seeds and clones

CMS — Cannabis law and legislation in Albania (expert guide) 3 unchanged

illegal

banned

illegal

banned

Article 283 of the criminal code punishes selling, offering, giving, receiving, transporting or keeping narcotic substances "and seeds of narcotic plants" with five to ten years in prison, apart from small doses for personal use. The 2023 law on medical and industrial cannabis allows cultivation only by licensed companies.

cmsg

licensed

regulated

illegal

banned

Industrial hemp may be grown only for fibre, for seed used as animal feed, and for further reproduction, processing and marketing of seed, with THC in the dry plant no higher than 0.2%. Only people and companies authorised by the competent body may grow hemp or place it on the market.

cmsg

CMS — Cannabis law and legislation in Bulgaria (expert guide) 3 unchanged

licensed

regulated

illegal

banned

Cannabis plants may be grown only for fibre, for seed for animal feed or sowing, with less than 0.2% THC and a licence from the agriculture minister. Seed not intended for sowing may be imported only by licensed importers and may not be released for free circulation if more than 10% of it can germinate.

cmsg

Law No. 15 of 2007 on narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, English reference version (Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission) 3 unchanged

illegal

banned

illegal

banned

Law 15 of 2007 prohibits cultivating, possessing, buying or selling any listed plant, or dealing "with its seeds or any part of it at any stage of its growth", and defines cultivation to include handling seeds. Only the seeds and plant parts named in a separate table are exempt; that table was not in the text read.

l15

Loi n° 97-025 du 18 juillet 1997 sur le contrôle des drogues et des précurseurs (UNODC SHERLOC, PDF) 2 unchanged

grey

unclear

illegal

banned

Article 8 of Law 97-025 bans growing the cannabis plant anywhere in the country and obliges whoever owns or occupies land to destroy any plants that come up. The law does not mention seeds; it classifies substances by reference to the international conventions.

l97025

illegal

banned

illegal

banned

The Drugs Prohibition Law forbids illicitly growing cannabis plants and makes it illegal to trade in, transport, carry or possess seeds or seedlings of drug plants that have not been inactivated. Only enterprises designated by the state may cultivate such plants. Cannabis seed itself is listed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia as a traditional medicine.

cmsg

Loi n° 04-18 du 25 décembre 2004 relative à la prévention et à la répression de l'usage et du trafic illicites de stupéfiants (UNODC SHERLOC, PDF) 3 unchanged

grey

open

illegal

banned

Law 04-18 defines cannabis as the flowering or fruiting tops of the plant, "excluding the seeds and the leaves that are not accompanied by the tops", so seed on its own is not a controlled drug. The cannabis plant is defined as any plant of the genus, and growing it is one of the acts the law controls.

l0418

Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería — Capacitación nacional sobre el proceso para la obtención de licencias de cáñamo, Acuerdo Ministerial 109 (2024, PDF) 4 unchanged

licensed

regulated

licensed

regulated

The agriculture ministry's Agreement 109 sets up seven licences for cannabis with less than 1% THC. Licence 1 covers importing and selling seeds or cuttings, and Licence 2 sowing and producing them; only registered companies, cooperatives, associations and universities may apply. Nothing in the scheme covers seed or cuttings of psychoactive varieties.

mag109

Yle — report on the Court of Appeal of Eastern Finland ruling on hemp grown for seed (16 October 2020) 3 unchanged

grey

unclear

grey

unclear

Finnish law punishes growing hemp only when it is grown as a drug. In 2020 the Court of Appeal of Eastern Finland overturned the conviction of a man who grew hemp to collect seed for breeding and had told the police beforehand. A criminal-law professor commenting on the case said selling seeds so that drugs are made from them is certainly a crime, while selling them for other purposes can be allowed; both professors quoted stressed that it was a single case.

yle20

Parliament of Fiji — Illicit Drugs Control (Budget Amendment) Bill 2022, Bill No. 41, with explanatory note (PDF) 2 unchanged

illegal

banned

illegal

banned

Schedule 1 of the Illicit Drugs Control Act lists cannabis seed by name as an illicit drug, alongside the plant, its fruit, resin and oil, and the Act bans importing, cultivating, selling, supplying and possessing them. Since the 2022 amendment hemp with no more than 1% THC is excluded, but a person who claims a plant is hemp must prove it.

bill41

Graphic Online — NACOC reiterates strict THC limits for cannabis cultivation (30 April 2026) 3 unchanged

licensed

regulated

licensed

regulated

Only cannabis with no more than 0.3% THC may be grown, and only under a licence from the Narcotics Control Commission; the regulator repeated in April 2026 that anything above that limit falls outside the law. Seed and planting material therefore exist legally only inside the licensed industrial and medicinal scheme.

act, nacoc26

Hukumonline — Bisakah dipidana jika menggunakan ganja untuk penyedap makanan? (quoting Annex I, item 8 of Law 35/2009) 3 unchanged

illegal

banned

illegal

banned

Law 35 of 2009 lists as a Class I narcotic the cannabis plant and "all parts of the plant including seeds, fruit, straw" and its products. Planting, keeping or possessing a Class I narcotic in plant form without right carries four to twelve years in prison under Article 111.

hol

Narcotics Control Act, English text as notified to the WTO (30 October 2019, PDF) 4 unchanged

grey

open

illegal

banned

The Narcotics Control Act's definition of marijuana expressly excludes "the seeds and roots of the hemp plant", its mature stalks and products made from them. The hemp plant itself is marijuana, and only a licensed cultivator may grow it, for the purpose of collecting fibre or seed.

nca

licensed

regulated

licensed

regulated

A health ministry decision of December 2022 lets approved companies cultivate, process, import and export hemp, and requires the seeds used for cultivation to be registered. The Law on Narcotics and the Penal Code still prohibit producing, trading and using every other kind of cannabis, and acting without approval can be prosecuted under them.

cmsg

CMS — Cannabis law and legislation in Lebanon (expert guide) 3 unchanged

licensed

regulated

licensed

regulated

Under Law 178 of 2020 the cannabis regulatory authority may authorise cultivation of the plant "whether in the form of seeds or seedlings" for medical, pharmaceutical and industrial products. Outside such an authorisation cultivation remains a crime.

cmsg

Drugs of Abuse Act, 2008 (Act 5 of 2008), section 3 (Lesotho Legal Information Institute) 3 unchanged

licensed

regulated

licensed

regulated

The Drugs of Abuse Act 2008 defines cannabis as any part of the plant "including the seeds", and cultivating as including planting, sowing and scattering the seed. Seed is therefore a controlled drug, lawful only for holders of a licence under the Act, such as the medical cannabis producers licensed since 2018.

doa08

LV portāls — Zemkopības ministrija: Latvijā ir aizliegta Indijas kaņepju sēklu sēšana un audzēšana (6 March 2017) 3 unchanged

grey

open

illegal

banned

The agriculture ministry stated in 2017 that the narcotics law does not apply to seeds, so trade in Indian hemp seed is not prohibited in Latvia, while sowing and growing those plants is banned and punished under section 256 of the Criminal Law. The same answer also cites the Criminal Law's section on trade, so the position on selling is less clear than its headline, and it is given as informative, not binding.

zm17

Hespress — Usage licite du cannabis: le Maroc reçoit ses premières graines (28 April 2023) 4 unchanged

licensed

regulated

licensed

regulated

Under Law 13-21 importing or exporting cannabis seeds and plants needs an authorisation from the regulator ANRAC, and licence holders may bring in only seed the agency has approved. Certified lots must carry the variety's certification number and THC level. The first imported seed arrived in April 2023 and went to cooperatives in Al Hoceima and Chefchaouen.

hesp23

CMS — Cannabis law and legislation in North Macedonia (expert guide) 3 unchanged

licensed

regulated

licensed

regulated

The narcotics law defines medical cannabis as all above-ground parts of the plant "including the seeds". Cannabis may be grown only for medical or scientific purposes, by companies holding health ministry approval given with the government's consent, and they need a further approval from the agriculture ministry before sowing or planting.

cms

Dangerous Drugs Act, Act 41 of 2000, as at 30 June 2017 (Mauritius Legal Information Institute, PDF) 4 unchanged

illegal

banned

illegal

banned

The Dangerous Drugs Act defines gandia as "all the parts of the plant" Cannabis sativa or indica, with no exception for seed, and section 5 says no person shall cultivate the cannabis plant. Police may uproot any plant found growing.

dda

Cannabis Regulation Act, 2020 (Act No. 6 of 2020), assented 30 April 2020 (FAOLEX, PDF) 3 unchanged

licensed

regulated

licensed

regulated

The Cannabis Regulation Act 2020 puts cultivating, propagating, supplying, possessing and selling cannabis under licences from the Cannabis Regulatory Authority, and import or export under a ministerial permit. Only seed that has been crushed or processed so it cannot germinate falls outside the controlled plant, so viable seed and planting material are lawful only within the licensed medicinal and hemp schemes.

cra20

Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 (Act 234), reprint as at 1 January 2006, as notified to the WTO (PDF) 3 unchanged

illegal

banned

illegal

banned

Section 6 of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 makes it an offence to possess cannabis "or the seeds of the plants from which they may be obtained" without authorisation, with up to five years in prison. Section 6B forbids planting or cultivating any plant from which cannabis may be obtained.

dda52

Abuse of Dependence-Producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act, 1971 (Act 41 of 1971), Schedule Part I (Namibia Legal Information Institute) Regulations relating to Medicines and Related Substances, Government Notice 178 of 2008 (Namibia Legal Information Institute) 3 unchanged

illegal

banned

illegal

banned

The 1971 Act lists as a prohibited dependence-producing drug "Cannabis (Dagga) and the whole plant or any portion or product thereof", which takes in seed and cuttings alike. The 2008 medicines regulations exempt only processed products made from cannabis seed that contain almost no THC and no whole seeds.

act41, gn178

grey

unclear

illegal

banned

Article 8 of Ordinance 99-42 bans growing the cannabis plant anywhere in the country and obliges whoever owns or occupies land to destroy any plants that come up. The ordinance does not mention seeds.

o9942

Indian Hemp Act (1966 No. 19, 1984 No. 27) — Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (PLAC) 3 unchanged

illegal

banned

illegal

banned

The Indian Hemp Act defines Indian hemp as "any plant or part of a plant of the genus cannabis", with no exception for seed, and makes it an offence knowingly to plant or cultivate any cannabis plant, as well as to import, sell or possess Indian hemp.

iha

Control of Narcotic Substances Act, 1997 (UNODC SHERLOC, PDF) 2 unchanged

grey

open

illegal

banned

The Control of Narcotic Substances Act 1997 defines cannabis as the resin and the flowering or fruiting tops, "excluding the seed and leaves when not accompanied by the tops", so loose seed is not a narcotic drug. Section 4 forbids cultivating any cannabis plant or gathering any portion of one, unless the government licenses it for medical, scientific or industrial purposes.

cnsa

Decreto N° 2725/2019 — cáñamo industrial (Ministerio de Industria y Comercio, PDF) 4 unchanged

licensed

regulated

licensed

regulated

Decree 2725 of 2019 regulates importing propagation material for industrial hemp, along with its cultivation, processing and sale, all under authorisation from the agriculture ministry working with the anti-drug secretariat and the seed service. It covers non- psychoactive cannabis only.

d2725

Official Gazette nº 24 of 28/06/2021 — Ministerial Order nº 003/MoH/2021 relating to cannabis and cannabis products (PDF) 2 unchanged

licensed

regulated

licensed

regulated

The 2021 ministerial order defines cannabis to include its seeds for agricultural purposes and lists eight licences and permits. A cultivation licence covers developing genetic material, and separate import and export permits are required for seeds, genetic materials and other planting material. Everything is confined to medical or research use.

og24

grey

unclear

illegal

banned

The 2020 medicinal cannabis regulations define cultivating to include "sowing or scattering the seed" and planting the cannabis plant "or any part thereof", and state that a person shall not cultivate cannabis of any form or type. Patients may receive only imported cannabidiol-based products. The regulations do not say whether seed on its own may be held or sold; the definition of cannabis in the 2016 Act was not read.

si25

Zákon č. 139/1998 Z. z. o omamných látkach, psychotropných látkach a prípravkoch, znenie od 1. 1. 2026 (Zákony pre ľudí) 4 unchanged

grey

unclear

illegal

banned

Act 139/1998 allows hemp to be grown in Slovakia only for industrial or research purposes, with a ministry permit valid for one year; industrial growing means growing for fibre and seed. The Act treats obtaining seed as a form of processing hemp and says nothing separate about holding or selling seed of other varieties.

z139

grey

open

illegal

banned

Section 382 of the Penal Code Act 2008 defines cannabis as the flowering or fruiting tops of the plant, "excluding the seeds and leaves when not accompanied by the tops", so loose seed is not a dangerous drug. The cannabis plant itself, defined as any plant of the genus, is a dangerous drug.

law

Opium and Habit-forming Drugs Act, 1922 (Act 37 of 1922), section 15 (Eswatini Legal Information Institute) 3 unchanged

illegal

banned

illegal

banned

The Opium and Habit-forming Drugs Act 1922 defines cannabis, dagga, intsangu or Indian hemp as "the whole or any portion of the plant" and all its extracts and preparations, under whatever name. Seed and cuttings are portions of the plant, and the Act has no exception for them.

ohda

grey

unclear

illegal

banned

Article 10 of Law 98-008 bans growing the cannabis plant anywhere in the country, and Article 11 obliges owners and occupiers of land to destroy any plants that come up. The law does not mention seeds.

l98008

Evrensel — Kenevir üretimine izin verilen 21 il Resmi Gazete'de (31 January 2026) 3 unchanged

licensed

regulated

licensed

regulated

Hemp may be grown for fibre, seed and stalk only with a permit from the local administrative authority, in 21 named provinces, applied for between 1 January and 1 April each year; growing for medicines goes through the state grain board. The 2026 regulation as reported does not set out how seed is supplied or sold.

evr26

Drug Control and Enforcement Act, Chapter 95, section 2 (Tanzania Legal Information Institute) 3 unchanged

grey

open

illegal

banned

The Drug Control and Enforcement Act defines cannabis as any part of the plant "excluding the seeds", so seed on its own is not a narcotic drug. Cultivating is defined to include planting and scattering the seed, and growing the plant is an offence.

dcea

Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, 2024, section 2 (Uganda Legal Information Institute) 3 unchanged

grey

open

illegal

banned

The 2024 narcotics act defines cannabis as the flowering or fruiting tops of the plant, "excluding the seeds", so loose seed is not itself a narcotic drug. Cultivating is defined to include "sowing or scattering the seed", and growing the plant without a licence is an offence.

ndps24

Industrial Hemp and Medical Cannabis Act No. 31 of 2021, assent 10/12/2021, commencement 17/01/2022 (FAOLEX, PDF) 3 unchanged

licensed

regulated

licensed

regulated

The Industrial Hemp and Medical Cannabis Act 2021 was passed to regulate "the importation and cultivation of hemp and cannabis seeds". Importing and growing seed needs a licence from the agriculture minister, who is to issue at least three for hemp and at least two for medical cannabis; each licence covers import, cultivation, manufacture and export together.

ihmca

Industrial Hemp Act, 2021 (Act No. 34 of 2021) (FAOLEX, PDF) 3 unchanged

licensed

regulated

licensed

regulated

The Industrial Hemp Act 2021 defines hemp to include viable seed with no more than 0.3% THC and requires a licence to grow, process, distribute or buy it. It has separate sections on importing and exporting hemp seed, on the varieties that may be grown and on seed production and multiplication. The Act comes into force only on a date the minister appoints.

iha

Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Chapter 9:23, section 155 (Zimbabwe Legal Information Institute) Dangerous Drugs (Production of Cannabis for Medicinal and Scientific Use) Regulations, 2018, SI 62 of 2018 (Zimbabwe Legal Information Institute) 4 unchanged

licensed

regulated

licensed

regulated

The criminal code's definition of the cannabis plant leaves out only seed that has been crushed or processed so it cannot germinate, so viable seed is controlled. Under the 2018 medicinal cannabis regulations a licensed producer may sell or provide cannabis seeds, in labelled containers that keep them dry.

code, si62