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Dosage & Duration
Dosage
Doses are population estimates that vary widely between individuals.
Moderate30-60 mg
Duration
Total2-4 hours
Subjective Effects
Subjective Effects not written up yet
Pharmacology
Pharmacology not written up yet
Interactions
Interactions not written up yet
An unlisted combination is an unknown one, not a safe one. Check a dedicated combination chart before mixing.
Tolerance
Tolerance not written up yet
Harm Potential
Addiction & Dependence
Psychological
HighChronic khat chewing is described as capable of creating drug dependence, with animal studies showing increasing drug-reward responding.
Physical
ModerateReported withdrawal symptoms include hot flashes, lethargy, and intense cravings during at least the first 48 hours.
Toxicity
cardiovascular
Cathinone can cause tachycardia, hypertension, palpitations, vasoconstriction, arrhythmias, myocardial insufficiency, myocardial infarction, stroke, cerebral hemorrhage, and pulmonary edema.
neurological
Reported severe events include migraine headaches, stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, cognitive impairment, and oxidative stress in limbic regions in mice.
pulmonary
Pulmonary edema is listed among less-common severe negatives and appears in synthetic cathinone case-series cases.
gastrointestinal/metabolic
Alleged long-term issues include anorexia and constipation, likely more with khat than isolated cathinone.
reproductive
Heavy chronic use has been alleged to involve spermatorrhea, impotence, and delayed ejaculation in males.
oral
Long-term effects are described as including gum disease or oral cancer.
Carcinogenicity
Possible
Oral cancer is mentioned among possible long-term effects, but the evidence does not distinguish cathinone itself from khat-chewing exposure.
Psychosis Risk
Manic states and stimulant psychosis are described as possible, especially with heavy acute or chronic use; reported psychotic states include persecutory delusions, auditory hallucinations, fear, and anxiety.
History & Culture
History & Culture not written up yet
Legality
International
Schedule 1
By Country
Illegal3
United StatesIllegalUnder United States federal law, cathinone has been listed among the Schedule I stimulants in 21 C.F.R. § 1308.11(f) since February 16, 1993. The listing covers any quantity of cathinone, including its salts, isomers, and salts of isomers, unless specifically excepted or listed in another schedule. Unauthorized possession, manufacture, distribution, dispensing, and possession with intent to manufacture, distribute, or dispense are unlawful.
CanadaIllegalCathinone, as (-)-alpha-aminopropiophenone, and its salts are listed in Schedule III, item 19 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. The Act prohibits unauthorized possession, trafficking, possession for trafficking, import, export, and production of Schedule III substances. Although Schedule 4, item 22 of the Controlled Substances Regulations also lists cathinone and its salts, those Regulations do not come into force until October 1, 2026.
United KingdomIllegalCathinone is listed in Schedule 1 to The Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001, which came into force on 1 February 2002. It is also named as a Class C drug in Schedule 2 Part III of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Possession, production, and supply are unlawful, subject to regulations and other statutory exceptions.
References
Citations
- Controlled Drugs and Substances Act — Schedule III, item 19. laws-lois.justice.gc.ca (n.d.). https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-38.8/section-sched95602.html1
- Controlled Drugs and Substances Act — sections 4 and 5. laws-lois.justice.gc.ca (n.d.). https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-38.8/page-1.html1
- Controlled Drugs and Substances Act — sections 6 and 7. laws-lois.justice.gc.ca (n.d.). https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-38.8/page-2.html1
- Controlled Substances Regulations — Schedule 4, item 22 (not in force). laws-lois.justice.gc.ca (n.d.). https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2025-242/page-25.html1
- Controlled Substances Regulations — section 239. laws-lois.justice.gc.ca (n.d.). https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2025-242/section-239.html1
- The Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 — Schedule 1. legislation.gov.uk (n.d.). https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2001/3998/schedule/11
- The Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 — Regulation 1. legislation.gov.uk (n.d.). https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2001/3998/regulation/11
- Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 — Schedule 2 Part III. legislation.gov.uk (n.d.). https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1971/38/schedule/2/part/III1
- Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 — Section 5. legislation.gov.uk (n.d.). https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1971/38/section/51
- Controlled Substances — Alphabetical Order. deadiversion.usdoj.gov (n.d.). https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/schedules/orangebook/c_cs_alpha.pdf1
Article Status
Step 1 · Automated synthesisAn autonomous workflow built by Josie Kins compiled this article's foundation from information published across the web.
- Step 2 · First-pass reviewPending
Not yet reviewed — this article is pending editorial review by Lyrea.
- Step 3 · Citation reviewPending
No one has reviewed this article's citations yet. That second pass checks each claim against the source it cites.
Recent changes7 human edits · latest
Times are UTCNewest first
24 January 2026
Josie Kins · Updated the article · also 1,4-Butanediol, 1B-LSD, 1cP-AL-LAD and 573 more
Josie Kins · Updated the article · also 1,4-Butanediol, 1B-LSD, 1cP-AL-LAD and 573 more
Josie Kins · Updated the article · also 1,4-Butanediol, 1B-LSD, 1cP-AL-LAD and 573 more
Josie Kins · Updated the article · also 1,4-Butanediol, 1B-LSD, 1cP-AL-LAD and 573 more
Josie Kins · Updated the article · also 1,4-Butanediol, 1B-LSD, 1cP-AL-LAD and 573 more
Josie Kins · Updated the article · also 1,4-Butanediol, 1B-LSD, 1cP-AL-LAD and 573 more
Josie Kins · Updated the article · also 1,4-Butanediol, 1B-LSD, 1cP-AL-LAD and 573 more
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