S.I. No. 439/2026 - Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 (Controlled Drugs) (Designation) (Amendment) Order 2026

Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of 25th August, 2026.

WHEREAS I, JENNIFER CARROLL MACNEILL, Minister for Health, am of the opinion that it is in the public interest—

• (a) for the manufacture, production, preparation, sale, supply, distribution, and possession of the drugs specified in the amendments to Schedule 1 to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 (Controlled Drugs) (Designation) Order 2022 ( S.I. No. 211 of 2022 ) effected by Article 2 of the following order to be unlawful except for the purposes of research or for other special purposes specified in Schedule 2 to that order, and

• (b) for it to be unlawful for any person referred to in subsection (1)(b) of section 13 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 (No. 12 of 1977) to have in his or her possession or to do in relation to the drugs specified in the amendments to Schedule 1 to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 (Controlled Drugs) (Designation) Order 2022 to be effected by Article 2 of the following order, any of the things mentioned in subsection (2) of section 5 of that Act except under a licence or other authority issued by me,

NOW I, JENNIFER CARROLL MACNEILL, Minister for Health, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 13 of the said Act, hereby order as follows:

1.

2.

• (a) the insertion of “N-[1-(Aminocarbonyl)-2,2-dimethylpropyl]-1-butyl-1H-indazole-3-carboxamide (otherwise known as ADB-BUTINACA)” after “N-(Adamantan-1-yl)-1-(5-fluoropentyl)-1H-indazole-3-carboxamide (otherwise known as Clockwork Orange, 5F AKB48)”,

• (b) the insertion of “N,N-diethyl-2-[(4-butoxyphenyl)methyl]-5-nitro-1H-benzimidazole-1-ethanamine (otherwise known as Butonitazene)” after “[2,3-Dihydro-5-methyl-3-(4-morpholinylmethyl)pyrrolo[1,2,3-de]-1,4-benzoxazin-6-yl]-1-naphthalenylmethanone”,

• (c) the insertion of “N,N-diethyl-5-nitro-2-[(4-propoxyphenyl) methyl]-1-H-benzimidazole-1-ethanamine (otherwise known as Protonitazene)” after “N,N-Diethyl-2-(2-(4-isopropoxybenzyl)-5-nitro-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-1-yl)ethan-1-amine (otherwise known as Isotonitazene)”,

• (d) the insertion of the following after “1-(1,2-Diphenylethyl) piperidine (otherwise known as Diphenidine)”:

“2-[(4-Ethoxyphenyl)methyl]-N,N-diethyl-1H-benzimidazole-1-ethanamine (otherwise known as Etazene)

2-[(4-Ethoxyphenyl)methyl]-5-nitro-1-(2-piperidin-1-ylethyl)-1H-benzoimidazole (otherwise known as Etonitazepipne)

2-[(4-Ethoxyphenyl)methyl]-5-nitro-1-(2-pyrrolidin-1-ylethyl)-1H-benzoimidazole (otherwise known as Etonitazepyne)

N-ethyl-2-[2-[(4-isopropoxyphenyl)methyl]-5-nitro-benzimidazol-1-yl]ethanamine (otherwise known as N-desethyl isotonitazene)”,

• (e) the insertion of “2-(2-fluorophenyl)-2-(methylamino) cyclohexan-1-one (otherwise known as 2-Fluorodeschloroketamine)” after “1-(5-Fluoropentyl)-1H-indol-3-ylmethanone (otherwise known as XLR-11)”,

• (f) the insertion of the following after “1-(4-Fluorophenyl)-2-methylaminopropan-1-one”:

“Hexahydrocannabinol

Hexahydro derivatives of 3-alkyl homologues of cannabinol”,

• (g) the insertion of “2-[(4-methoxyphenyl)methyl]-5-nitro-1-(2-pyrrolidin-1-ylethyl)-1H-benzoimidazole (otherwise known as Metonitazepyne)” after “1-(4-Methoxyphenyl)-2-(methylamino)propan-1-one”, and

• (h) the insertion of the following after “1-(4-Methylphenyl)-2-methylaminopropan-1-one”:

“1-{2-methyl-4-[(2E)-3-phenylprop-2-en-1-yl]piperazin-1-yl}butan-1-one (otherwise known as 2-methyl-AP-237)

5-nitro-2-[(4-propoxyphenyl)methyl]-1-(2-pyrrolidin-1-ylethyl)benzimidazole (otherwise known as Protonitazepyne)”.

3.

GIVEN under my Official Seal,

29 July, 2026.

JENNIFER CARROLL MACNEILL,

Minister for Health.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation).

The purpose of this Order is to replace the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 (Controlled Drugs) (Designation) (Amendment) Order 2025 (S.I. No. 406/2025), thereby adding the following to the list of drugs to which section 13 (1) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 applies:

N-[1-(Aminocarbonyl)-2,2-dimethylpropyl]-1-butyl-1H-indazole-3-carboxamide (otherwise known as ADB-BUTINACA)

N,N-diethyl-2-[(4-butoxyphenyl)methyl]-5-nitro-1H-benzimidazole-1-ethanamine (otherwise known as Butonitazene)

N,N-diethyl-5-nitro-2-[(4-propoxyphenyl)methyl]-1-H-benzimidazole-1-ethanamine (otherwise known as Protonitazene)

2-[(4-Ethoxyphenyl)methyl]-N,N-diethyl-1H-benzimidazole-1-ethanamine (otherwise known as Etazene)

2-[(4-Ethoxyphenyl)methyl]-5-nitro-1-(2-piperidin-1-ylethyl)-1H-benzoimidazole (otherwise known as Etonitazepipne)

2-[(4-Ethoxyphenyl)methyl]-5-nitro-1-(2-pyrrolidin-1-ylethyl)-1H-benzoimidazole (otherwise known as Etonitazepyne)

N-ethyl-2-[2-[(4-isopropoxyphenyl)methyl]-5-nitro-benzimidazol-1-yl]ethanamine (otherwise known as N-desethyl isotonitazene)

2-(2-fluorophenyl)-2-(methylamino)cyclohexan-1-one (otherwise known as 2-Fluorodeschloroketamine)

6a,7,8,9,10,10a-hexahydro-6,6,9-trimethyl-3-pentyl-6H-dibenzo[b,d]pyran-1-ol (otherwise known as Hexahydrocannabinol)

Hexahydro derivatives of 3-alkyl homologues of cannabinol

2-[(4-methoxyphenyl)methyl]-5-nitro-1-(2-pyrrolidin-1-ylethyl)-1H-benzoimidazole (otherwise known as Metonitazepyne)

1-{2-methyl-4-[(2E)-3-phenylprop-2-en-1-yl]piperazin-1-yl}butan-1-one (otherwise known as 2-methyl-AP-237)

5-nitro-2-[(4-propoxyphenyl)methyl]-1-(2-pyrrolidin-1-ylethyl)benzimidazole (otherwise known as Protonitazepyne)

This Order may be cited as the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 (Controlled Drugs) (Designation) (Amendment) Order 2026.