US Code

Public Law 119-73 (01/23/2026)

21 U.S.C. § 952

Importation of controlled substances

(a)

Controlled substances in schedule I or II and narcotic drugs in schedule III, IV, or V; exceptions

It shall be unlawful to import into the customs territory of the United States from any place outside thereof (but within the United States), or to import into the United States from any place outside thereof, any controlled substance in schedule I or II of subchapter I, or any narcotic drug in schedule III, IV, or V of subchapter I, or ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine, except that—
(1)
such amounts of crude opium, poppy straw, concentrate of poppy straw, and coca leaves, and of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine, as the Attorney General finds to be necessary to provide for medical, scientific, or other legitimate purposes, and
(2)
such amounts of any controlled substance in schedule I or II or any narcotic drug in schedule III, IV, or V that the Attorney General finds to be necessary to provide for the medical, scientific, or other legitimate needs of the United States—
(A)
during an emergency in which domestic supplies of such substance or drug are found by the Attorney General to be inadequate,
(B)
section 823 of this title in any case in which the Attorney General finds that competition among domestic manufacturers of the controlled substance is inadequate and will not be rendered adequate by the registration of additional manufacturers under , or
(C)
in any case in which the Attorney General finds that such controlled substance is in limited quantities exclusively for scientific, analytical, or research uses,
may be so imported under such regulations as the Attorney General shall prescribe. No crude opium may be so imported for the purpose of manufacturing heroin or smoking opium.
(b)

Nonnarcotic controlled substances in schedule III, IV, or V

It shall be unlawful to import into the customs territory of the United States from any place outside thereof (but within the United States), or to import into the United States from  any  place  outside  thereof,  any  non­narcotic controlled substance in schedule III, IV, or V, unless such nonnarcotic controlled substance—
(1)
is imported for medical, scientific, or other legitimate uses, and
(2)
is imported pursuant to such notification, or declaration, or in the case of any nonnarcotic controlled substance in schedule III, such import permit, notification, or declaration, as the Attorney General may by regulation prescribe, except that if a nonnarcotic controlled substance in schedule IV or V is also listed in schedule I or II of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances it shall be imported pursuant to such import permit requirements, prescribed by regulation of the Attorney General, as are required by the Convention.
(c)

Coca leaves

In addition to the amount of coca leaves authorized to be imported into the United States under subsection (a), the Attorney General may permit the importation of additional amounts of coca leaves. All cocaine and ecgonine (and all salts, derivatives, and preparations from which cocaine or ecgonine may be synthesized or made) contained in such additional amounts of coca leaves imported under this subsection shall be destroyed under the supervision of an authorized representative of the Attorney General.

(d)

Application for increased importation of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine

(1)
section 958 of this title With respect to a registrant under who is authorized under subsection (a)(1) to import ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine, at any time during the year the registrant may apply for an increase in the amount of such chemical that the registrant is authorized to import, and the Attorney General may approve the application if the Attorney General determines that the approval is necessary to provide for medical, scientific, or other legitimate purposes regarding the chemical.
(2)
With respect to the application under paragraph (1):
(A)
Not later than 60 days after receiving the application, the Attorney General shall approve or deny the application.
(B)
In approving the application, the Attorney General shall specify the period of time for which the approval is in effect, or shall provide that the approval is effective until the registrant involved is notified in writing by the Attorney General that the approval is terminated.
(C)
If the Attorney General does not approve or deny the application before the expiration of the 60-day period under subparagraph (A), the application is deemed to be approved, and such approval remains in effect until the Attorney General notifies the registrant in writing that the approval is terminated.
(e)

Reference to ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine

Each reference in this section to ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine includes each of the salts, optical isomers, and salts of optical isomers of such chemical.

Pub. L. 91–513, title III, § 100284 Stat. 1285Pub. L. 95–633, title I, § 10592 Stat. 3772Pub. L. 98–473, title II98 Stat. 2075Pub. L. 109–177, title VII, § 715120 Stat. 264(, , ; , , ; , §§ 519–521, , ; , , .)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 812(c) of this titleSchedules I, II, III, IV, and V, referred to in subsecs. (a) and (b), are set out in .

Amendments

Pub. L. 109–177, § 715(1)(A)2006—Subsec. (a). , inserted “or ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine,” after “schedule III, IV, or V of subchapter I,” in introductory provisions.

Pub. L. 109–177, § 715(1)(B)Subsec. (a)(1). , inserted “, and of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine,” after “coca leaves”.

Pub. L. 109–177, § 715(2)Subsecs. (d), (e). , added subsecs. (d) and (e).

Pub. L. 98–473, § 5191984—Subsec. (a)(1). , amended par. (1) generally, inserting references to poppy straw and concentrate of poppy straw.

Pub. L. 98–473, § 520Subsec. (a)(2)(C). , added subpar. (C).

Pub. L. 98–473, § 521Subsec. (b)(2). , substituted “is imported pursuant to such notification, or declaration, or in the case of any nonnarcotic controlled substance in schedule III, such import permit, notification, or declaration, as the Attorney General may by regulation prescribe, except that if a nonnarcotic controlled substance in schedule IV or V is also listed in schedule I or II of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances it shall be imported pursuant to such import permit requirements, prescribed by regulation of the Attorney General, as are required by the Convention” for “is imported pursuant to such notification or declaration requirements as the Attorney General may by regulation prescribe, except that if a nonnarcotic controlled substance in schedule III, IV, or V is also listed in schedule I or II of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances it shall be imported pursuant to such import permit requirements, prescribed by regulation of the Attorney General, as are required by the Convention”.

Pub. L. 95–6331978—Subsec. (b)(2). inserted provision relating to exception for nonnarcotic controlled substances listed in schedule I or II of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 1978 Amendment

Pub. L. 95–633section 112 of Pub. L. 95–633section 801a of this titleAmendment by effective on date the Convention on Psychotropic Substances enters into force in the United States [], see , set out as an Effective Date note under .

Effective Date

Pub. L. 91–513section 951 of this titleSection effective on first day of seventh calendar month that begins after , see 1105(a) of , set out as a under .