Modafinil is widely considered as one of the best nootropics money can buy. The boost in focus and increase in productivity it gives are second to none, making it a very popular choice among students, working professionals, and indeed, anyone whose brain could use a boost.
But, officially, this is not what modafinil should be used for. It is a prescription treatment for narcolepsy and several other sleep disorders.
The question is then, when you use it off-label for cognitive enhancement, is modafinil legal? And, taking it a step further, is it legal for you to buy it online?
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Modafinil Legal Status
Modafinil is a powerful wakefulness-promoting agent. It’s prescribed by doctors to treat conditions like narcolepsy, shift work sleep disorder, sleep apnea, and excessive daytime sleepiness.
Because it is a prescription drug, just about everywhere in the world, from a legal perspective, modafinil is a controlled substance.
While what that means exactly will differ from country to country, in general, you can interpret it as follows: modafinil is legal to own, but illegal to buy without a prescription.
Is Modafinil Legal in the US
In the United States, modafinil is classified as a Schedule IV controlled substance. This means it has:
- Low potential for abuse and addiction
- Use as a treatment for at least one medical condition in the US
- Limited psychological and physical dependence if it is abused
To legally purchase modafinil or any Schedule IV substance in the United States, you need to have a doctor’s prescription. Doing so without one is technically illegal.
But, owning a Schedule IV substance is a different story. Once modafinil is in your hands (however it gets there), no one will question it, and it will not get you in any legal trouble.
Modafinil Legality in Other Countries
Much like in the US, in every other western country in the world modafinil is a controlled substance. Some minor details may vary but, in general, to legally buy modafinil, you will need a doctor’s prescription, while owning it is not considered a punishable offense.
Below is a brief breakdown of how modafinil is viewed in countries where off-label use is most popular.
United Kingdom
The UK government states modafinil is a restricted prescription-only medication (POM) and cleared exclusively for the treatment of narcolepsy. You can buy it legally from a local pharmacy only when you have it prescribed by a British doctor.
However, owning a POM is only illegal if the drug is listed by the UK Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Modafinil (most commonly found in the UK under the brand name Provigil) is not currently there. Possessing it, therefore, does not break the law.
Canada
The government of Canada has modafinil on its Prescription Drug List (which replaced Schedule F several years ago). All substances on that list are legal to own but need a prescription to buy.
That said, modafinil is not singled out by the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, which means owning it is not a crime. Once you buy it and it’s in your possession, you won’t run into problems.
The brand names of modafinil most commonly seen in Canada are Provigil and Alertec.
Australia
According to Australia’s drug scheduling system, modafinil is classified as Schedule 4. All drugs of that category are legal but do require a doctor’s prescription to purchase. They are, however, not illegal to own without one.
Importing modafinil to Australia (where it sells under the brand name Modavigil) is also not illegal. It does not show up in either the Therapeutic Goods Act (TGA) import guidelines or on the Office of Drug Control’s list of controlled substances.
For more details, please see this article on buying modafinil in Australia.
Germany
Similarly to all countries listed above, if you want to buy modafinil in Germany, you will need to secure a doctor’s prescription first. Once you own it, however, modafinil (most frequently sold to Germans under the brand name Vigil) is legal to own. Considered a street drug it is not.
In other words, you won’t get arrested or run into any issues for possession of modafinil (for personal use) even if you don’t have a prescription.
Is It Legal to Buy Modafinil Online
Almost no one who uses modafinil as a nootropic has a prescription for it. How do they get it without one? On the internet.
While it is technically illegal to do so, no matter where you live, you will not get into trouble if you buy modafinil online.
In the vast majority of cases, your order will just breeze through the border.
In any country, customs inspect but a small percentage of packages. With the number of shipments that arrive every day, anything other than spot checks is not realistic.
So, what if you’re one of the unlucky ones? What happens if, despite its discrete packaging (which all good modafinil sellers will do), your order gets flagged for inspection? One of two things.
Legally, after discovering modafinil, border services should ask you to present your prescription. But, this often doesn’t happen. Modafinil is not an illegal substance and customs typically have bigger fish to fry than worry about your use of nootropics.
If customs do proceed with requesting proof of a prescription, they will do so by letter. Here is what a modafinil customs letter looks like in the US.
When you get such a letter, simply ignore it. You’re not in trouble. No one will arrest you. Everyone can send anything to anyone. If sending a bit of modafinil to a person is all it took to get them into legal trouble, there would be a whole lot of people with court dates.
If after a while (typically around 30 days from sending the letter), customs do not hear back from you, they destroy the modafinil they found and move on.
Though that doesn’t sound like a great outcome, there is good news. As long as you use a reputable modafinil vendor, they will re-send your order for free (or, if you prefer, refund your money). For online sellers, the odd customs modafinil seizure is part of doing business.
The above is how people worldwide get their modafinil online, despite it technically being illegal.
Summary
Is modafinil legal? If you’re asking about owning it, yes. If you’re asking about buying it, yes, but only if you have a doctor’s prescription.
What about getting it on the internet? By the book, you should have a prescription too. But, you won’t be in trouble without one.
The reality is everyone buys modafinil online without ever talking to a doctor. It’s cheap, convenient, and the easiest way for you to enjoy all the off-label benefits this powerful cognitive enhancer offers.
Leave a Reply