Cannabis Freedom Index

Changelog 070fbcc

Record Latvia's current drug-driving penalties and the UAE industrial-hemp law that took effect on 1 January 2026. Fixes #72 and #73.

1 history entry added2 country profiles edited2 files of code, design or docs +149 −32 lines

History changes.yaml

Added 1

Countries and states 2 files

United Arab Emirates countries/ae.yaml

medical

nonelimited

summary

A 2022 reform softened first-offence penalties (minimum three months or a fine) and made deportation discretionary, but itpersonal use remains one of the strictest regimes —, including for CBD and trace amounts. From 1 January 2026 a separate law allows licensed industrial hemp and authorised hemp-derived medical products.

segments › cultivation › text

CultivationGrowing cannabis outside a licence is a serious crime with long prison terms. Licensed industrial hemp, at or below 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol and only in approved zones, is a separate regime from 1 January 2026.

segments › cultivation › sources

mondaq, hemp26n

context › production › text

NoneFrom 1 January 2026 licensed industrial hemp is lawful. Cultivation needs a licence from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, a local permit and security clearance, and it is confined to zones that are secured, fenced and kept apart from homes and other farms. Tetrahydrocannabinol must stay at or below 0.3%. An emirate may prohibit or restrict the activity. No list of issued cultivation licences was read.

context › production › sources

l500hemp26, hemp26n

context › products › text

None. CBDPersonal and recreational use of industrial hemp products countis prohibited, as cannabisare hemp foods, dietary supplements, veterinary products and smoking products. A first-time visitor found with foodCosmetics that contain hemp are prohibited except for oils from seeds or stalks. The 2026 law allows authorised medical products containing THC or CBDthat contain hemp compounds, and licensed manufacture of industrial products kept at the border may have them confiscated without prosecution; inside the country possessionor below 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol. Whether any such product is on sale was not verified. A compound that can produce a crimenarcotic or psychoactive effect stays under the narcotics law.

context › products › sources

lyhemp26n, mondaqly

context › medical › text

NoThe 2026 law permits medical cannabisproducts that contain industrial-hemp compounds or hemp raw materials, under the law on medical products. It is a route for those hemp-derived products. Whether a pharmacy stocks any of them was not verified.

context › medical › sources

l500hemp26n, hemp26

context › planting › seeds

illegallicensed

context › planting › seeds trade

bannedregulated

context › planting › clones

illegallicensed

context › planting › clones trade

bannedregulated

context › planting › text

Article 14 of Federal Decree-Law 30 of 2021 bans growing, importing, owning or holding the … rowth, as well as their seeds. Landowners must report such plants on their land. Licences to growunder that law go only to government bodies and scientific institutes. From 1 January 2026 a separate law lets a licensed agricultural company import and export approved industrial-hemp seeds, and lets a licensed grower cultivate and handle seedlings, only inside approved plots. Seeds and seedlings may be passed only to a person licensed for the activity. Personal growing stays prohibited.

context › planting › sources

dl30, hemp26n

sources

UAE Legislation — Federal Decree-Law regulating industrial and medical uses of industrial hemp UAE Legislation — government explanation of the industrial-hemp decree (18 December 2025) 5 unchanged

Latvia countries/lv.yaml

context › driving › status

zeroimpairment

context › driving › text

No THC limit is set: detectionCriminal Law section 262(1¹) makes it a crime to drive a vehicle, or to instruct a learner, while under the influence of any drug is enough both fornarcotic, psychotropic, toxic or other intoxicating substances. The Latvian text sets the administrative offencepunishment at up to one year in prison, short-term deprivation of liberty, or probationary supervision, and loss of the driving licence for five years. If the criminal onedriving causes slight bodily injury the prison term can reach four years, whilefive years for medicinal products impairment must be shown. Police may stop at random and test on suspicion; there is no roadside oral-fluid testmoderate injury, three to ten years for serious injury or one death, and blood is taken at a hospitalthree to fifteen years for two or more deaths. TheRoad Traffic Law section 62(5) keeps an administrative penalty isfine for a cyclist, an electric-scooter rider or a moped driver under that influence: 34 fine of units (€170) for a bicycle or scooter, and 240 to 400 units (€1,200 to 1€2,400 euros000) for a moped, 10 to 15 dayswith the moped rider losing the licence for five years. One fine unit is €5. The Administrative Liability Law lists a warning, a fine, loss of administrative arresta right, and a ban of up to four years;on using a right. Cabinet Regulation No. 719 has the criminal offence carries up to two years in prisondoctor record clinical symptoms and laboratory tests, and it allows a ban of up to fivefinding that a substance was used when influence is not found. That regulation sets no THC figure.

context › driving › sources

euda_ddkl262, csl, mk719, aal

sources

Criminal Law of Latvia, section 262, official Latvian text (Likumi.lv) Road Traffic Law, section 62, official English translation (Likumi.lv) Cabinet Regulation No. 719 of 27 November 2018 on alcohol testing and the finding of narcotic influence Administrative Liability Law, sections 14 and 16 (Likumi.lv) EUDA — Legal approaches to drugs and driving, country table (last updated May 2025) 14 unchanged

Code, design and documents 2 files

docs/research/profile-legal-lv-ae-2026-10-23.md +21 −0
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+# Latvia driving and UAE industrial hemp, 23 October 2026
+
+Issues #72 and #73. Texts opened before the profiles were rewritten.
+
+## Latvia, read
+
+- Criminal Law, official Latvian text, section 262. Paragraph (1¹): driving, or instructing a learner, while under the influence of narcotic, psychotropic, toxic or other intoxicating substances. The punishment is deprivation of liberty for up to one year, short-term deprivation of liberty, or probationary supervision, and loss of the driving licence for five years. The Latvian text of that paragraph sets no fine. Paragraphs (2) to (5) raise the prison range when the driving causes injury or death. The section note records an amendment in force on 4 July 2024. The English translation on Likumi still lists a fine and community service, and its amendment list stops in 2022, so the profile follows the Latvian text. https://likumi.lv/ta/id/88966-kriminallikums
+- Road Traffic Law, English translation, section 62(5): a cyclist or electric-scooter rider under that influence is fined 34 units; a moped driver is fined 240 to 400 units and loses the licence for five years. https://likumi.lv/ta/en/en/id/45467-road-traffic-law
+- Administrative Liability Law, section 14: the sanctions are a warning, a fine, deprivation of a right, and a ban on using a right. Section 16(2): one fine unit is five euro. https://likumi.lv/ta/id/303007
+- Cabinet Regulation No. 719 of 27 November 2018, points 18 and 27.10. Influence is established from clinical symptoms and laboratory tests. One permitted finding is that a particular substance was used and that influence was not established. The points that were read set no THC figure. https://likumi.lv/ta/id/303332
+
+The driving status moves from zero to impairment because the offence is influence, and the regulation separates use of a substance from a finding of influence. The six scores stay as they were. The amending law of 6 June 2024 was not opened, so no history entry dates a penalty change to 4 July 2024. The old EUDA table was not used.
+
+## United Arab Emirates, read
+
+- Legislation page for the federal decree on industrial and medical uses of industrial hemp: issued 1 October 2025, effective 1 January 2026, status active. https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/3886
+- Official explanation of 18 December 2025: licensed cultivation at or below 0.3% THC in secured zones; seed import and export by a licensed agricultural company; authorised medical products containing hemp compounds under the medical-products law; seed and stalk oils in cosmetics; personal and recreational use, foods, supplements, veterinary products and smoking products prohibited; an emirate may prohibit or restrict an activity. https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/news/uae-government-issues-a-federal-decree-law-regulating-industrial-and-medical-uses-of-industrial-hemp
+
+The decree PDF returned HTTP 403, so article numbers inside it were not read. The National's report of 19 December 2025 was opened and was not used for the dates. No register of issued licences or pharmacy stock was opened.
+
+Medical status moves from none to limited because the site treats a pharmaceutical route, including one whose patient supply is not yet shown, as limited. The six scores stay at the floor for possession, sharing, consumption and access, and enforcement stays at 1. Access stays 0 because no operating retail or pharmacy supply was verified.
scripts/history-scope.test.cjs +19 −0
@@ -687,2 +687,21 @@ test("South Africa's child-use order and uncommenced gift rule follow the texts
   assert.match(child.unscored, /adult scores do not move/);
 });
+
+test("Latvia's drug-driving penalties and the UAE hemp law follow the texts that were read", () => {
+  const lv = y.load(fs.readFileSync("countries/lv.yaml", "utf8"));
+  const ae = y.load(fs.readFileSync("countries/ae.yaml", "utf8"));
+  const hemp = byId["uae-industrial-hemp-2026"];
+  assert.equal(lv.context.driving.status, "impairment");
+  assert.match(lv.context.driving.text, /up to one year/);
+  assert.doesNotMatch(lv.context.driving.text, /administrative arrest/);
+  assert.doesNotMatch(lv.context.driving.text, /1,200 to 1,400/);
+  assert.equal(lv.scores.possession, 2);
+  assert.equal(ae.medical, "limited");
+  assert.equal(ae.context.planting.seeds, "licensed");
+  assert.equal(ae.context.planting.seeds_trade, "regulated");
+  assert.match(ae.context.production.text, /0\.3%/);
+  assert.equal(ae.scores.access, 0);
+  assert.equal(hemp.date, "2026-01-01");
+  assert.equal(hemp.category, "hemp");
+  assert.equal(hemp.before, undefined);
+});
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