Our role in regulating precursor chemicals

What are precursor chemicals?

Precursor chemicals are chemicals that can be used to make  controlled drugs. They are also called 'scheduled substances' or 'drug precursors'.

These chemicals have many legitimate commercial uses, such as:

  • licensed medicines,
  • food stuffs such as flavourings,
  • fragrances, and
  • for other scientific or laboratory uses.

However, if they are procured by illegal sources, they can be used in the illegal manufacture of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

It is necessary to recognise and protect the legal trade of these chemicals. It is also important to make sure that they are not diverted from the legal trade and used in the illegal manufacture of narcotic drugs and substances.

The Department of Health is the competent authority for controlled drugs. We regulate precursor chemicals, which are certain chemicals that can easily be converted into controlled drugs.

How do we monitor precursor chemicals?

Precursor chemicals are regulated across Europe through harmonised legislation. The legislation balances the legal trade of these chemicals while also preventing the illegal diversion of them.

This harmonised legislation was also put in place to implement the 1988 United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.

The law in Europe states that EU Member states must monitor the uses of precursor chemicals in their country. This includes the movement of these chemicals into and out of the country. 

You can find more information about the international and European legislation governing precursor chemicals on the legislation page.

In Ireland, we monitor the activities related to precursor chemicals.

  • We regulate the movement and uses of these chemicals in Ireland.
  • We make sure that operators of these chemicals meet the requirements set out in European law.
  • We issue licences and registrations for precursor chemicals.

The monitoring of precursor chemicals is performed by:

  • The licensing and registration of operators.
  • Procedures and requirements around the movement of precursor chemicals.
  • Requirements on the documentation and labelling of precursor chemicals.

You can find more information about the licensing, registration, and applying for import/export authorisations for precursor chemicals on our website.