Strictly Illegal

Reimbursed Care Access in Algeria

Algeria maintains a prohibitionist, tightly regulated regime for psychoactive/hallucinogenic substances: national narcotics and psychotropes law explicitly criminalises trafficking, possession and use (with narrow medical/scientific exemptions) while the health system uses certain controlled substances (notably ketamine) for approved medical/anesthetic purposes. There is no established, reimbursed clinical program for classical psychedelic therapies (psilocybin, MDMA, mescaline, DMT, 5‑MeO‑DMT, ibogaine, ayahuasca, 2C‑X) outside of specially authorised research; most of those compounds are treated as illicit psychotropic/stupefiant substances under Law No. 04‑18 and its implementing rules. [https://www.unodc.org/cld/en/legislation/dza/loi_no._04-18_relative_a_la_prevention_et_a_la_repression_de_lusage_et_du_traffic_illicites_de_stupefiants/chapitre_iii/articles_12-28/loi_04-18.html|UNODC: Loi n°04-18] [https://onlcdt.mjustice.dz/onlcdt_fr/?p=legisl_2004_chap_1|ONLCDT (Algeria) – legislation summary]

Psilocybin

Strictly Illegal

Currently classified as a strictly controlled psychotropic/hallucinogenic substance under Algeria’s drug law framework with no authorised medical therapy or reimbursed clinical program outside of formally approved research. The national narcotics/psychotropes statute (Loi n°04‑18) implements Algeria’s obligations under the UN Single Convention and 1971 Psychotropics Convention and treats hallucinogens as controlled substances, subject to criminal penalties for possession, use and trafficking unless a specific ministerial medical or scientific authorization is issued. #

MDMA

Strictly Illegal

Currently classified as a strictly controlled substance under national drug scheduling laws, with no authorized medical use or reimbursed access outside of approved clinical research or a specific, exceptional ministerial authorization. (Algeria’s Loi n°04‑18 broadly controls psychotropic substances including synthetic empathogens/hallucinogens.) #

Esketamine

Clinical Trials Only / Not Marketed

There is no publicly available evidence that intranasal esketamine (Spravato®) has been registered, authorised for national therapeutic use, or included in a national reimbursement scheme in Algeria. Algeria’s medicines procurement and hospital lists explicitly include injectable ketamine among standard anaesthetic agents used in hospitals and procurement procedures, but I found no entry or national approval record for esketamine as a specifically authorised marketed antidepressant product in Algeria’s public sources or in Algeria’s drug‑control legislative summaries. As a practical consequence: esketamine is not a reimbursed or standard treatment option in Algerian practice; access would require either an authorised clinical trial import permit or a special ministerial authorisation for scientific use. Evidence of ketamine on Algerian procurement/essential lists: ketamine appears on Algerian clinical/essential‑medicines procurement lists and training curricula for anesthesiology (showing routine anaesthetic use). # #.

Ketamine

Medical Use (Hospital) — Not Reimbursed for Psychedelic Indications

Ketamine (racemic injectable) is an accepted and widely used anaesthetic/analgesic agent in Algerian hospitals and appears on national procurement/essential medicines lists and in local anaesthesia training materials, indicating routine medical/operative use under Ministry of Health oversight. These uses are governed by Algeria’s medicines regulation and hospital procurement systems and fit within the Loi n°04‑18 carve‑out permitting medical and scientific uses of controlled substances under authorisation. # #

Clinical/psychiatric use of ketamine (e.g., off‑label infusions for depression) is not established as a reimbursed or standard care pathway in Algeria: there is no publicly available national guideline or reimbursement programme for ketamine as a psychiatric intervention. In practice, ketamine is available for licensed medical purposes (principally anaesthesia and acute pain), administered within hospitals and surgical centres; any psychiatric/off‑label programmes would be provided at the discretion of treating institutions/clinicians and would not be part of a dedicated, publicly reimbursed psychedelic therapy pathway. For regulatory status: medical use is permitted under ministerial supervision while non‑medical possession/trafficking remains criminalised by Loi n°04‑18. # #

DMT

Strictly Illegal

Currently classified as a strictly controlled psychotropic substance under Algeria’s drug law framework, with no authorised medical use or reimbursed access outside approved scientific/clinical research. The national statute adopts the UN psychotropics scheduling approach and treats naturally occurring and synthetic psychodysleptics as controlled. #

5-MeO-DMT

Strictly Illegal

Currently classified as a strictly controlled psychotropic substance under national drug scheduling laws, with no authorized medical use outside approved clinical research. Algeria’s law groups hallucinogens/psychodysleptics under controlled substances unless a specific medical or scientific authorisation is issued. #

Ibogaine

Strictly Illegal

Currently classified as a strictly controlled substance under Algeria’s psychotropic/narcotics law, with no authorised medical programme or reimbursement for addiction treatment; access would be limited to specially authorised clinical research if permitted by the Ministry of Health and judicial authorities. #

Ayahuasca

Strictly Illegal

Brew preparations containing DMT and other psychotropic constituents fall under Algeria’s control of psychotropic substances; ayahuasca is therefore effectively illegal for unapproved use and has no authorised medical/reimbursed pathway. Any importation/administration would require a specific scientific or ministerial exemption. #

Mescaline

Strictly Illegal

Classified among controlled hallucinogens under Algeria’s psychotropes/narcotics law; no authorised medical or reimbursed uses exist and the compound is subject to criminal penalties for possession, trafficking or distribution except under narrow ministerial research/medical authorisations. #

2C-X

Strictly Illegal

Substituted phenethylamines and novel synthetic psychedelics are controlled as psychotropic substances under the national drug law; 2C‑series compounds have no authorised medical use or reimbursement and are criminalised outside approved scientific research. #