Betel Nut (Areca catechu) is uncontrolled in the United States. This means all parts of the plant and its extracts are legal to cultivate, buy, possess, and distribute (sell, trade or give) without a license or prescription. If sold as a supplement, sales must conform to U.S. supplement laws. If sold for consumption as a food or drug, sales are regulated by the FDA.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued an import alert resulting in automatic detention of betel if it is detected by U.S. Customs officers (IA #23-06; revised July 17, 1992). Likewise, the U.S. Department of Agriculture enforces a prohibition against importation of betel nuts, which seems to apply only to nuts in raw or unprocessed condition (51 Agric. Dec. 1278, 1992 WL 515928 (U.S.D.A.) and 7 C.F.R. § 318.13). But there is also contradictory evidence which suggests that Betel Nuts may be legally imported in some forms. [Van McCrary, uh.edu]