Ephedrine - Legal Status

Q

I was perusing your sight for the legality of ephedrine, I read that it is not a illegal substance, so does that mean it is available somewhere ?

Another quetion I have is what is the difference between class A, B, and C drugs and the legality with them ?

A -

Ephedrine is not itself a controlled drug in the UK, so small amounts would not attract any penalty.

However, if sold as an unlicensed preparation (e.g. as 'legal high') the seller would risk prosecution under the medicines act.

Large quantities may attract separate penalties as it is a precursor chemical for manufacture of other controlled drugs, controlled under international treaties.

Regarding differences between Class A,B,C, please check out our website under the legal section.

Follow-Up

Q2

Just a couple more questions about ephedrine. Can you purchase it from the chemist ? What if you imported a bottle of 100 from the states ? Would customs act ?

A2

1 Ephedrine is a prescription only medicine in the UK, used in the treatment of bronchospasm (athsma) and other disorders. It is not available 'over the counter'

2. I suggest you ask Customs what they would do if you wanted to bring some in from abroad. They may want to know why.

It would probably be easier to obtain a private prescription. The cost to the chemist is around 5p each.

Ephedrine can have serious side effects, including cardiac arrhythmias (palpitations), so you should consider the risks before using without medical supervision.