S.I. No. 405/2025 - Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Regulations 2025

Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of 22nd August, 2025.

I, JENNIFER CARROLL MACNEILL, Minister for Health, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by sections 4 , 5 (amended by section 3 of the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Act 2016 (No. 9 of 2016)), 18 and 38 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 (No. 12 of 1977) and section 5 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1984 (No. 18 of 1984), hereby make the following regulations:

1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Regulations 2025.

(2) The Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2017 to 2024 and these Regulations may be cited together as the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2017 to 2025.

2. In these Regulations, “Principal Regulations” means the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2017 ( S.I. No. 173 of 2017 ).

3. Schedule 1 to the Principal Regulations is amended, in paragraph 1(a), by –

(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-yl] (2,2,3,3-tetramethylcyclopropyl) methanone (otherwise known as XLR-11)”,

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

“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”,

(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)”.

4. Schedule 4 to the Principal Regulations is amended, in Part 1, by –

(a) the insertion of “Bromazolam” after “Bromazepam”, and

(b) the insertion of “Carisoprodol” after “Camazepam”.

GIVEN under my Official Seal,

29 July, 2025.

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 these Regulations is to amend the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2017 by adding certain additional substances to Schedules 1 and 4 of those Regulations.

These Regulations may be cited as the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Regulations 2025.