal | legal | Legal | Legal | Cacti are not prohibited. Mescaline is controlled under Anlage I BtMG. It is illegal to manufacture, possess, import, export, buy, sell, procure or dispense it without a license.[8]
India  | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal |
Italy  | Legal except Peyote | Legal except Peyote | Legal except Peyote | Legal except Peyote | Mescaline is listed under Table 1 of Italy's "Tabelle delle sostanze stupefacenti e psicotrope" making it illegal to purchase, transport or sell. However, psychoactive cacti (with the exception of peyote) can be legally purchased from florists, garden centers and online shops.[9]
Ireland  | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Mescaline is listed under Schedule 1 of Ireland's Misuse of Drugs Act.
Mexico  | Legal except peyote | Legal except peyote | Legal except peyote | Legal except peyote | The Ley General de Salud declares that mescaline and peyote are illegal. However, the San Pedro cactus and Peruvian Torch are not mentioned in it, so they are totally legal.
Netherlands  | Legal | Legal | Legal | Legal | The cactus (Peyote, San Pedro...) is legal, extracted mescaline is not.[10]
Norway  | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | [11]
New Zealand  | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Legal | Mescaline is a Class A drug, and so cacti containing it can only be grown ornamentally.[12]
Peru  | Legal | Legal | Legal | Legal | [13]
Portugal  | Legal | Legal | Legal | Legal | [14]
Switzerland  | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | [15]
Romania  | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Psychotropic plants and substances or mixtures containing such plants and substances defined under drugs and Mescaline is listed in table 1, the most restrictive under Law 143/26.07.2000.[16]
Russia  | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Mescaline is List I of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances prohibiting the purchase, transporting, and possession of substances.[17]
Slovenia  | Legal | Legal | Legal | Legal | The cactus itself is legal to grow, import and sell, but extracting the mescaline from it is illegal.[18]
Sweden  | Legal | Legal | Legal | Legal | The cactus itself is legal to grow, import and sell, but extracting the mescaline from it is illegal.
Thailand  | Legal | Legal | Legal | Legal | Cacti such as peyote are not prohibited. However, mescaline, which they contain is a prohibited narcotic substance.[19]
Ukraine  | Legal | Legal | Legal | Legal | The government has excluded San Pedro Cactus (Echinopsis Pachanoi) and peyote (Lophophora Williamsii) from the list of illicit drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors. This is stated in the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers №408 dated May 23, 2012.[20]
United Kingdom  | Legal | Legal | Legal | Legal | “Hallucinogenic cacti are not illegal in the UK, unless prepared for consumption as a hallucinogen. This could include drying them, or cutting them into edible ‘buttons’.” [21]
United States  | Legal for religious use | Legal for religious use | Legal for religious use | Legal | Only peyote and mescaline itself are controlled substances in the United States. Substance: Peyote, DEA#: 7415, CSA SCH: I, NARC: N, Other names: Cactus which contains mescaline

Following the passage of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act Amendments of 1994, United States federal law (and many state laws) protects the harvest, possession, consumption and cultivation of peyote as part of "bona fide religious ceremonies" (the federal statute is the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, codified at 42 U.S.C. § 1996a, "Traditional Indian religious use of the peyote sacrament", exempting only use by Native American persons. US v. Boyll expanded permitted use to all persons engaged in traditional Indian use, regardless of race. All US states with the exception of Idaho and Texas allow usage by non-native, non-enrolled persons in the context of ceremonies of the Native American Church. Some states such as Arizona additionally exempt any general bona fide religious activity or spiritual intent. US jurisdictions enacted these specific statutory exemptions partially in reaction to the US Supreme Court's decision in Employment Division v. Smith, 494 U.S. 872 (1990), which held that laws prohibiting the use of peyote that do not specifically exempt religious use nevertheless do not violate the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.

In October 2021, Seattle’s City Council approved a resolution to decriminalize noncommercial activity around non-peyote-derived mescaline.[22]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard—July 2023) Instrument 2023". Federal Register of Legislation. 2023-06-23. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
2. ^ "Página inicial". Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária - Anvisa (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-11-30.
3. ^ "Controlled Drugs and Substances Act". Site Web de la législation (Justice). 2019-09-19. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
4. ^ "Psychedelics and Canada's Regulatory Landscape". Lexology. 2020-07-15. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
5. ^ "Bekendtgørelse om euforiserende stoffer". retsinformation.dk (in Danish).
6. ^ "Psychedelic fungi and cacti legalized in Czech Republic". mushroom-magazine.com. 2012-01-20. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
7. ^ "Wikiwix's cache". Wikiwix [archive] (in French). 2002-01-06. Archived from the original on 2002-01-05. Retrieved 2020-11-30. `{{cite web}}`: Cite uses generic title (help)
8. ^ "§ 29 BtMG - Einzelnorm". Gesetze im Internet (in German). Retrieved 2020-11-30.
9. ^ Salute, Ministero della (2013-04-23). "Tabelle delle sostanze stupefacenti e psicotrope". Ministero della Salute (in Italian). Retrieved 2020-11-30.
10. ^ Koninkrijksrelaties, Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en. "Opiumwet". wetten.overheid.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2023-01-18.
11. ^ "Forskrift om narkotika (Narkotikaforskriften) - Lovdata".
12. ^ "About a drug: Mescaline". NZ Drug Foundation. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
13. ^ FJ, Carod-Artal; CB, Vázquez-Cabrera (2006). "[Mescaline and the San Pedro cactus ritual: archaeological and ethnographic evidence in northern Peru]". Revista de neurologia. 42 (8): 489–498. doi:10.33588/rn.4208.2006040. ISSN 0210-0010. PMID 16625512. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
14. ^ "Drug decriminalisation in Portugal: setting the record straight". Transform. 2021-05-13. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
15. ^ "Verordnung des EDI über die Verzeichnisse der Betäubungsmittel, psychotropen Stoffe, Vorläuferstoffe und Hilfschemikalien (Betäubungsmittelverzeichnisverordnung, BetmVV-EDI)". Swiss Government (in German). 1 March 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
16. ^ "LEGE 143 26/07/2000". Portal Legislativ (in Romanian). Retrieved 2020-11-30.
17. ^ "Постановление Правительства РФ от 30.06.1998 N 681 "Об утверждении перечня наркотических средств, психотропных веществ и их прекурсоров, подлежащих контролю в Российской Федерации" (с изменениями и дополнениями)". ГАРАНТ (in Russian). Retrieved 2020-11-30.
18. ^ "Uredba o razvrstitvi prepovedanih drog". pisrs. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
19. ^ "R/Thailand - Something I saw at the Chatuchak market. Could hardly believe it, but peyote is legal in Thailand". 17 December 2014.
20. ^ "Про внесення змін до переліку наркотичних засобів, психотропних речовин і прекурсорів".
21. ^ "Cacti". DrugWise. 2016-01-03. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
22. ^ Adlin, Ben (2021-10-04). "Seattle Becomes Largest U.S. City To Decriminalize Psychedelics". Marijuana Moment. Retrieved 2021-10-07.

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