summaryDeath for trafficking more than 500 g of cannabis, more than 200 g of cannabis resin, or more than 1,000 g of cannabis mixture, with narrow exceptions. Larger possession amounts bring a mandatory prison term and caning. Ordinary consumption brings at least one year; qualifying repeat use can bring 13 years and caning. Citizens canRegistered cannabinoid medicines may be prosecutedprescribed, and HSA may approve an unregistered one for use abroada named patient. Cannabinoid pharmaceuticals are approved case by case.
segments › enforcement › textTrafficking, importing or exporting more than 500 g of cannabis, more than 200 g of cannab … om 330 g to 500 g of cannabis the trafficking sentence is at least 20 years and 15 strokes of the cane, and up to 30 years or life and 15 strokes.[@cnb_can] Cannabis executions have been carried out as recently asSingapore executed a cannabis importer on 16 April 2026; the previous documented cannabis execution was in April 2023.[@cnb_execution,tangaraju] Qualifying repeat consumption can also bring up to 13 years and 12 strokes, subject to caning exemptions.[@judiciary2026]
segments › enforcement › sourcescnb_can, mda_sch, cnb_execution, tangaraju, judiciary2026
segments › sharing › textGiving cannabis to another person is trafficking, whether or not money changes hands. For … r trafficking bands use 330–500 g of plant material, 130–200 g of resin or 660–1,000 g of cannabis mixture; above those upper limits the offence is capital, subject to section 33B exceptions.[@cnb_can,mda_sch]
segments › consumption › textOrdinaryA first cannabis consumption convictions carryconviction carries at least one year and up to 10 years, with a possible S$20,000 fine; a second conviction carries three to 10 years, with the same possible fine.[@judiciary2026] Qualifying repeat cases under section 33A carry LT1 terms of 5–7 years and 3–6 strokes, or … n require testing; citizens and permanent residents can be prosecuted for use abroad.[@mh]
segments › consumption › penaltieslabel Using cannabis, a first conviction · treatment criminal · term Consumption, proved by a urine test · prison min 1 year · prison 10 years · fine 20000, label Using cannabis, a second conviction · treatment criminal · term Consumption, proved by a urine test · prison min 3 years · prison 10 years · fine 20000, label Repeat use after qualifying earlier convictions (LT1, section 33A) · treatment criminal · … inal · term Long-term imprisonment 2 · prison min 7 years · prison 13 years · caning 6, 12
segments › access › textNoneNo legal source for adults. The only lawful supply is a cannabinoid pharmaceutical prescribed by a Singapore doctor, or an unregistered cannabinoid that HSA approves for a named patient through the import route.[@mha2019,st2019] There is no legal source of any kindgeneral medical-cannabis programme or pharmacy supply.
segments › access › sourcescnbmha2019, st2019
context › death penalty › textTrafficking, importing or exporting more than 500 g of cannabis, more than 200 g of cannab … e is a capital offence, with narrow exceptions for qualifying couriers.[@mda_sch,cnb_can] Cannabis executions have been carried out as recently asSingapore executed a cannabis importer on 16 April 2026; he was a courier, no certificate of substantive assistance was issued, and the court had no discretion under section 33B.[@cnb_execution] The previous documented cannabis execution was Tangaraju Suppiah in April 2023.[@tangaraju]
context › death penalty › sourcescnb_can, mda_sch, cnb_execution, tangaraju
context › recreational › textThere is no legal way to get or use cannabis in Singapore, and using it is itself a crime, … ird most common drug among people arrested, after methamphetamine and heroin: in 2025 the [Central Narcotics Bureau](https://www.cnb.gov.sg/) arrested 250 people for using it, 8% of all drug users arrested, and seven in ten70% of them were caught for the first time.[@cnb25] The bureau says permissive attitudes among young people are its main worry; six in ten63% of new cannabis users arrested were under 30.[@cnb25]
context › hemp › textSingapore makes no exception for hemp. The law defines cannabis as any part of a plant of the genus Cannabis, so seeds, low-THC hemp and CBD products are all controlled drugs.[@mda1973,cnb_hemp] There is no THC limit because there is no lawful hemp category. A pharmaceutical cannabinoid can be approved for an individual patient.[@wikimha2019]
context › hemp › sourcesmda1973, wikicnb_hemp, mha2019
context › medical › textNo medical cannabis programme. In rare cases2019 the health regulator has approvedministry and CNB set out a cannabidiol medicineroute for registered cannabinoid pharmaceuticals, prescribed by a Singapore doctor for the registered condition; HSA can also approve a doctor’s application to import an unregistered cannabinoid for a named patient, such as.[@mha2019] In December 2019 a childgirl with drug-resistant epilepsy became the first patient approved this way.[@st2019] There is no general programme, pharmacy supply or insurance route.
context › medical › sourceswikimha2019, st2019
context › consequences › textUsers can be committed to a Drug Rehabilitation Centre and thenor placed under supervision with regular urine tests. Foreigners are deported after sentence[@mha2023] A foreigner’s pass may be cancelled and re-entry prohibited, and a drugpermanent resident’s status can be reviewed; this is not automatic after every sentence.[@askmha] A conviction also creates a criminal record affects employment for life.
context › consequences › sourceswikimha2023, mhaskmha
context › planting › textThe Misuse of Drugs Act defines cannabis as any part of a plant of the genus Cannabis, with no exception for seeds, so seeds and cuttings areCNB treats hemp seed products as controlled drugs like.[@mda1973,cnb_hemp] Sowing a seed or keeping a cutting is cultivation; selling or giving them is trafficking.[@mda1973] No published Singapore case turns specifically on viable seed, so the rest ofseed status is an inference from the plantdefinition and enforcement guidance.[@cnb_hemp]
context › planting › sourcesmda1973, cnb_hemp
context › clubs › textNo cannabis clubs are known, and the law leaves no room for them: growing cannabis and supplying it to another person are both prohibitedcannabis is trafficking even without payment, cultivation is an offence, and the law provides for the death penalty for the most serious drug offencessection 11A makes arranging a gathering of two or more people where cannabis is consumed or trafficked an offence.[@mda1973,cnb]
context › clubs › sourceswikimda1973, cnb
context › visitors › textThere is no legal recreational supply.[@mda_sch] Ordinary possession below 330 g of plant … presumed unless rebutted.[@mda17] Trafficking more than 500 g of plant material, 200 g of cannabis resin or 1,000 g of cannabis mixture is capital, subject to section 33B exceptions.[@cnb_can,mda_sch]
context › driving › textThe Road Traffic Act makes it an offence to drive while unfit, meaning under the influence of drink, a drug or a psychoactive substance to such an extent as to be incapable of having proper control of the vehicle.[@rta67] Unlike for alcohol, no limit is prescribed for drugs, and prescribed cannabinoids are covered. A first offence brings a fine of S$2,000 to –10,000 dollars or up to 12 months in prison and, with at least two years'’ disqualification; a repeat offence, a fine of brings S$5,000 to –20,000 dollars and up to two years in prison, with at least five years'’ disqualification; a third conviction can bring a lifetime ban.[@rta67]
context › arrests › textThe Central Narcotics Bureau arrested 250 people for using cannabis in 2025, 8% of all drug users arrested; 70% of them were new users, and 5263% of new users were under 30.[@cnb25] Cannabis seizures rose by 21.7%, from 101 kg in 2024 to 123 kg in 2025.[@cnb25] No cannabis-specific prosecution or conviction count is published.[@cnb25]
context › culture › textSingapore's stance took shape around 1970, when the government saw the hippie culture spre … ismissed.[@nlb24] The idea of a drug-free society has stayed at the centre of policy: the [narcotics bureau](/history/singapore-cnb-established-1971/) runs prevention campaigns in schools, and describes legalisation abroad as a cautionary tale.[@cnb25,cnb]
context › research › textSingapore studies cannabis without growing it. In 2018 the [National Research Foundation](https://www.nrf.gov.sg/) put S$25 million into a five-year synthetic-biology programme, one strand of which aimed to make cannabis-derived medicines, mostly CBD, from engineered microbes rather than plants.[@idpc18] TheNo licence to grow the plant itself stays illegal for any purposeresearch has been reported.[@idpc18]
sourcesSingapore MHA/MOH — Position on pharmaceutical products containing cannabinoids (13 February 2019)
The Straits Times — First Singapore case of cannabis-derived medication allowed (1 December 2019)
Central Narcotics Bureau — FAQs about hemp and CBD oil products
Singapore MHA — Oral reply on section 34 DRC and supervision (10 January 2023)
Singapore ask.gov.sg — Immigration status after a criminal offence
Amnesty International / media — Tangaraju Suppiah execution, April 2023
Wikipedia — Misuse of Drugs Act (Singapore), section 17 presumption amounts
Wikipedia — Cannabis in Singapore
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