DMT Legal Status in Australia: A Complete Guide
DMT is a Schedule 9 prohibited substance in Australia, criminalised in all states and territories with no general therapeutic pathway. This classification applies to DMT itself as well as DMT-containing plant materials, including ayahuasca. Although Australia has made significant progress in psychedelic research, DMT remains entirely outside the legal therapeutic framework. This guide provides a systematic overview of DMT’s legal status in Australia, state penalties, botanical sources, and ongoing clinical research.
Federal Legal Classification
DMT (N,N-dimethyltryptamine) is listed as a Schedule 9 prohibited substance under the Poisons Standard. The definition of Schedule 9 is: “a substance that may be abused or misused, the manufacture, possession, sale or use of which should be prohibited by law except when required for medical or scientific research, analysis, teaching or training purposes with the approval of the Commonwealth and/or State or Territory Health Authorities.”
At the federal level, the Office of Drug Control (ODC) lists DMT as a controlled substance, and importation requires both an import licence and an import permit. This means any unauthorised DMT importation constitutes a federal offence.
State and Territory Penalties
While each state and territory enforces its own drug laws, the approach to DMT is highly consistent. New South Wales classifies DMT as a prohibited drug under the Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act 1985.
NSW Penalties Escalate Dramatically by Quantity
| Quantity Classification | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Possession | Maximum 2 years imprisonment and/or $2,200 fine |
| Supply small quantity (0.8g) | $5,500 fine and/or 2 years imprisonment (Local Court), or $220,000 fine and/or 15 years imprisonment (District Court) |
| Supply traffickable quantity (3g) | $11,000 fine and/or 2 years imprisonment (Local Court), or $220,000 fine and/or 15 years imprisonment (District Court) |
| Supply indictable quantity (5g) | $11,000 fine and/or 2 years imprisonment (Local Court), or $385,000 fine and/or 15 years imprisonment (District Court) |
| Supply commercial quantity (0.5kg) | $385,000 fine and/or 20 years imprisonment |
| Supply large commercial quantity (2kg) | $550,000 fine and/or life imprisonment |
Additionally, if a person possesses DMT in quantities exceeding the traffickable quantity (3 grams), this constitutes prima facie evidence of supply.
Other States and Territories
Victoria criminalises DMT under the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981. Queensland enforces its prohibitions through the Drugs Misuse Act 1986. Tasmania, South Australia, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia all have similar legislation.
Notably, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has decriminalised small amounts of some illicit drugs. However, this policy has not extended to DMT. DMT remains a prohibited substance in the ACT under the Drugs of Dependence Act 1989.
Ayahuasca and DMT: The Same Legal Status
Ayahuasca is the Amazonian brew containing DMT, and many Australians mistakenly believe it enjoys a different legal status. This is not the case. The possession, use, manufacture, supply, importation, or exportation of ayahuasca is illegal across all Australian states and territories. DMT, as its psychoactive component, is a Schedule 9 prohibited drug.
Australian Acacia: The Reality of Plant Sources
Australia’s native Acacia genus (commonly known as wattle) does contain DMT. Western Australia is the diversity centre for Acacia, with 894 natural species.
Academic Research Confirms DMT’s Widespread Presence
A 2024 study screened 104 plant samples from 79 Acacia species. It identified 51 DMT-containing species, 41 of which were previously unknown to contain the psychedelic. A 2026 WA pilot study further screened phyllodes from 148 Acacia species and found some contained DMT, other tryptamines, β-carbolines, and phenylethylamines.
Early research has confirmed DMT content in specific species. Acacia maidenii bark contains approximately 0.6% alkaloids, of which two-thirds is DMT.
Serious Consequences of Illegal Extraction
The first clandestine DMT extraction laboratory in Western Australia was discovered in 2008. Since then, detection rates have continued to rise, and these labs are now the most common type of clandestine laboratory in WA. People typically extract DMT from the bark of local Acacia trees using rudimentary equipment.
Dr Kelly Shepherd from the WA Herbarium points out that ringbarking trees kills them. Even before any drug extraction occurs, damaging native flora is an offence in itself.
Ongoing Clinical Research
Despite its strict legal status, DMT clinical research in Australia is advancing.
Swinburne University of Technology received $1,977,354.90 from the Medical Research Future Fund for a project titled “Dimethyltryptamine (DMT)-Assisted Psychological Therapy for Treatment-Resistant Major Depression, Alcohol Use Disorder, and Dual Diagnosis.” The grant term runs from January 2022 to August 2027.
Dr Daniel Perkins at the University of Melbourne is Head of the Psychedelics Research and Therapeutics Unit and holds dual PhDs, including one focused on the potential therapeutic use of DMT-harmala alkaloid preparations for mental health and addictive disorders. He is currently an investigator on several clinical studies, including an Australian Government-funded randomised controlled trial investigating a DMT-based drug for major depression and alcohol use disorder.
Neurala Biosciences is developing second-generation DMT-harmala alkaloid neuromedicines. Their Phase 1 proof-of-concept study was published in Scientific Reports in 2025. NBX-100 and NBX-200 are being developed for substance use disorders and chronic depressive illness, respectively.
Calls for Policy Reform
A petition lodged with the Australian Parliament calls for removing naturally occurring entheogenic plants and fungi from Schedule 9. The petition argues these substances have “low physiological toxicity, no established human lethal dose under normal conditions, and demonstrate significant therapeutic potential for PTSD, depression, addiction, and end-of-life anxiety.”
The petition also criticises current accessibility: “Since rescheduling on 1 July 2023, psilocybin-assisted therapy has become legally accessible only through private clinics at an estimated cost of approximately $25,000 per treatment. As it is not listed on the PBS, access is effectively limited to wealthy Australians.”
Conclusion
DMT’s legal status in Australia is clear and strict. It is a Schedule 9 prohibited substance, criminalised in all states and territories, with penalties ranging from a maximum of 2 years imprisonment for possession to a maximum of life imprisonment for supplying a large commercial quantity. Ayahuasca enjoys the same legal status, and the ACT’s decriminalisation policy does not apply to DMT.
Australian Acacia does contain DMT, but illegal extraction causes environmental damage, and such labs have become the most common type of clandestine laboratory in Western Australia. For those seeking DMT’s therapeutic potential, clinical trials are the only legitimate pathway. Research at Swinburne University and the University of Melbourne is advancing, but the evolution of the legal framework will take time.