update history

2025-12-1514

Kuwait's tougher anti-drug law comes into forcetakes effect

The cabinetCabinet approved the law on 29 October 2025 and it. It was issued as an Amiri decree-law no. 59 of 2025 (numbered 159 in one law-firm note), merging and replacing theLaw 74 of 1983 on narcotics and Law 48 of 1987 lawson psychotropic substances, and took effect on 14 December 2025 according to the law-firm note. It allows death or life imprisonment for traffickers, dealers and intermediaries, with fines of up to two million dinars, and introduces. The Cabinet's version introduced random drug tests for public employees and tests for people applying for a driving licence or to marry.

Kuwait Times — Kuwait issues new anti-drug law (26 Nov 2025) Legal 500 — Kuwait's new narcotics law 1 unchanged

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InFrom 7 April 2025, coffee shops in the ten municipalities taking part in the supply-chainweed experiment, coffeeshops must now may sell only regulated cannabis from licensed growers. Since 17 June 2024 they had been allowed to sell regulated and tolerated products side by side. The experimental phase runs foris set to last four years.

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2024-07

A packageThe cannabis legislation passed the House of bills tabledAssembly and the Senate in MayJuly 2024 set, according to the Tribune. Prime Minister Philip Davis opened the debate on 15 July 2024. The Cannabis Bill sets up a framework for medical and religious use and made possession. Possession of less than 30 g a fixed-penalty offencesmall amounts is decriminalised but remains unlawful, with a fine of $250 fine and. The Tribune reported in June 2025 that no criminal recordfunding for regulation had been allocated in the 2025/2026 budget.

The Tribune — Claims govt stalling as no cannabis funding seen (2 Jun 2025) Office of the Prime Minister — Prime Minister Davis's contribution to the Cannabis Reform Compendium 2024 debate (15 Jul 2024) 1 unchanged

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2024-03-28

Parliament amendedpassed the Cannabis Regulation Act(Amendment) Bill on 28 March 2024 to permit controlled cultivationfacilitate regulation of the local high-THCa locally produced variety, which the 2020 law had excluded by capping THC at 1% of cannabis. Growers needMP Peter Dimba presented it. The Leader of the House said that growing chamba without a licence or being found in possession of it remains an offence, and that passing the Bill does not legalise smoking remains illegal. Presidential assent was not confirmed in the sources read.

Nation Online — MPs nod to Cannabis Regulation Amendment Bill (29 Mar 2024) allAfrica — Malawi: Cannabis Bill pass, DPP boycott deliberations (28 Mar 2024) 1 unchanged

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After the possession table wasPresident Noboa repealed, the drugs table by Executive Decree 28 in November 2023. The National Court of Justice then issued Resolution 14-2023, instructing judges to assess each case individually. The constitution's Article 364 still says people who to decide whether the substances were for personal use drugs may not be criminalisedor trafficking. A later2025 reform of Article 228 of the penal -code reform, in the Ley Orgánica de Solidaridad Nacional, leaves the personal-use parameters to the health ministry, prosecutorsthe prosecutor's office and the judiciary council.

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LawmakersThe Liberian Senate and House of Representatives passed a new Controlled Drugs and Substances Actdrug law that makes the cultivation, manufacture, importimportation, export, trafficking and sale of controlled drugs and substances non-bailable first-degree felonies without bail. Use remains a second-degree felony and is bailable.

TheDecree M/40, issued by the Supreme Court ended flogging as asitting in full session on 18 February 2020, abolished the ta'zir punishment, the category used for drug offences,penalty of flogging and directedsaid that courts to use prisonshould impose imprisonment and/or a fine, fines or an alternative penalties insteadpenalty, in ta'zir cases. Capital punishment and long prison terms underThe source does not say which offences are ta'zir, so it does not link the anti-narcotics law remained availablechange to drug offences.

20182019-1201-22

The Cannabis Act allowed four plants per household, recognised2018 (No. 28 of 2018) regulates cannabis for medicinal and scientific use through an Antigua and Barbuda Medicinal Cannabis Authority. It lets adherents of religious bodies, including Rastafari, register to cultivate more than four plants and possess more than 15 grams for sacramental use. The Governor-General assented on 22 January 2019 and set up a licensing authority for medical cannabisit was gazetted on 24 January 2019. The four-plant household limit and the 15 g decriminalisation came earlier, in the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Act, 2018.

Antigua and Barbuda — The Cannabis Act, 2018, No. 28 of 2018 (Official Gazette, 24 Jan 2019) 1 unchanged

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The Point — Penalty reduced for first-time cannabis offenders (27 Aug 2014) 1 unchanged

The 2014Controlled Drug and Substance Act became Liberia's main drug2014 is the law. Campaigners that was later petitionedamended, with the legislatureWest Africa Drug Policy Network's help, in a bill that cuts the sentence for drug use and possession from 5 to pass an amended version20 years to 3 to 18 months and makes cultivation, manufacture, transport and trafficking non-bailable with 10 to 20 years.

Library of Congress (Wayback copy) — Gambia: Death penalty for drug offenses abolished 1 unchanged

A lawLaw 393-IV of 18 January 2011 on the further humanisation of criminal legislation removed possessiondecriminalised Part 1 of small amountsArticle 259 of the Criminal Code: illegal purchase, transport or storage of narcotics or psychotropic substances without intent to sell from, in large quantities as the Criminal Code and movedEMCDDA describes it to the. The act became an administrative codeoffence.

EMCDDA (Wayback copy) — Overview of the drug situation in Kazakhstan (2014) 1 unchanged

Library of Congress (Wayback copy) — Sierra Leone: New drug control law passed 1 unchanged

Law 2007-31 rewrote articles 95 to 103 of the Drug Code. Trafficking now carriesGrowing, producing and international trafficking of high-risk drugs carry ten to twenty years of forced labour and a fine of three times the value of the drugs seized; giving or offering drugs to a person for personal use carries five to ten years.

CILD Sénégal (Wayback copy) — Code des drogues 1 unchanged

A new drug lawDecree 153 of 2 October 2003 replaced the 1991 onedrug law. PossessingAs amended in December 2003 and January 2004, Article 34 punishes possessing less than two grams of any illicit drugdrugs, seeds, leaves or plants carrieswith one to three years in prison; and two grams or more carrieswith three to six; possession with intent to supply carries six to ten.

Asamblea Legislativa de El Salvador — Ley reguladora de las actividades relativas a las drogas, Decreto 153 (2003) 1 unchanged

2001-0809-0724

The law on the control and repression of illicit drug trafficking passed the Senate on 19 June 2001 and the Chamber of Deputies on 7 August 2001, and was promulgated on 24 September 2001. It bans growing cannabis (Article 10) and sets up to 30 years for offering, producing, selling and possessing cannabisor holding drugs for supply (Article 49). JudgesGrowing, buying or holding a small amount for personal use carries up to six months and a fine, and the court may order treatment instead or in place of prison for a first minor possession offenceaddition (Article 63).

Haïti — Loi relative au contrôle et à la répression du trafic illicite de la drogue (2001), UNODC SHERLOC 1 unchanged

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Ordinance 99-42 on combating drugs prohibitslists cannabis as aand cannabis resin in Table I, the high-risk narcoticdrugs, and treats viable seeds as part ofbans growing the bannedcannabis plant (Article 8). Trafficking in high-risk drugs carries ten to twenty years; a small amount for personal use carries a lighter penalty (Article 145).

Law 017-99/AN classifies cannabis as a narcotic. Possession for personal use carries, the drug code, sets two months to twofive years in prison and a fine; trafficking carries five to for using or holding high-risk drugs for personal consumption (Article 47), and ten to twenty years for growing, upproducing or trafficking them (Articles 44 to twenty when aggravated46).

UNODC SHERLOC — Burkina Faso, Loi No. 17/99 portant Code des Drogues, Articles 44-55 1 unchanged

Law 97-18 of 1 December 1997 created the Code des drogues, which still governs cannabiswas revised by Law 2007-31 of 27 December 2007. Even small personal amounts carry prison time.

CILD Sénégal (Wayback copy) — Code des drogues 1 unchanged

Law 97/019 putbans growing the cannabis plant (Article 8) and cannabis resin in Table I, the high-risk drugs. Selling or distributing them carriessets ten to twenty years in prison, a fine or both for cultivating, selling or holding high-risk drugs. A small amount for personal use gets a lighter penalty (Article 102). Which plants are in which table is left to a ministerial act.

Law 3 of 1993 on illicit trafficking in and abuseuse of narcotics allows death sentencespunishes import, export and production for traffickingtrade with death, cultivation, manufacture, import and exporttrading or giving drugs to a user with death or 25 years. Holding or growing for personal use carries five years, with treatment possible instead.

Mohamah.net — Texts of Law No. 3 of 1993 (Yemen, Arabic) 1 unchanged

Libyan Law Society — Law No. 7 of 1990 on narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances (Arabic) 1 unchanged

1984-07-17

The Organic Law on Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances of 1984 was Venezuela's first significantimportant drug legislation since. A paper presented in Buenos Aires in 2009 says that before 1984 Venezuela had made no important legislative change in this area, despite the 1961 Single Convention coming into force.

Borrego — Sistema penal, control antidrogas globalizado y seguridad (ALAS, Buenos Aires, 2009) 1 unchanged

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1955-06-03

The drug control statuteStatute for the Period of Suppression of Opium and Narcotics in the Period of Communist Rebellion made possessing narcotics a criminal offencewas promulgated on 3 June 1955. It was the forerunner of today's Narcotics Hazard Prevention Actcovered opium, which lists cannabis asmorphine, cocaine and heroin and a category 2 narcoticwritten 蔴煙, which it punished separately from the others: selling, transporting or making it carried death or life imprisonment (Article 5), using it one to three years (Article 9) and possessing it six months to two years (Article 10). The statute does not define 蔴煙; reading it as cannabis smoke is an inference. The law was renamed and rewritten in 1992 and 1998.

Wikisource — 戡亂時期肅清煙毒條例 (民國44年), promulgated 3 June 1955 1 unchanged

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The colonial ordinance for the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, in force from 20 October 1948, controlled Indian hemp alongside raw opium and other dangerous drugscoca leaf. It remains the basis ofbans growing Indian hemp, whether for private use or otherwise, and makes possessing or selling it an offence. It is still in Kiribati's drug lawconsolidated legislation.

PacLII (Wayback copy) — Kiribati, Dangerous Drugs Ordinance 1 unchanged

The colonial ordinance for the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, in force from 20 October 1948, controlled Indian hemp alongside raw opium and other dangerous drugscoca leaf. It is still in Tuvalu kept it as its Dangerous Drugs Act after independence's consolidated laws.

PacLII (Wayback copy) — Tuvalu, Dangerous Drugs Ordinance 1 unchanged

The colonialDangerous Drugs Act brought Saint Lucia under, 1938 is named in section 50 of the dangerous-drugs legislation introduced across the British West Indies after Britain ratified the Geneva conventions. RegulationsDrugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act, which continues regulations made under it are still listed in. The source does not say what the island's revised laws1938 Act covered, so its treatment of cannabis is not confirmed.

TheBefore independence, cannabis possession was prohibited by the 1935 Dangerous Drugs Act, which regulated the trade, production and use of opium and other dangerous drugs, cannabis among them. The plant was still rare in the colony; the first illegalsource adds that cannabis cultivation was reported only in Ghana expanded significantly between 1960 and 1980.

Europe PMC — Ghana's preparedness to exploit the medicinal value of industrial hemp (full text) 1 unchanged

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Act XXXVII of 1930 introduced Hungary's first rules on narcotics, carrying out the 1925 Geneva Opium Convention, which covered Indian hemp. Unlicensed productionA Hungarian law paper says that until then drug use and trade had not shown up in legislation, sale, stocking and export became offencesthat Hungary limited itself to putting international conventions into law.

Executive Decree No. 5 of 24 October 1928 banned marijuana, on the same day that a companion decreeDecree No. 4 banned heroin and its preparations. Costa RicaDecree No. 3 of 15 March 1927 had passed its first drug laws in 1923regulated opium and set up a narcotics board in 1927its derivatives.

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Portaria No. 2,054, published in the colony's Boletim Oficial, is the order Portugal later cited to the United Nations as its control on cannabis, known locally as suruma, in Mozambique. A 1957 UN survey says the order prohibits cultivating the cannabis plant and prohibits importing and selling it.

United Nations (Wayback copy) — E/CN.7/286/Add.10, Survey of the situation in Mozambique (1957) 1 unchanged

Possession for personalPersonal use or possession of drugs is punishable by two months to twofive years in prison and a fine under the 1999 drug code.

TheUnder Article 47 of the 1999 drug code (Law 017-99/AN) makes possession, using or holding high-risk drugs for personal use punishable by two monthsconsumption carries 2 to two5 years in prison and a fine of 501,000,000 to 5,000,000 CFA francs, or one of the two. For drugs in the lower "risk" class, Article 51 sets the same 2 to 5 years for personal use or possession, with a fine of 500,000 to 2,000,000 CFA francs. The schedules were not read, so which class cannabis falls in is not confirmed here.

crcode99

Cultivation isGrowing high-risk drugs carries 10 to 20 years and a crimefine of 5,000,000 to 25,000,000 CFA francs (Article 44); growing drugs in the lower class carries 5 to 10 years (Article 51). No lighter tier for growing for personal use appears in these articles.

crcode99

Users are jailed,A 2025 Mainline country sheet reports that drug use is severely repressed by the police and courts, that people who use drugs have little access to health-based alternativesare jailed, and that a judge may order treatment instead.

ml, cr

TraffickingGiving or offering a high-risk drug to a person for their own use carries five2 to ten5 years and a fine of 500, up000 to twenty when aggravated2,000,000 CFA francs (Article 50). Selling, distributing or delivering carries 10 to 20 years (Article 46).

crcode99

ConsumptionUsing high-risk drugs for personal consumption is a criminal offencepunished by Article 47 (2 to 5 years); the lower class is punished by Article 51 (also 2 to 5 years).

cr, mlcode99

No legallawful source is shown in the articles read. The sale, supply and holding of drugs is punished under Articles 44 to 51.

crcode99

UNODC SHERLOC — Burkina Faso, Loi No. 17/99 portant Code des Drogues, Articles 44-55 2 unchanged

Personal possession is reported to carryHolding or growing for personal use carries 6 to 12 months in prison or a fine under the 2015 Penal Code; little is known about practicegiving or selling counts as trafficking, with three to ten years.

Illegal under Articles 269–274Article 395 of the 2015 Penal Code. Possession makes possession of controlled drugs for personal use is reported to carry abouta Class 1 petty offence: 6 to 12 months in prison, or a fine of roughly 20,000001 to 50,000 nakfa. Article 396 gives the same penalty for possessing a controlled plant for personal use. Which plants and drugs are controlled is set by separate Drug Offences Regulations, which were not available.

crpc2015

Preparing or cultivatingGrowing a controlled plants is prohibitedplant for personal use carries the same 6 to 12 months or fine (Article 396). Other cultivation carries 3 to 5 years (Article 387), 5 to 7 for a commercial quantity and 7 to 10 for a large commercial quantity (Articles 385 and 386).

crpc2015

A fine or underThe code lets a yearcourt choose a fine instead of prison for users on paperpersonal use (Articles 395 and 396). Eritrea publishes almost nothing about how itsHow courts operate, and detention without trialapply it is commonnot shown by the text.

crpc2015

Trafficking even small amounts carries fiveArticle 377 defines trafficking to seveninclude to "give" or "transfer", so passing a drug to another person is trafficking: 3 to 5 years (Article 380), up5 to ten7 for larger quantitiesa commercial quantity and 7 to 10 for a large commercial quantity. Buying for your own use is not trafficking (Article 381).

wiki, crpc2015

Use is covered by theThe code punishes possession for personal use or consumption (Articles 395 and 396); no separate offence for use itself was found.

crpc2015

NoneNo lawful source. Possession of controlled plants and drugs is an offence unless authorised.

wikipc2015

Penal Code of the State of Eritrea, 2015 (FAOLEX copy) 2 unchanged

National law sets a maximum $50 fine for an ounce or less, though each state also has its own code of marijuana and up to three months for more; growing or supplying carries up to five years.

CannabisMarihuana is a Schedule I controlled substance. Under the national Controlled Substances Act under Title 11, possessionChapter 11 of one ounce or less carriesthe FSM Code. Section 1142 sets a maximum fine of at most $50 for one ounce or less; for more than an ounce, up to but under 2.2 lbpounds, carries up to three months and, a fine of up to $500 fine, or both; for 2. Each of the four states — Chuuk2 pounds or more, Pohnpei, Yapup to one year and Kosrae — also has its own criminal codea $1, so treatment varies000 fine, with a rebuttable presumption of trafficking. A first-time possession offender may be given a conditional discharge (Section 1148). The four state codes were not read.

cr, code

Cultivation"Manufacture" is prohibited under nationaldefined to include production and state lawpropagation, and "production" to include planting, cultivation and growing (Section 1112). Manufacturing a controlled substance other than a narcotic drug carries up to five years and a $5,000 fine (Section 1141).

crcode

The statutorynational penalty for a small amountone ounce or less is among the lightesta fine of any prohibition countryat most $50, though foreign travel advisories still warn of severe treatmentand a first-time possession offender may receive a conditional discharge. Prison is possible for larger amounts. How courts apply it is not shown by the text.

cr, tripcode

SupplyDelivering marihuana is an offence with heavier penaltiestrafficking, up to five years and a $5,000 fine (Section 1141), except that distributing no more than one ounce for no payment is treated as possession of that amount: a fine of at most $50.

crcode

Use is covered by theThe code makes possession an offence; no separate offence for use itself was found.

tripcode

None; marihuana is a controlled substance with no authorised supply route in the sections read.

crcode

FSM Code (2014), Title 11, Chapter 11 — Controlled Substances (§§ 1111-1149), fsmlaw.org PacLII — FSM Code, Title 11 (Crimes), Controlled Substances chapter 2 unchanged

Possession is reportedHolding or growing a small amount for personal use carries up to carry 3six months and a fine under the 2001 drug law; trafficking carries up to 15thirty years; long pre-trial detention is the practical danger.

Illegal under aArticle 63 of the 2001 decree on drug trafficking and illicit use. Possession is reportedlaw (promulgated 24 September 2001) punishes illicitly growing, buying or holding a quantity small enough to carry 3be for personal consumption with up to 15 years depending on quantity6 months in prison and intent, with finesa fine of 5005,000 to 5 million100,000 gourdes, or either. The court decides what counts as small and may order a detoxification cure or other care instead of, or besides, the penalty. Offering or giving drugs to someone for personal consumption carries 5 years (Article 50); offering, selling or holding for supply carries up to 30 years (Article 49).

cr, wikiloi2001

Cultivation isArticle 10 bans growing the cannabis plant, and landowners must destroy plantations on their land. Growing a crimesmall amount for personal consumption falls under Article 63 (up to 6 months and a fine).

cannloi2001

The bigger danger is the process: people arrested can spend weekslaw lets courts replace or months in very poor prison conditions before seeing a judgeadd to the penalty for personal use with treatment (Article 63). WithHow it is applied is not shown by the text; the state barely functioning, enforcement is erratic's ability to enforce has been disrupted by the security crisis.

crloi2001

TraffickingGiving or offering drugs to a person for their own use carries 155 years and a fine of 100,000 to life500,000 gourdes (Article 50); supplying in other ways carries up to 30 years (Article 49).

crloi2001

Use is anArticle 63 punishes growing, buying or holding for personal consumption; no separate offence for use itself was found.

cannloi2001

None for personal use. Licences are for medical or scientific purposes only.

wikiloi2001

Haïti — Loi relative au contrôle et à la répression du trafic illicite de la drogue (promulguée le 24 septembre 2001), UNODC SHERLOC 3 unchanged

IllegalThe 2021 Penal Code punishes holding, buying or using narcotics with long sentences reported10 to 15 years in prison and production with 10 to 20 years. Cannabis was briefly legal here from 1975 to 1978.

Illegal under a 1995 drugArticle 208 of the Penal Code of 2020 (Law 20-control law. Travel-advice sources report038/AU, promulgated 16 February 2021) punishes transporting, holding, offering, transferring, acquiring or unlawfully using narcotics with 10 to 15 years in prison and a mandatory minimumfine of five years for drug convictions10, plus heavy fines and deportation000,000 to 20,000,000 Comorian francs. The article has no lighter tier for foreignerspersonal use. A historical curiosity:The text uses the word "stupéfiants" and does not name cannabis; the earlier code did name hashish and Indian hemp. Cannabis was legal here from 1975 to 1978 under President Ali Soilih.

wikipc2020, tbwiki

Cultivation isArticle 206 punishes illicit production or manufacture of narcotics with 10 to 20 years, and 15 to 25 when committed by an organised gang. Article 205 gives life imprisonment for leading a crimegroup that grows, makes or supplies narcotics.

crpc2020

Long sentences are reported; how consistently they are appliedThe code sets 10 to small amounts15 years for holding or using, with no personal-use tier, and doubles the maximum in listed aggravating cases (Article 214). How courts apply it is not well documentedshown by the text.

tb, crpc2020

Trafficking carries fiveArticle 210 punishes giving or offering narcotics to fifteena person for their personal consumption with 5 to 10 years and a fine of 3,000,000 to 5,000,000 francs; 7 to 10 years if offered to minors or at schools. Article 208 also punishes offering or transferring (10 to 15 years).

crpc2020

Use is a criminal offenceArticle 208 punishes the unlawful "emploi" (use) of narcotics with 10 to 15 years.

crpc2020

No legallawful source; acquiring and holding narcotics is punished under Article 208.

wikipc2020

Comores — Code pénal 2020, Loi n° 20-038/AU du 29 décembre 2020, promulguée par décret n° 21-018/PR du 16 février 2021 (droit-afrique.com copy) 3 unchanged

Strict prohibition with long prison sentencesCannabis is banned in every form. Trading in it can carry death or life imprisonment; personal use and possession carry prison and a major transit route for Moroccan hashishfine, with treatment possible instead.

Law No. 7 of 1990 on narcotics, as amended in 1996, prohibitslists hashish and the cannabis in every formplant among its controlled substances (Tables 1 and 5). PossessionArticle 37 punishes holding, buying or usegrowing for personal purposes is punisheduse with prison — sources give around two yearsand a fine of 1, with000 to 5,000 dinars; the court may order treatment in a rangeclinic for six months to a year instead. Law 23 of one2002 added Article 35 bis: intent to ten — and substantial finestraffic is established even for a single act, a small quantity, or when the offender cannot prove another purpose.

crlaw7, lawlaw2002

Cultivation is criminalised byArticle 30 bans growing, holding or trading in the same lawTable 5 plants, seeds included, except for medical or scientific purposes. Growing for trade carries death or life imprisonment and a fine (Article 34); growing for personal use falls under Article 37.

law, crlaw7

Enforcement is fragmented between rival authoritiesThe statute sets prison for personal use (Article 37) and armed groups running checkpointsallows treatment instead, which makes outcomes arbitrary rather than lenientand no prosecution if the user comes forward for treatment on their own. LibyaHow it is a major transit route for Moroccan hashishapplied is not shown by the text.

crlaw7

Trafficking can bringSupplying a user for payment carries life imprisonment or death in aggravated casesat least ten years (Article 35). Supplying without payment carries prison and a fine of 2,000 to 5,000 dinars. Article 35 bis of 2002 treats even a one-off act as trading.

crlaw7, law2002

Use isArticle 37 punishes actually using drugs with prison and a crimefine of 1,000 to 5,000 dinars, unless the person is licensed; treatment can replace the penalty.

crlaw7

None for personal use. Medical and scientific use is allowed only under licence (Articles 30 and following).

crlaw7

Trafficking can bring life imprisonmentArticle 34 of Law 7 of 1990 punishes trading in drugs, or growing or importing Table 5 plants with intent to trade, with death in aggravated casesor life imprisonment and a fine of 10,000 to 50,000 dinars.

crlaw7

Libyan Law Society — Law No. 7 of 1990 on narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances (Arabic) DCAF Libya legal database — Law No. 23 of 2002 amending and adding provisions to Law No. 7 of 1990 (Arabic) 2 unchanged

Illegal; sources conflict on whether simple possessionHolding a drug for personal use is itself a crimemisdemeanour with a fine of 100 to 2,000 euros; selling, producing and giving drugs to others are crimes with prison. Scored cautiously.

Cannabis offences fall under Articles 300 and 301Article 45 of the Criminal CodeLaw on Prevention of Drug Abuse (Official Gazette 28/11 and 35/13) bans using, producing, trading and holding drugs for personal use. The source consulted says possessionArticle 52 makes holding a drug for personal use is punishable bycontrary to the law a misdemeanour for an individual, with a fine or upof 100 to three2,000 euros. The Criminal Code (Article 300) makes it a crime, with 2 to 10 years; other accounts hold that Montenegro's code targets production, to sell, offer for sale and 'enabling' use rather than, or buy or possess for the purpose of selling; simple possession. This entry for own use is scored cautiously and needs checking against the codenot listed there.

crlaw, cc

Unauthorised production carries twoGrowing hemp or poppy without a permit is a misdemeanour with a fine of 100 to ten2,000 euros for an individual (Article 52), and permits are given only for food and industrial purposes (Article 18). Unlawfully producing narcotic drugs or plants containing them is a crime with 2 to 10 years (Criminal Code Article 300). The sources read do not say which applies to a few plants grown for personal use.

crlaw, cc

Fines are typical for small amounts; prison for dealingFor personal use the statute sets a fine only. Policing is heaviestNo source was found on the coast in summerhow often it is applied or whether an unpaid fine becomes custody.

crlaw

Sale or supply carries twoArticle 301 of the Criminal Code makes it a crime, with 6 months to ten5 years, up to twelvegive narcotic drugs to another person for organised traffickingtheir use or otherwise facilitate their use; 2 to 10 years in aggravated cases such as against a minor. Selling or giving for further sale is 2 to 10 years (Article 300).

crcc

Enabling another person's drug useArticle 45 prohibits using drugs. The only sanction found for a user is an offence underthe Article 30152 fine for holding a drug for personal use.

crlaw

None for personal use. Hemp and poppy may be grown only under permit for food and industrial purposes (Article 18); the law allows drugs for medical use only under its conditions.

cannlaw

Zakon o sprječavanju zloupotrebe droga, prečišćen tekst (Sl. list CG 28/11, 35/13), gov.me Criminal Code of Montenegro (English version, consolidated to OG 49/2018), UNODC 2 unchanged

Small amounts can be handled with an administrative fineHolding drugs without intent to distribute carries a non-custodial restriction or one to five years under the 2015 Criminal Code; larger amounts bringsupplying carries two to eight years. Wild cannabis is widespread.

Illegal underArticle 20.7(1) of the narcotics law and the Criminal Code. Small quantities can be dealt with by an administrative fine of 150,000–450,000 tögrögMongolia (roughly US$45–130adopted 3 December 2015, as amended); larger amounts punishes illegal preparation, storage or any signdelivery of dealing bring twoprohibited narcotic drugs without intent to eightdistribute with a restriction of free travel for one to five years, or imprisonment for one to five years. The article sets no small-quantity threshold. Whether a separate administrative fine applies to very small amounts is not stated here, because the Law on Violations was not read.

cr, tripcc

Cultivation isArticle 20.10 punishes illegal growing or cultivation of plants that are raw material for narcotic drugs with a crimerestriction of free travel for one to five years, or imprisonment for one to five years; five to twelve years for an organised group. Wild cannabis grows in 18 of Mongolia's 21 provinces, and picking it carries the same penalties as growing it.

crcc

FinesThe Criminal Code lets a court choose a travel restriction instead of prison for holding without intent to distribute. How courts apply it is not shown by the smallest cases, prison above them; enforcement falls mainly on young urban userstext.

vice, crcc

Trafficking carriesArticle 20.7(2) punishes acquisition, storage, transport, delivery or distribution with intent to distribute with two to eight years in prison; five to fifteentwelve years when repeated or by an organised group. Providing a place for drug use (Article 20.8) is one to five years.

crcc

UseArticle 20.7 is an offencetitled "illegal use of narcotic drugs", but the acts it lists are preparation, storage and delivery; young people arrestedno separate penalty for smoking have faced criminal cases and public shaminguse itself was found.

vice, tripcc

None found. Narcotic drugs are restricted by the narcotics control law and Criminal Code.

crcc

Criminal Code of Mongolia, Articles 20.7-20.10 (adopted 3 December 2015; legalinfo.mn English translation) 3 unchanged

One to three years for personalPersonal possession; trafficking can carry or use carries five years in prison under Law 3 of 1993, and trading or supplying drugs carries death or 25 years. Qat, by contrast, is legal.

Illegal under theArticle 38 of Law 3 of 1993 narcotics law, which punishes possessionholding, buying or growing for personal use with one to threefive years in prison. The court may order an addict into a clinic for at least six months instead, and no case is brought against a fineuser who comes forward for treatment on their own. The copy read does not include the schedules, so it does not show which plants are in Table 5.

cr, triplaw93

CultivationArticle 28 bans growing the Table 5 plants. Growing them for trade carries ten to twenty-death or 25 years (Article 34); growing for personal use carries five years (Article 38).

crlaw93

Severe law, with the country divided between rival authorities since 2014The statute sets five years for personal use and enforcement correspondingly inconsistentallows treatment instead (Article 38); the court may reduce a sentence only to the next lower penalty (Article 37). How it is applied is not shown by the text.

triplaw93

Trafficking carries tenArticle 35 punishes giving drugs to twenty-five yearsa user without payment, or making use easier, with death for repeat or aggravated offences25 years in prison, the same as trading (Article 34).

cr, triplaw93

Use is an offenceArticle 38 punishes holding or buying for personal use or consumption with five years in prison, with treatment possible instead. By contrast qatQat, a mild stimulant leaf chewed daily by most Yemeni men, is legal and central to social life.

albablaw93, cralbab

None for personal use. Imports for medical and scientific use need prior written permission from the health ministry (Article 3).

crlaw93

Trafficking carries tenArticles 33 to twenty-five years35 of Law 3 of 1993 punish importing, producing or trading in drugs, and supplying a user, with death for repeat or aggravated offences25 years in prison.

cr, triplaw93

Mohamah.net — Texts of Law No. 3 of 1993 on combating illicit trafficking in and use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances (Yemen, Arabic) 3 unchanged

Possessing a small amount of Holding or using cannabis (liamba) for personal use is a crime with up to three months in prison, which courtsor up to a year above three days' supply; a court can suspend in favour ofthe sentence for treatment.

UnderArticle 23 of Law 3/99 on trafficking and consumption of narcoticspunishes anyone who unlawfully uses, possessing a small amount of liambaor holds, buys or grows for yourtheir own use is, a crime punishedplant or substance in Tables I to IV with up to about three months in prison, rising to up to a year if. If the quantityamount exceeds roughlythe average individual need for three days' supply, the penalty is up to one year. CourtsCannabis, its resin and its oil are in Table I-C. A court can suspend the sentence ifof a dependent user acceptsit finds dependent, on condition of treatment (Article 26).

cr, wikilei3

Growing for personalyour own use falls under the same consumptionArticle 23 offence; larger cultivation (up to three months, or up to a year above three days' supply). Cultivation without authorisation for any other purpose is trafficking under Article 4: 8 to 12 years.

crlei3

ShortThe statute sets prison terms, not a fine, for userspersonal use, oftenbut only up to three months, and allows a suspended; long ones sentence with treatment. Anonymous health care is guaranteed to a user who asks for traffickersit (Article 24). How often users are jailed is not shown by the statute.

crlei3

Trafficking carries eightGiving or handing cannabis to twelveanother person without authorisation is trafficking under Article 4 (8 to 12 years). If the aim is only to get the drug for personal use, Article 9 sets up to two years and a fine, unless the amount exceeds five days' supply.

crlei3

ConsumptionUsing cannabis is itself an offencea crime under Law 3/99Article 23 (up to three months in prison).

crlei3

No legallawful source for personal use. Trading without authorisation is punished under Article 4; the law leaves authorised activity to licences.

wikilei3

Angolex — Lei sobre o Tráfico e Consumo de Estupefacientes, Substâncias Psicotrópicas e Precursores (Lei n.º 3/99) 2 unchanged

Under 1 g can be handled with a heavySmall amounts of drugs lead to administrative fineliability; anything more islarger amounts are a crime with one to three yearsunder Article 234 of the Criminal Code.

The administrative threshold is tiny: under 1 g of dried cannabisAcquiring or 0.1 g of resin can be handled with a fine of 1,500storing drugs without intent to 3,000 manat under the Code of Administrative Offences. Above that, possessionsell is a crime under Article 234.1 of the Criminal Code with onewhen the amount exceeds what is needed for personal use. Under Article 21 of the 2005 narcotics law, an amount below the "substantial" amount set by law is a small amount and leads to three yearsadministrative liability instead.

crlaw2023, triposce2011

Milli Məclis — Law No. 1024-VIQD of 21 November 2023 amending the law on the circulation of narcotic drugs Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the OSCE — Statement PC.DEL/461/11, 20 May 2011 2 unchanged

Possession for personal use carries one to five years in prison under a 1997 law; enforcementCannabis is patchy outside Banguiillegal, but the drug law itself (Law 01.011 of 2001) could not be found, so the penalties and scores are unverified.

IllegalUnverified. The 2010 Penal Code (Law 10.001), Article 246, says drug offences are dealt with under Law 01.011 of 18 July 2001. The text of that law was not found. A "Law 97.003 of 1997" cited elsewhere could not be traced. Possession for personal use is punishable by one to five years in prison and a fine of 100,000 to 1,000,000 CFA francs.

crpc2010

Cultivation is a crime, though cannabis is grown widely for local useUnverified; see possession.

wiki, crpc2010

Armed conflict makes enforcement patchy outside the capital, but prosecutions continue in Bangui and at the airportUnverified; see possession.

crpc2010

Trafficking carries ten to twenty yearsUnverified; see possession.

crpc2010

Use is an offenceUnverified; see possession.

crpc2010

No legalUnverified; no lawful source was found.

wikipc2010

République centrafricaine — Loi n° 10.001 portant Code pénal centrafricain, Article 246 2 unchanged

Illegal for all purposes; penalties forLaw 30-2025 of August 2025 punishes personal use or possession of a small amounts are not publishedamount with up to a year in accessible sourcesprison and a fine; trading carries up to ten years.

Illegal for recreationalLaw 30-2025 of 22 August 2025 bans holding the plants and medicalsubstances of Table I without authorisation (Article 6). For a small amount bought, held or grown for personal use under the drug, Article 53 sets 2 months to 1 year and a fine of 100,000 to 500,000 CFA francs for a high-control law. Possession isrisk drug (cannabis oil included), and 1 to 6 months and 50,000 to 250,000 CFA francs for a criminal offence;cannabis derivative other than the exact penalty foroil. Using or holding a smallhigh-risk drug for personal amountconsumption is also covered by Article 40: 1 to 12 months and a fine of 1,000,000 to 2,000,000 CFA francs. The law text does not publishedname cannabis in accessible official sourcesits tables, and foreign-ministry advice warns of long sentences and heavy fineswhich are set by order.

cr, wikiloi2025

Cultivation isArticle 7 bans growing plants classed as narcotics by the international conventions, and landowners must destroy them. Growing high-risk drugs carries 5 to 10 years and a crimefine of 5,000,000 to 20,000,000 CFA francs (Article 37); a small amount grown for personal use falls under Article 53.

crloi2025

CriminalThe law allows prison even for a small personal amount (Article 53) and doubles the maximum penalties apply throughout; detail on day-to-day enforcementin listed aggravating cases (Article 56). How it is scarceapplied is not shown by the text.

crloi2025

TraffickingGiving or offering a high-risk drug to a person for their own use carries five1 to twenty2 years and a fine of 500,000 to 1,000,000 CFA francs (Article 43). Selling, distributing or holding for supply carries 2 to 10 years (Article 39).

crloi2025

ConsumptionArticle 52 forbids using controlled drugs without a medical prescription and orders any drug found on a user seized. Using a high-risk drug for personal consumption is an offencepunished under Article 40.

crloi2025

No legallawful source for personal use. Authorisations under the law are for medical use only (Article 8).

wikiloi2025

Journal officiel de la République du Congo — Loi n° 30-2025 du 22 août 2025 relative à la lutte contre la production, la détention, la fabrication, le transport, le trafic et l'usage illicites des stupéfiants 2 unchanged

A 'high-risk drug' under the 1997 law: possessionGrowing cannabis is a crimebanned and cultivation carriesthe main offences carry 10 to 20 years, though banga is widelybut a small amount held or grown for personal use falls under a lighter tier with months, not years.

Cannabis is a 'high-risk drug' underArticle 102 of Law 97/019 of 1997. Possession of evensets a lighter tier for holding, buying or growing a small amount meant for personal use is a criminal offence with prison: 2 months to 1 year and a fine reported atof 25,000 to 1,250,000 CFA francs for a high-risk drug, and 1 to 6 months and 25,000 to 500,000 CFA francs for a cannabis derivative other than oil. The court may waive the penalty if the person solemnly promises not to reoffend. Larger amounts fall under Article 93 (10 to 20 years).

cr, tbloi97

CultivationArticle 8 bans growing the cannabis plant, production and marketing carrylandowners must destroy plantations that appear on their land. Article 91 punishes cultivation of high-risk drugs with 10 to 20 years. Cannabis — banga or kaya — is nonetheless widely grown in the Northwest and Southwest regionsa fine of 250,000 to 1,250,000 CFA francs; Article 102 gives the lighter personal-use tier for a small amount.

crloi97

Enforcement is active despite widespread cultivation,The statute allows prison for personal-use offences (Article 102) and sentencessets 10 to 20 years for the main offences. How often users are longjailed is not shown by the statute.

crloi97

Supply falls under the 10Article 95 punishes giving or offering a high-risk drug to- a person for their own use with 2 to 5 years and a fine of 50,000 to 2,500,000 CFA francs. Selling and distributing carry 10 to 20-year trafficking provisions years (Article 93).

crloi97

Use isArticle 101 forbids using controlled drugs without a criminal offencemedical prescription and orders any drug found on a user seized. The penalty set for the user in the text is the possession tier of Article 102.

cr, tbloi97

No legal sourceGrowing and holding drugs of Table I is banned outright (Article 9). Medical-use licences go to pharmacists and similar holders (Article 13). Which table cannabis is in is set by a ministerial act that was not available.

tbloi97

UNODC SHERLOC — Cameroun, Loi n° 97-019 du 7 août 1997 2 unchanged

Prohibited under a 1993 law; small personal amounts are reportedly handled lenientlyLaw 78/IV/93, but this entry rests onwhich punishes consumption; a single source2023 court case shows 15 g of cannabis leading to a prison sentence for lesser trafficking.

Law 78/IV/93 prohibits possessionof 1993 punishes consumption (Article 20) and use. The one source found says small personal amounts are referred to a treatment-oriented commission rather than prosecuted, onlesser form of trafficking (Article 6). In the Portuguese modelcase behind Constitutional Court ruling 18/2023, but also that no formal decriminalisation law has passed. Scored cautiously as a minor offence that seldom leadsman found with 15 g of cannabis was convicted of lesser trafficking and sentenced to prison1 year and 6 months, which two appeal courts upheld; this entry needs checking againsthe argued it was for personal use. The scores are kept as before because the statute's own text was not available.

crtc2023

CultivationNot confirmed. The statute text was not available, so nothing is prohibited by the 1993 lawstated here about cultivation.

crtc2023

Lenient towards small-scale users by regional standards, severe on trafficking — the islands areThe 2023 ruling shows a transit pointprison sentence of 1 year and 6 months for Atlantic cocaine routes15 g of cannabis, which drives enforcementupheld on appeal. A 2020 reform to add suspended sentences with compulsory treatment was vetoed.

crtc2023, obs2020

Trafficking is punishedNot confirmed. The 2020 news reports say the 1993 law punishes leading a trafficking group of two or more people with roughly 410 to 1220 years, up; the penalty for passing cannabis to 15 in serious casesanother person was not found.

crobs2020

UseConsumption is prohibiteda crime under Article 20 of Law 78/IV/93, as cited in the same law2023 ruling.

crtc2023

Not confirmed. No legallawful source was found in the sources read.

crtc2023

Tribunal Constitucional de Cabo Verde — Acórdão n.º 18/2023, Boletim Oficial, 29 March 2023 Observador — Presidente de Cabo Verde veta alteração na Lei da Droga (20 Feb 2020) 1 unchanged

A 2025 new anti-narcotics decree-law reportedly raised personal possession to five to ten yearstook effect in December 2025; trafficking can carry death or life imprisonment. Its penalties for personal possession were not found.

Possession of even a small amount is a crime with years in prison. A new antiAmiri decree-narcotics law no. 59 of 2025 (numbered 159 in force from 15one law-firm note), effective 14 December 2025 is reported to have raised, replaced the term1983 narcotics law and the 1987 psychotropic law. The sources read do not give the penalty for personal possession. The law grants immunity from prosecution to five to ten years, with bail rarely grantedaddicts who seek rehabilitation before charges are filed.

tripkwt, wikil500

CultivationProducing or cultivating for trafficking carriescan carry death or life imprisonment or death, with fines of KWDKD 100,000 to 2 million or the value of the seized substances.

kt, tripkwt

Among the harshest in the Gulf after the 2025 lawThe Cabinet's version introduced random drug tests for military and civilian employees and mandatory tests for driving-licence and marriage applicants.

tripgn

Trafficking, smuggling or manufacturingdealing and intermediation can carry the death penaltyexecution or life imprisonment, with fines of up to two million dinars.

tripgn, wikikwt

Gulf News — Kuwait approves harsh new anti-drug law (29 Oct 2025) Kuwait Times — Kuwait issues new anti-drug law (26 Nov 2025) Legal 500 — Kuwait's new narcotics law 3 unchanged

Personal possessionCannabis is a high-risk drug under the 1999 ordinance; a small amount for personal use carries two monthsone to two yearssix months in prison and a fine, trafficking ten to twenty years.

Cannabis and cannabis resin are in Table I (high-risk drugs) of Ordinance 99-42 of 23 September 1999 classifies cannabis as a narcotic. PossessionFor a small amount held, bought or grown for personal use carries, Article 145 sets two months to two years in prisonone year and a fine of 100500,000 to 1,000,000 CFA francs for a high-risk drug (cannabis oil included), and one to six months and 250,000 to 500,000 CFA francs for a cannabis derivative other than the oil. The court may waive the penalty for a first offender who solemnly promises not to reoffend. Larger amounts fall under Article 96 (10 to 20 years).

cr, law

Cultivation isArticle 8 bans growing the cannabis plant, and landowners must destroy plantations on their land. Growing high-risk drugs falls under the 10-to-20-year trafficking tier; a crimesmall amount grown for personal use gets the lighter Article 145 tier.

PrisonThe ordinance allows prison even for a small personal amount (Article 145) and sets 10 to 20 years for the main offences. How often users are jailed is onnot shown by the books; enforcement concentrates on Saharan trafficking routes through Agadeztext.

crlaw

TraffickingGiving or offering a high-risk drug to a person for their own use carries tenone to twentyfive years and a fine of 100, life when aggravated000 to 500,000 CFA francs (Article 98). Selling, distributing or delivering carries 10 to 20 years (Article 96).

crlaw

UseArticle 144 forbids using controlled drugs without a medical prescription and orders any drug found on a user seized. The penalty set for users in the text is an offencethe possession tier of Article 145.

crlaw

None found. Growing, selling and holding high-risk drugs are banned (Articles 8, 96).

crlaw

Strict prohibition under laws influenced by sharia; long sentencesSudan's narcotics law provides for cultivationthe death penalty for producing and tradetrading in hashish; the text of its penalties for personal use could not be found, so the scores are unverified.

Cannabis ('bango') is banned by the 1994 narcoticsUnverified. Sudan passed a Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in 1994, and the 1991Amnesty International reports an earlier narcotics act of July 1989. The text of neither could be found. The Criminal Act. Possession 1991 was read in full and use carry prison and fines; published sources do not give a reliable figure for small amountshas no narcotics offence.

wiki, cramnesty

Cultivation is a crime, though bango is grown extensively inUnverified. Amnesty reports that the south-west1989 act provides for the death penalty for the illegal production of hashish and opium.

cramnesty

Severe on paperUnverified; see possession. The war that began in April 2023 has disrupted ordinary law enforcement across much of the country.

crwiki

Trafficking carries long sentencesAmnesty reports that the 1989 act provides for the death penalty for trading in hashish and opium, and that nine women were reported sentenced to death for trafficking in aggravated cases,hashish in June 1995. The text of the death penalty under sharia-influenced provisionscurrent act was not found.

cr, wikiamnesty

Use is an offenceUnverified; see possession.

crwiki

NoneUnverified; no lawful source was found.

crwiki

In aggravated cases trafficking carriesAmnesty International reports that a narcotics act of July 1989 provides for the death penalty, under sharia-influenced provisions for illegal production of and trading in hashish and opium.

cr, wikiamnesty

Amnesty International — The death penalty: no solution to illicit drugs (1995), Sudan section 2 unchanged

Possession carries one to five years in prison under aChad's drug offences could not be sourced: the 2017 Penal Code has no cannabis article, and the separate drug law was not found. The scores below are unverified.

Illegal for all purposes under a 2017 drug lawUnverified. Possession carries one to five years in prison and a fineThe Penal Code of 5008 May 2017 (Law 2017-01) has no article on cannabis or on possessing,000 to 5,000,000 CFA francs growing or using drugs. A separate drug law could not be found.

cr, tbpc2017

Cultivation is a crimeUnverified; see possession.

crpc2017

Prison terms of years for possession; enforcement is concentratedUnverified. The only drug-user provision found in the capital and along trafficking corridorsPenal Code is Article 38: a court may order a convicted drug addict into a special health house for up to two years.

crpc2017

Trafficking carries tenUnverified. Article 10 applies the Penal Code to twenty yearsdrug trafficking even when committed abroad, but sets no penalty for it.

crpc2017

Use is an offenceUnverified; see possession.

tbpc2017

No legalUnverified; no lawful source was found.

crpc2017

Tchad — Code pénal, Loi n° 2017-01 du 8 mai 2017 (FAOLEX copy) 2 unchanged