Samoa: Narcotics Act penalties, hemp and black market, 1993-2026 history

Samoa's Law Reform Commission backs regulated medicinal cannabisuse

The commission's final report recommended a regulated regime forregulating medicinal cannabisuse under section 29, with a Ministry of Health board, rather than creating a dispensary scheme. It also recommended retaining the existing penalty structure. The government did not act on it, and it turned down a cultivation proposal in 2019.

Wikipedia — Cannabis in Samoa 1 unchanged

Possession carries, use and supply carry up to 14 years; a 2017 recommendation to allowregulate medicinal cannabisuse was not adopted. There is no medical, hemp or CBD exemption.

Cannabis plant material is listed in the Second Schedule (Class B), item 40; processed cannabis preparations and cannabis resin are also listed there.[@ag2023] Knowing unauthorised possession under section 7 carries up to fourteen years under section 18, with no fine option.[@ag2023] The lower non-wilful/ or procedural alternative is subjectup to the statutory conditionstwo years and a SAT$500 fine.[@ag2023] The Law Reform Commission reported that sentences imposed were lower than the maximum.[@lrc17]

Section 6 of the Narcotics Act prohibits cultivating a prohibited plant or possessing any of its seed; the Law Reform Commission gives the maximum asis 14 years in prison, with a non-wilful alternative of up to two years and a SAT$2,000 fine.[@ag2023,lrc17]

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One of the Pacific's stricter approaches, with prison used for small amounts.[@lrc17] A 2017 review recommended retaining the penalty structure; its narrow proposal to regulate medicinal use under section 29 was not adopted.[@lrc17]

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Supplying or administering an illegal drug to another person is an offence under section 7 of the Narcotics Act, as is attempting to.[@ag2023] The Class B maximum is fourteen years, with no fine option.[@ag2023]

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Use is an offence under section 7 of the Narcotics Act, which covers procuring, consuming and smoking as well as possession.[@ag2023] The Class B maximum is fourteen years.[@ag2023]

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None: the Narcotics Act makes possessing, using, supplying and growing cannabis offences, apart from the exemptions the Act itself provides.[@ag2023]

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None; a proposal to allow cultivation was rejected by the prime minister.[@so2] No licensed cannabis production exists.[@ag2023]

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None.

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None.[@lrc17] The Samoa Law Reform Commission recommended a regulatedregulating medicinal cannabis regime in its 2017 final report onuse under section 29, not creating a dispensary scheme, and the Narcotics Act; the government did not adopt it.[@lrc17] A 2015 request for cannabis oil was handled through a Ministry of Health import licence.[@lrc17]

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A conviction is a criminal record. Village councils have also used banishment against drug offenders, a sanction the Law Reform Commission criticised as harsh and ineffective.[@lrc17]

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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.[@ag2023]

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The Narcotics Act 1967 makes it an offence both to cultivate a prohibited plant and to have in one's possession the seed of a prohibited plant, each with a maximum of 14 years in prison.[@ag2023] Cannabis is among the prohibited plants, so seeds and living plants are equally banned.[@ag2023]

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There is no legal recreational supply. Unauthorised cannabis possession, use or supply falls under the Class B maximum of fourteen years.[@ag2023] Section 6 separately punishes prohibited-plant cultivation and seed possession with up to fourteen years, subject to its non-wilful alternative.[@ag2023]

The Road Traffic Ordinance's section 40(3) prohibits driving or attempting to drive when alcohol, one or more drugs, or their combination makes proper vehicle control impossible.[@traffic2023] A charge involving drugs must identify at least one relevant drug. The, and the definition includes narcotics and any other substance that can impair driving, so it is not limited to illegal cannabis.[@traffic2023] The 2023 consolidation provides a fine up to 50 penalty units, up to five years' imprisonment, or both. Conviction, and conviction normally brings twelve months' licence disqualification, subject to special reasons and the court's power to impose a longer period.[@traffic2023] The numerical limits in section 40(1)–(2) are for alcohol; no quantified THC allowance is given for the drug-impairment offence.[@traffic2023]

The Law Reform Commission's 2017 review gives no national arrest total but reports police figures on which offences areMedia-reported raids in 2025–26 included 44 arrests in December 2025 and 55 people charged. The most common drug offence is possession of marijuana in 20 raids between January and May 2026, with marijuana plants and police toldjoints among the Commission that most of those cases involve small quantitiesseizures. Possession of seeds comes second and cultivation third; methamphetamine possession[@sgn25,sgn26] No official annual cannabis arrest series is less common. Reported cases peakedpublished; the last systematic police data in the Law Reform Commission review covers 2012, 2014 and 2015–2017.[@lrc17]

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Samoa Global News — Over $10 million tala worth cannabis in Samoa's biggest drug bust (13 November 2019) Samoa Global News — 44 arrested in December drug raids (25 December 2025) Samoa Global News — Police update on drug raids: 55 arrests over the last 4 months (26 May 2026) The Coconet — 214 g marijuana intercepted in Samoa Post package (1 February 2025) Samoa Observer — 90 g cannabis in six bottles seized at Faleolo (12 February 2026) Samoa — Narcotics Act 1967 (PacLII) Wikipedia — Cannabis in Samoa Samoa Observer — Commission completes review of Narcotics Act 4 unchanged

WST

label Knowing possession or attempt · treatment criminal · term Possession · prison 14 years · note No fine option, label Non-wilful or procedural breach · treatment criminal · term Possession · prison 2 years · fine 500 · note Fine of up to 5 penalty units, up to two years, or both

WST

label Wilful cultivation or seed possession · treatment criminal · term Cultivation · prison 14 years, label Non-wilful cultivation or seed possession · treatment criminal · term Cultivation · prison 2 years · fine 2000 · note Fine of up to 20 penalty units, up to two years, or both

All recreational use is prohibited. Possession, use and supply each carry up to 14 years under Class B, and cultivation or seed possession carries the same maximum.[@ag2023] Sentences are lower in practice: 250 marijuana cigarettes brought 21 months, and 61 plants plus 2,876 seeds brought two years and ten months.[@lrc17]

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none

No legal hemp category or THC threshold. Cannabis sativa is a prohibited plant under section 2, and section 6 bans cultivation and seed possession; cannabis preparations and THC are Class B.[@ag2023] No industrial-hemp licence was found.[@lrc17]

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Cannabis is the most commonly used illegal drug; possession of marijuana is the most-charged drug offence, followed by seed possession and cultivation.[@lrc17] Domestic growing is concentrated in the hills behind Apia; Faleatiu was raided in 2015, 2016 and 2019, and in November 2019 police destroyed more than 10,000 plants and estimated their value at ST$10 million.[@sgn19] Recent border seizures include 214 g in a Samoa Post package in January 2025 and 90 g in six bottles at Faleolo in February 2026.[@coconet25,so26]

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