Cocaine

Illegal controlled substance.

Switzerland has medically supervised drug consumption rooms in several cities where cocaine can be consumed, though possession and purchase remain illegal.

List I (hard drug) under the Opiumwet.

The Netherlands prosecutes cocaine as a List I (hard drug). Unlike cannabis, there is no gedoogbeleid (tolerance policy) for cocaine. Drug checking services (DIMS) do test cocaine samples for adulterants.

Class A controlled substance. Maximum penalties.

Cocaine (including crack cocaine) is Class A in the UK. The UK has one of the highest cocaine usage rates in Europe. Crack cocaine carries the same classification as powder cocaine.

Illegal narcotic (stupéfiant).

France classifies cocaine as a narcotic (stupéfiant). Enforcement is strict, though drug consumption rooms exist in Paris and Strasbourg (primarily for opioid users).

Illegal controlled substance.

Belgian cocaine enforcement is serious given Antwerp's role as a major European cocaine entry port. The port handles more cocaine seizures than any other in Europe.

Illegal narcotic substance (Group I-N).

Poland classifies cocaine in its most restricted narcotic group (I-N). No tolerance for personal use exists.

Schedule I under CDSA. Illegal for all non-medical purposes.

Cocaine is Schedule I in Canada with the most severe penalties. There are no decriminalization exceptions.

Illegal. Personal use threshold: 500 mg.

Mexico's 2009 "Narcomenudeo" reform set a personal-use threshold of 500 mg for cocaine. This is roughly 3–5 lines/bumps, providing a meaningful buffer for personal users.

Illegal. No fixed personal-use threshold.

Brazil is the world's second-largest cocaine consumer. The 2006 drug law eliminated prison for personal use but the user/trafficker distinction is racially biased in practice, disproportionately affecting Black and poor Brazilians.

Illegal. The Arriola ruling provides limited protection for private use.

Cocaine use in Argentina is significant. The Arriola ruling technically protects private personal use from prosecution, but practical enforcement is inconsistent, especially outside Buenos Aires.

Cocaine: illegal. Coca leaf: legal and culturally protected.

Peru is the world's second-largest coca leaf producer. Coca leaf chewing (“coqueo”) is legal and culturally entrenched. ENACO holds the legal monopoly on coca leaf distribution. Personal cocaine possession (up to 2 g) is explicitly not a crime.

Illegal controlled substance. Severe penalties.

Australia has one of the highest cocaine prices in the world ($250–$400 AUD per gram) and among the highest per-capita usage. All states treat cocaine seriously.

Class A controlled drug — the most severe category.

Cocaine is Class A in New Zealand but very uncommon due to geography and cost. Methamphetamine is a far more prevalent stimulant.

Banned substance (Schedule 7 + Drugs Act).

South Africa prohibits cocaine under both the Medicines Act and the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act. Cocaine use is concentrated in urban centers.

Illegal dangerous drug.

Cocaine is a dangerous drug in Israel with no medical-use pathway or decriminalization initiatives.

Narcotic under the Narcotics and Psychotropics Control Law.

Japan classifies cocaine as a narcotic. The drug is relatively uncommon in Japan compared to stimulants like methamphetamine.

Class A controlled drug. Trafficking above 30 g carries mandatory death penalty.

Singapore imposes the mandatory death penalty for trafficking of 30 g or more of cocaine. The presumption of trafficking kicks in at just 2 g of possession. This is among the most severe cocaine laws in the world.

Anlage III of the BtMG — prescribable but highly restricted narcotic. Medical use in ENT surgery.

Germany uniquely places cocaine in Anlage III (prescribable) rather than Anlage I (non-prescribable). Cocaine is still occasionally used as a local anaesthetic in ENT surgery. The aggravated penalty threshold is 5 g of cocaine hydrochloride.

Schedule II controlled substance. Recognized medical use (topical anaesthetic).

Cocaine is Schedule II (unlike MDMA/LSD which are Schedule I) because it retains accepted medical use as a topical anaesthetic. The crack vs powder cocaine sentencing disparity was reduced by the Fair Sentencing Act 2010 from 100:1 to 18:1, and further addressed by the EQUAL Act debates.

Suchtgift (narcotic). Personal use redirected to health system under "Therapie statt Strafe".

Austria's harm-reduction framework applies. Personal use is diverted to health authorities rather than criminal prosecution.

Private personal use is an administrative offense. Trafficking is a serious crime.

Spain treats cocaine as a "hard drug" for trafficking (sustancia que causa grave daño) with harsher penalties than cannabis, but personal private use remains decriminalized.

Decriminalized for personal use (up to 2 g) under the 2001 reform.

Portugal's personal-use threshold for cocaine is 2 g. This is one of the more generous thresholds and has led to measurably reduced overdose deaths since 2001.

Tabella I substance. Personal use is an administrative offense.

Italy places cocaine in Tabella I. Personal use is not criminal. The quantity threshold for "personal use" is determined case by case.

Small amounts for personal use (up to 1 g) are a misdemeanor.

Czech Republic defines 1 g as the personal-use threshold for cocaine. Unlike cannabis or mushrooms, cocaine trafficking carries heavier penalties (2–10 years vs 1–5 years).

Personal dose (1 g) decriminalized. Coca leaf is legally cultivated by indigenous communities.

Colombia has a uniquely complex relationship with cocaine. Personal use is constitutionally protected (C-221/94), and coca leaf chewing/cultivation by indigenous communities is legal. However, cocaine trafficking carries severe penalties and Colombia remains a major enforcement theater.