
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
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[Laws in effect as of January 2, 2001]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 2, 2001 and January 28, 2002]
[CITE: 21USC952]

 
                        TITLE 21--FOOD AND DRUGS
 
              CHAPTER 13--DRUG ABUSE PREVENTION AND CONTROL
 
                    SUBCHAPTER II--IMPORT AND EXPORT
 
Sec. 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 of 
this chapter, or any narcotic drug in schedule III, IV, or V of 
subchapter I of this chapter, except that--
        (1) such amounts of crude opium, poppy straw, concentrate of 
    poppy straw, and coca leaves 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) 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 section 823 of 
        this title, 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) of this section, 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.

(Pub. L. 91-513, title III, Sec. 1002, Oct. 27, 1970, 84 Stat. 1285; 
Pub. L. 95-633, title I, Sec. 105, Nov. 10, 1978, 92 Stat. 3772; Pub. L. 
98-473, title II, Secs. 519-521, Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2075.)

                       References in Text

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


                               Amendments

    1984--Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 98-473, Sec. 519, amended par. (1) 
generally, inserting references to poppy straw and concentrate of poppy 
straw.
    Subsec. (a)(2)(C). Pub. L. 98-473, Sec. 520, added subpar. (C).
    Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 98-473, Sec. 521, 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''.
    1978--Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 95-633 inserted provision relating to 
exception for nonnarcotic controlled substances listed in schedule I or 
II of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances.


                    Effective Date of 1978 Amendment

    Amendment by Pub. L. 95-633 effective on date the Convention on 
Psychotropic Substances enters into force in the United States [July 15, 
1980], see section 112 of Pub. L. 95-633, set out as an Effective Date 
note under section 801a of this title.

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in sections 954, 956, 958, 960 of this 
title; title 18 section 5032; title 28 section 994.
