Iceland countries/is.yaml
Possession of any amount is prohibited under the Addictive Drugs and Narcotics Act.[@nsfk] For small amounts the standard outcome is a fine — around 35,000 krónur for a first offence involving up to a gram.[@cann] Since 2019, minor possession is no longer entered on the offender's criminal record.[@nsfk] [Iceland wrote its cannabis ban into law in 1974.](/history/iceland-narcotics-act-1974/)
upto 1 g · treatment criminal · term Possession of narcotics · fine 35000 · note Around this for a first offence; off the criminal record since 2019
Cultivation is a criminal offence; indoor grows are regularly raided.[@cann] Growing falls under the 1974 Act's bans on producing and possessing cannabis.[@act65] [Iceland wrote its cannabis ban into law in 1974.](/history/iceland-narcotics-act-1974/)
cann, act65
Fines for users. In 2021 the health minister introduced a government bill to decriminalise possession of all drugs for personal use; it did not pass.[@nsfk]
Supply is a crime with prison.[@cann]
Use is covered by the possession offence and fined.[@nsfk]
No recreational source. Sativex can be obtained from a pharmacy on a neurologist's prescription; the medicines agency also lists Epidyolex as available.[@ima] [Prescription access to Sativex was confirmed in 2018.](/history/iceland-sativex-access-2018/)
There is no legal way to get cannabis. Adults buy hashish from dealers and use in private: … 21 government bill to decriminalise personal possession of all drugs did not pass.[@nsfk] [Iceland wrote its cannabis ban into law in 1974.](/history/iceland-narcotics-act-1974/)
nonestrict
Iceland bans cannabis cultivation outright; a 2020 regulation only opened a narrow excepti … @grapevine] There is no hemp market and no THC threshold that makes a plant legal to grow.[@grapevine] [Hemp seed imports were licensed in 2021.](/history/iceland-hemp-seed-imports-2021/)
No licensed production exists: growing is a criminal offence under the 1974 Act, and the only legal supply is pharmacy Sativex and Epidyolex on specialist prescription.[@act65,ima]
cannact65, ima
Prescription Sativex and Epidyolex.
ima
Limited to approved cannabinoid medicines, including: Sativex on specialist (neurologist) prescription for multiple-sclerosis spasticity, and Epidyolex also listed as available.[@ima] [Prescription access to Sativex was confirmed in 2018.](/history/iceland-sativex-access-2018/)
Keeping minor possession off the criminal record since 2019 removed the main lasting consequence for users.[@nsfk]
The drug act bans importing, selling, handing over, producing and possessing cannabis.[@act65] Since 2021 the Food and Veterinary Authority may license imports of Cannabis sativa seed under conditions set by regulation; there is no such exception for plants or cuttings.[@act65] [Hemp seed imports were licensed in 2021.](/history/iceland-hemp-seed-imports-2021/)
No cannabis clubs are known, and the law leaves no room for them: growing cannabis and supplying it to another person are both prohibited.[@cann]
There is no legal recreational supply for anyone.[@tni] The drug act bans importing, selling, handing over, producing and possessing cannabis.[@act65] Small amounts for personal use are dealt with by a fine.[@nsfk]
The Traffic Act forbids driving under the influence of drugs that are banned in Iceland, a … in the driver's blood the driver is deemed under the influence and unfit to drive safely.[@umf50] No level is set, so any measurable amount is enough.[@umf50] Police can require a saliva, urine or blood sample on suspicion, and refusing has the same … ears or more for repeat offences, and fines or prison of up to two years in serious cases.[@islandis]
Figures reported by the government to the UN drugs office record 290 kg of herbal cannabis seized in 2024, against 210 kg in 2023, and 22.8 kg of cannabis resin seized in 2024, against 175 kg in 2023.[@unodc_szr] The UN publishes them as kilogram equivalents, and countries count seizures differently, so the figures are not comparable across borders.[@unodc_szr]
label Unlawful cultivation · treatment criminal · term Production of narcotics · note Criminal offence; indoor grows are regularly raided