UAE controlled substances: Prison for poppy seeds

People travelling to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) or other Gulf nations should ensure they are aware of the banned substances and even those that seem harmless should be looked at before entering the country. For example be aware that carrying poppy seed, even as a food product, could result in a minimum 20 years of imprisonment or even the death penalty. It relates the case of a person who was caught with a packet of poppy seed in the form of khas khas, which he intended to use as a food additive. The man was inprisoned in Dubai in 1999. The UAE does have extremely strict anti-drug laws and a number of people have been jailed there for possession of substances, including poppy seed, that would be considered entirely innocent in other jurisdictions. Information for air travellers on the Government of Dubai website notes:

It is prohibited to bring certain items into Dubai and passengers should be sure not to bring any of these items with them, either intentionally or accidentally. It goes without saying that all kinds of narcotic drugs, including cocaine, heroin, cannabis, opiates and any derivatives are prohibited, and should any visitor be caught with such substances, they face stiff punishment that will almost always involve lengthy jail time. The following substances are also banned: poppy seeds (even in bakery products), qat leaf, betel leaf or nuts, niswar and gutkha.

So the list of UAE controlled substances means if you carry a bread roll covered in poppy seeds you must expect to face a long prison sentance. This may seem extreme but there are many examples of where people have been sent to prison for lengths of time for not abiding to the strict drug control laws the UAE operate.  Pharmacist drugs are also highly regulated and are only despensed in the country by specialists, as opposed to the normal doctors.  Drugs readily available in the West and Asia could also be highly controlled in the UAE and result in sentances stiffer than prison.  A death sentance is the harshes penalty you can face in the UAE and so it is 110% worth taking the time to check whether everything you have on you is legitimate in the UAE. Below is a small list of the controlled drugs that you can buy in Europe and the US that are controlled in the UAE.  This does not include the brand names, just the active ingredients. You gave been warned! UAE controlled substances: Narcotic (Active ingredients)

  Alfentanil Amphetamine Buprenorphone Codeine Fentanyl Ketamine Methadone Methyphenidate Morphine Pentazocine Pethidine Remifentanil Sufentanil Controlled Drug Class A - Psychotropics (Active ingredients) Acitretin Alprazolam Aripiprazole Bromazepam Buprenorphine 200 (microgram tablets and 500 microgram injection) Butorphanol Chlopromazine Chlordiazepoxide Clobazam Clonazepam Clorazepate Diazepam Dihydrocodeine Droperidol Flumazenil Flupentixol Fluphenazine Haloperidol Isotretinoin Lorazepam Medazepam Mephenoxalone Midazolam Misoprostol Nalbuphine Olanzapine Phenobarbitone Pimozide Prazepam Prochlorperazine Propofol Prostaglandin Quetiapine Risperidone Sulpiride Sultopride Temazepam Thiopentone Tiapride Tramadol Trfluoperazine Zaleplon Ziprasidone Zolpidem Zuclopenhtixol Controlled Drug Class B (Active ingredients) Amitriptyline Baclofen Benzhexol Biperiden Buspirone Carisoprodol Citalopram Clomipramine Codeine Cyclobenzaprine Dextromethorphan Diphenoxylate Dotheipin Duloxetine Escitalopram Estradiol Ethinylestradiol Etonogestrel Fluoxetine Flupenthixol Fluvoxamine Imapramine Isotretonin Lithium Carbonate Maprotiline Menotrophin Meserolone Methocarbomol Mianserin Milnacipran Minaprine Mirtazapine Moclobemide Naltrexone Nandrolone Nefazodone Norethisterone Norethisterone Norgetrol Noscapine Octreotide Oestradiol Opipramol Orphenadrine Oseltamivir Oxazepam Paroxetine Pholcodine Pimecrolimus Procyclidine Propoxyphene (with paracetemol Pyrisuccideanol Reboxetine Sertraline Somatrophine Testosterone Ticlopidine Tizanidine Tretinoin Trimipramine Vecuronium Venlafaxine Appendix 2 Common UAE controlled drugs (Trade names) The following list shows some of the TRADE names of those controlled items that are registered as medicines in the UAE Narcotics Ketalar Physeptone Ritalin Sosegon Subutex Ultiva Controlled Drugs Class A - Psychotropics Abilify Anexate Arthrotec Ativan Barnetil Buccastem Clopixol Cytotec Deanxit Dehydrobenzperidol Demetrin DHC continues Dialag Diapam Diprivan Dogmatil Dormicum Dorsilon Frisium Gardinal Genprid Haldol Intraval Largactil Lexotanil Limbitrol Neotigason Nobrium Noctran Nubain Orap Prolixin Propess Risperdal Rivotril Serenace Seroquel Sonata Stadol Stelazine Stemetil Stesolid Stilnox Tekam Temgesic Tiapridal Tramal Tramundin Tranxene Valium Xanax Zaldiar Zeldox Zyprexa Controlled Drugs Class B 123 Cold Actifed Compound Actifed DM Activelle Adol Cold Adol Compound Adumbran Akineton Algaphan Anafranil Andriol Artane Athymil Aurorix Benxtrone Bepro Broncholar Broncholar forte Bronchophane Buspar Cancolite Cantor Cipralex Cipram Climen Codaphen Codaphen plus Codilar Codipront Codis Coldex-dD Cymbalta Deca durabolin Decutan Dextrocuf Dextrolag Diarsed Diaxine Dicton Distalgesic Edronax Efexor Elidel Estracomb Estrofem Faverin Femoston Flexiban Flozak Fluanxol Flumed DM adult Fluneurin Fluoxone Fluran Flutin Fluxetyl Genotropin Insidon Intard Ixel Kafosed Kemadrin Kliogest Lagaflex Linz Lioresal Lomotil Ludiomil Menogen Muscadol Myogesic Noracod Norcuron Norditropin Norflex Norgesic Nuvaing Oxetine Paracodol Phensedyl Primotestone Progyluton Prothiaden Proviron Prozac Remeron Revacod Rhinotussel Riaphan Roaccutane Robaxin Robaxisal Robitussin-CF Romilar Saizen Salipax Sandostatin Saroten Sedofan DM Sedofan-P Seroxat Serzone Sirdalud Somadryl compound St Joseph cough Sterandryl Stivane Surmontil Sustanon Tamiflu Ticlid Tixylix Tofranil Trexan Tripofed dm Trisequens Tryptizol Tuscalman Tussifin with codeine Unified DM Vesanoid Virormone Zoloft