“Melanotan II is legal because it is sold as a research chemical.”

Misleading

This statement leaves out a limit that changes its meaning.

Research-use-only wording is a marketing label, not a legal status for human use. Selling and supplying melanotan injections is illegal in the UK. Australia's regulator treats melanotan II as a prescription-only medicine that is unapproved, and issued one supplier 27 infringement notices totalling AU$101,412. That same research-chemical channel is the one whose products were found to contain roughly 43 to 88 per cent of the labelled amount plus unidentified impurities.

What this answer is based on

This answer uses an official regulator record or a specific product label.

Limits of this answer

The legality of sale and supply, which is where enforcement in these jurisdictions is directed; it says nothing about what happens to an individual purchaser. These limits show which substance, product, people, use, place, and time the answer covers. A different product or situation can have a different answer.

Topic

Whether a specific product has an approval or another official status.