Bhutan: thresholds, penalty tables, hemp and 1988-2026 history

2005-09-29

The National Assembly adopted an amendment to the 2015 narcotics act by 40 votes. A person … ith trafficking. Minors get counselling first and compulsory treatment on later offences. The amendment was consolidated in the 2018 text of the act.

Answering a question in the National Assembly, Foreign Minister Tandi Dorji said the gover … to be amended, saying many men in some villages were in prison. Under the 2018 amendment, possessingpossession up to seven grams50 g of herbal cannabis, 7 g of hashish or 3 ml of hashish oil is illegal possession, and anythingamounts above it is illicitthe threshold can be trafficking; cultivation is allowed only for medical and scientific research.

Cannabis grows wild across the country but possession is a criminal offence: up to 50 g of herbal cannabis is a misdemeanour carrying one to under three years, and larger amounts or trafficking reach five to under nine years. A treatment route covers up to twice the threshold in limited cases.

Cannabis is controlled underUnder the Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Substance Abuse Act 2015, as amended in 2018, cannabis is a Schedule I narcotic with no medicinal value. An amendment gives[@act2018] Possession up to the Schedule VII thresholds — 50 g of herbal cannabis special treatment:, 7 g of hashish or 3 ml of hashish oil — is a misdemeanour carrying one to under three years in prison.[@act2018] Above the threshold up to twice it is a fourth-degree felony carrying three to under five years, and more than twice it is a third-degree felony carrying five to under nine years.[@act2018] A person holding up to twice the scheduled quantity,threshold who tests positive and, has no trafficking record, and is charged with 'substance abuse' — leadingnot shown to treatment and counselling — instead ofbe trafficking. Larger amounts are is treated as intent to supply, with prisona substance-abuse case under section 141A instead of several yearsa trafficker.[@act2018]

tb1act2018

Cultivation is illegalGrowing, althoughdomesticating or harvesting cannabis grows prolifically across Bhutan and was traditionally usedis an offence under section 128.[@act2018] Fewer than five plants is a misdemeanour carrying one to fatten pigs andunder three years; five to fewer than ten is a fourth-degree felony carrying three to under five years; ten or more is a third-degree felony carrying five to under nine years.[@act2018] Harvesting up to 50 g is a misdemeanour, less oftenover 50 g to 100 g a fourth-degree felony, for textile fibreand over 100 g a third-degree felony. The national broadcaster reports that growing is allowed[@act2018] Section 130 allows fibre or animal-feed production only for medical"as prescribed under rules and scientific researchregulations", not for medical use. Local leaders in Samdrup Jongkharbut the 2024 and 2026 rules contain no cannabis or hemp provision, where it grows wild, asked Parliament in 2023 to allow sale for medicinal purposesso no operational licence was found.[@act2018,regs2026]

bbs23act2018, wikiregs2026

Treatment-Cannabis seizures rose from 2.37 kg in the first for small-scalehalf of 2025 to 47.43 kg in the first half of 2026, and cannabis users-trafficking cases from three to thirteen, prisoneven as total drug cases fell from 819 to 713.[@bhutanese26] In 2024 police arrested 3,319 people for anything that looks like dealing; youth drug arrests areoffences, referred 2,578 to treatment and convicted 229; the Royal Bhutan Police yearbook recorded 25 cannabis-trafficking and 10 cannabis-possession offences that year.[@bhutanese25,rbp24] The force began a prominent public concernnationwide cannabis uprooting campaign in May 2025.[@uproot25]

tb1bhutanese26, tb2bhutanese25, rbp24, uproot25

Trafficking carries heavy sentencesSection 133 makes trafficking — possessing, scaledimporting, exporting, storing, selling, purchasing, transporting, distributing or supplying — an offence above the Schedule VII thresholds.[@act2018] Over 50 g to quantity100 g of herbal cannabis, over 7 g to 14 g of hashish or over 3 ml to 6 ml of oil is a fourth-degree felony carrying three to under five years; more than twice the threshold is a third-degree felony carrying five to under nine years.[@act2018] Because the offence requires more than the threshold, selling or sharing up to 50 g is not clearly trafficking and may be charged as possession; the Act creates no separate small-scale supply offence.[@act2018] Soliciting another person to use is a separate misdemeanour.[@act2018]

tb2act2018

Use is the 'Section 152 treats substance abuse' as a treatment offence, handled through rather than a prison offence for the first three findings: at least three months' compulsory treatment and rehabilitationif addicted, or one month's counselling, then at least six months, then treatment plus at least a year's community service.[@act2018] A fourth finding is a misdemeanour carrying one to under three years, with penalties for repeat casestreatment and community service.[@act2018] The no-possession route in section 152 expressly excludes cannabis; cannabis substance abuse generally requires possession of no more than the Schedule VII quantity plus a positive test.[@act2018]

tb1act2018

No legal sourceNone. Cannabis is Schedule I with no medicinal value, and no patient, CBD or hemp consumer route exists.[@act2018] Section 18 allows the competent authority to authorise Schedule I substances for medical or scientific research, teaching or forensic work, but not treatment.[@act2018]

tb1act2018

Illegal but treatment-first for small-scale users:There is no legal recreational supply. Possession up to twice the scheduled quantity50 g of herbal cannabis is a misdemeanour carrying one to under three years, with higher felony bands above that; a person holding up to twice the threshold who tests positive test and has no trafficking record means treatment and counselling, not trafficking chargesmay be treated as a substance-abuse case instead.[@act2018] Cannabis grows wild across the country and enforcement focuses on dealing; localwas traditionally used to fatten pigs and, less often, for textile fibre.[@bbs23] Local leaders in Samdrup Jongkhar asked parliamentParliament in 2023 to allow medicinal sale for medicinal purposes.[@tb1,bbs23,wiki]

tb1act2018, bbs23, wiki

No lawful cannabis production. Growing is allowedSection 130 allows fibre or animal-feed production only for medical and scientific researchas prescribed by rules, not for medical use;but neither the 2024 nor the 2026 narcotics rules contains a cannabis or hemp provision, and no production programme operateslicence was found.[@bbs23act2018,regs2026]

bbs23act2018, regs2026

Growing is allowed onlySection 18 allows the competent authority to authorise production, import, use or holding of Schedule I substances for medical andor scientific research; no, teaching or forensic work, and the 2026 rules set research authorisations.[@act2018,regs2026] No active cannabis research programme or medical use route was verified beyond that permission.[@bbs23act2018]

bbs23act2018, regs2026

No medical cannabis programme and no legal consumer products. GrowingCannabis is allowed only for medical and scientificSchedule I, described as having no medicinal value; section 18 permits research, teaching or forensic work, not for medical usetreatment.[@bbs23act2018] No CBD medicine was found.[@act2018]

bbs23act2018

Compulsory treatmentA trafficking conviction is recorded; a traffickingfelony with prison, and a felony conviction is a serious criminal record.[@act2018] Substance-abuse findings lead to compulsory treatment and counselling, and a fourth finding becomes a misdemeanour.[@act2018]

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No cannabis clubs are known, and the law leaves no room for them: growing cannabis and supplying it to another person are both prohibited.[@act2018]

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There is no legal recreational supply for anyone. British travel advice says there are strict penalties for possession, use and trafficking: a prison sentence and a heavy fine, with sentences from a minimum of 3 yearsPossession up to life depending on the type and quantity50 g of drugherbal cannabis is a misdemeanour carrying one to under three years, and larger amounts or trafficking reach higher felony bands; no separate rule for visitors was found.[@act2018]

fcdoact2018

Road Safety and Transport Act 1999 section 34 prohibits driving when an addictivewhile under the influence of any drug makesof addiction to an extent that proper vehicle control is impossible. It specifies; the fine is 25 penalty units; section, or Nu 1,250.[@roadact1999] Section 37 requirescancels the licence/certificate cancellation after conviction and disqualificationdisqualifies the driver for a period stated as at least six months, or as determined by the court determines. These statutory conviction consequences are distinct from the regulations' administrative schedule.[@roadact1999] The authority's 20212026 Road Safety Regulations provide standard, in force from 1 July 2026, retain drug-testing kits and require itsa standard operating procedure under sections 454–455. Schedule X item 13 specifies at least six months' suspension and referral to BNCA for an ordinary licence; the professional/commercial column specifies six months, one demerit point and referral. Section 478 permits stopping drug-impaired driving. The authority confirms regulation commencement on 1 July 2022, although its linked PDF leaves the commencement field blank. Nobut set no THC cutoff, kit positivity presumption or complete operational confirmation/refusal protocol was established.[@roadregs2026] The alcohol scheduleoffence is not a cannabis fine tableimpairment-based.[@roadact1999]

roadact1999, roadregulations2021, regulationcommencementroadregs2026

Figures reported by theThe government to the UN drugs office recordreported 13.2 kg of herbal cannabis seized in 2024, and 1.3 kg of cannabis resin seized in 2024, against 1.1 kg of resin in 2023.[@unodc_szr] The UN publishes them as kilogram equivalentsRoyal Bhutan Police reported 13.15 kg of leaves, 1.26 kg of hashish and countries count seizures differently337 cannabis plants in 2024.[@rbp24] Seizures rose sharply in 2026: 47.4 kg in the first half, soagainst 2.37 kg a year earlier, including 28.5 kg in parcel consignments in February and 22.34 kg at the airport in September.[@bhutanese26,kuensel26] The figures use different categories and are not directly comparable across borders.[@unodc_szr,rbp24]

unodc_szr, rbp24, bhutanese26, kuensel26

The Royal Bhutan Police arrested 3,319 people for drug offences in 2024, down from 3,667 in 2023. Of those, 343 were under 18 and 1,406 were aged 18 to 24; 2,578 were referred for treatment and 229 were convicted.[@bhutanese25] The police named cannabis productsRoyal Bhutan Police yearbook recorded 326 drug offences that year, both hashishincluding 25 cannabis-trafficking and leaves, among10 cannabis-possession cases.[@rbp24] In the three substances most often seizedfirst half of 2026 police recorded 713 drug cases and 1,373 arrests, with SP Plus13 cannabis-trafficking and solvents,10 possession cases.[@bhutanese26] The figures use different counting bases and gave no separate count for cannabisare not a single continuous series.[@bhutanese25,rbp24]

bhutanese25, rbp24, bhutanese26

Bhutan — Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Substance Abuse Act 2015, as amended in 2018 (BFDA consolidated PDF) Bhutan — Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Substance Abuse Act 2015 (BFDA PDF) Bhutan — Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Substance Abuse Act 2005 Bhutan — Penal Code of Bhutan 2004 Bhutan — Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Substance Abuse Rules and Regulations 2026 Bhutan — Road Safety and Transport Act 1999 Bhutan — Road Safety and Transport Rules and Regulations 2026 Royal Bhutan Police — Statistical Yearbook 2024 The Bhutanese — Drug-related offences drop in first 6 months of 2026 (25 July 2026) The Bhutanese — RBP initiates nationwide cannabis uprooting campaign to curb substance use (24 May 2025) Kuensel — Police investigate Drukair staff in 22.34kg cannabis smuggling case (23 October 2026) Bhutan Construction and Transport Authority — public Road Safety and Transport Act 1999 download Bhutan Construction and Transport Authority — public Road Safety and Transport Regulations 2021 download Bhutan Construction and Transport Authority — commencement announcement for 2021 Regulations Wikipedia — Cannabis in Bhutan GOV.UK (FCDO) — Foreign travel advice: Bhutan, safety and security The Bhutanese — Narcotics (Amendment) Bill passed with more clarity The Bhutanese — Narcotics Drugs bill to penalize traffickers severely 3 unchanged

label Up to 50 g herbal, 7 g hashish or 3 ml hashish oil · treatment criminal · term Illegal possession · prison min 1 year · prison 3 years · note Misdemeanour; Schedule VII threshold, label Above the threshold up to twice it · treatment criminal · term Illegal possession · prison min 3 years · prison 5 years · note Fourth-degree felony; section 141A may treat it as substance abuse, label More than twice the threshold · treatment criminal · term Illegal possession · prison min 5 years · prison 9 years · note Third-degree felony

label Fewer than five plants · treatment criminal · term Cultivation · prison min 1 year · prison 3 years · note Misdemeanour, label Five to fewer than ten plants · treatment criminal · term Cultivation · prison min 3 years · prison 5 years · note Fourth-degree felony, label Ten or more plants · treatment criminal · term Cultivation · prison min 5 years · prison 9 years · note Third-degree felony, label Harvest up to 50 g · treatment criminal · term Harvesting · prison min 1 year · prison 3 years · note Misdemeanour, label Harvest over 50 g to 100 g · treatment criminal · term Harvesting · prison min 3 years · prison 5 years · note Fourth-degree felony, label Harvest over 100 g · treatment criminal · term Harvesting · prison min 5 years · prison 9 years · note Third-degree felony

label Trafficking over the threshold up to twice it · treatment criminal · term Trafficking · prison min 3 years · prison 5 years · note Fourth-degree felony, label Trafficking more than twice the threshold · treatment criminal · term Trafficking · prison min 5 years · prison 9 years · note Third-degree felony, label Selling or sharing up to the threshold · treatment criminal · term Possession · prison min 1 year · prison 3 years · note No separate small-scale supply offence; may be charged as possession

none

There is no legal hemp category and no THC ceiling. All cannabis is Schedule I, and the definition expressly includes seeds.[@act2018] Section 130's fibre and animal-feed exception has not been implemented in the 2024 or 2026 rules, and no hemp licence was found.[@act2018,regs2026]

act2018, regs2026

illegal

banned

illegal

banned

Cannabis includes the plant, flowering tops, seeds and leaves.[@act2018] Planting a seed is cultivation under section 128, and there is no seed-sale, seed-import or hemp-seed exception; even fewer than five plants is a misdemeanour.[@act2018] The only exceptions are a section 18 research authorisation and the unoperationalised section 130 fibre and animal-feed permission.[@act2018,regs2026]

act2018, regs2026