Nauru countries/nr.yaml
The illicit-drug schedule covers cannabis plants, fruit, seeds, oil, resin and THC. Possession of drugs lawfully prescribed or provided for treating a medical condition is allowed.[@act]
act
Driving under the influence of a drug is an offence under Motor Traffic Act section 69(1).[@trafficServ6] The official Service 6 consolidation retains that drug limb, and section 114 permits arrest without warrant on reasonable cause for a drug-driving contravention.[@trafficServ6] Section 87 allows the court to suspend or cancel a licence and disqualify a convicted driver for a period it considers appropriate.[@trafficServ6] No numeric THC threshold is established by the reviewed traffic provisions: the prescribed concentrations and breath-testing regime concern alcohol.[@trafficServ6] A specific cannabis fine or prison ceiling remains unresolved because section 69(1) refers to section 79, while section 79(1)’'s graduated penalties expressly identify the alcohol-specific section 69(2).[@trafficServ6] Those alcohol tariffs should not be presented as verified cannabis penalties.[@trafficServ6] Current drug toxicology and refusal procedures still need confirmation.[@trafficServ6]
Global Initiative — OC Index 2025: Nauru profile UNODC — Transnational Organized Crime in the Pacific (2024) Nauru — Mutual Evaluation Report 2024 Nauru Bulletin — Police records 618 offences in first quarter (2024) District Court of Nauru — Republic v Beadan, sentence of 28 December 2023 4 unchanged
AUD
label Unlawful possession, any amount · treatment criminal · term Possession · prison min 12 months · prison 3 years · note Custody is mandatory; no fine option
AUD
label Unlawful cultivation, any amount · treatment criminal · term Cultivation · prison min 10 years · note At least ten years without parole or probation; maximum life; no fine
All recreational use is prohibited. Since 23 December 2024 possession carries twelve months to three years in custody with no fine, while cultivation, supply, use and import or export carry a minimum of ten years without parole or probation and a maximum of life.[@act] There are no quantity thresholds or personal-use exemptions, and bail is barred for drug charges.[@bail]
act, bail
none
No low-THC or industrial-hemp exemption. Cannabis plant, fruit, seed, oil, resin and THC are Schedule 1 illicit drugs.[@act] Customs tariff lines for "true hemp" do not create a lawful farming or seed-import pathway, and no hemp licensing scheme was found.[@act]
act
OCIndex 2025 scores Nauru's cannabis trade 1.5 out of 10 and reports some smuggling, primarily from Fiji, alongside local use and cultivation.[@ocindex25] UNODC's 2024 Pacific report says most Nauru drug users use cannabis and inhalants, with methamphetamine still limited.[@unodc24] The 2024 mutual evaluation report says drug offences are increasing but mostly possession and personal use, with very few cases and minimal quantities.[@mer24] No price or seizure series is published.[@ocindex25]
ocindex25, unodc24, mer24
Police recorded 175 crime offences in the first quarter of 2024 across categories including illicit drug use and possession, but published no drug-specific breakdown.[@q1_24] Two 2023–24 cases involved 1.4 g and 1.1 g, and one gram respectively; the adults received fines, community service and probation.[@beadan23,case] No disaggregated 2025–26 drug-arrest data was found.[@mer24]
q1_24, beadan23, case, mer24