Central African Republic: penalty tables, recreational and hemp sections, products folded, 1 history entry

Small quantities held or bought for personal consumption have a separate penalty under Article 110 of the [2001 drug law](/history/car-drug-law-2001/).[@law2001] High-risk plants or substances, including cannabis oil, carry two months to one year, a fine of 25,000–1.25 million CFA francs, or both.[@law2001] Cannabis derivatives other than oil carry one to six months, a fine of 25,000–500,000 francs, or both.[@law2001] No gram limit is given.[@law2001]

Cannabis growing is prohibited, and landowners and occupiers must destroy cannabis plants growing on their land.[@law2001] Small personal cultivation falls under the shorter penalty tiers described for possession, with no fixed plant limit.[@law2001] Ordinary high-risk cultivation and production carry ten to twenty years, a fine of 250,000–125 million CFA francs, or both.[@law2001]

British travel advice warns of severe penalties for drug use and possession, including prison.[@fcdo] In November 2024, the anti-drug office destroyed cannabis and other products seized along the Oubangui river, in Boy-Rabe and at Combattant market in Bangui, as [that destruction](/history/car-bangui-seized-cannabis-destroyed-2024/) records.[@rnl2024] The 2001 law allows courts to order care for a dependent person convicted of specified offences; evading it carries two to five years, a fine, or both.[@law2001]

Giving or offering a high-risk drug directly for another person's consumption carries two to five years, a fine of 25,000–2.5 million CFA francs, or both.[@law2001] General high-risk supply and trafficking carry ten to twenty years, a fine of 250,000–125 million francs, or both.[@law2001]

The drug law prohibits using controlled drugs outside a medical prescription. Drugs found with a person using them illicitly can be confiscated even without prosecution.[@law2001] The separate small-personal-quantity penalty expressly lists possession, purchase and growing.[@law2001]

Recreational supply is prohibited.[@law2001] Licensed operations involving controlled drugs in the medical schedules are limited to medical purposes.[@law2001] The health minister can also authorise strictly necessary quantities for medical or scientific research, teaching and forensic work.[@law2001]

medicalnone

The law prohibits cannabis cultivation and requires destruction of plants found on occupied land. It allows specificNo licensed production exists: growing is banned everywhere, while health-minister authorisations forauthorisation is limited to research, teaching and forensic work involving controlled plantsin strictly necessary quantities.[@law2001] What the country grows is illicit, and substancesseized crops and products are publicly destroyed, most recently in Bangui in November 2024.[@rnl2024]

law2001, rnl2024

The retained sources do not identify cannabis products available through a lawful patient supply programme.

The law regulates licensed operations involving controlled medicines and permits specific research authorisations. The retained, but the sources do notreviewed establish anno operating medical cannabis programme.[@law2001]

For specified production, trafficking and supply offences, courts may add restrictions on residence, travel, civic rights, driving or professional activity.[@law2001] They may exclude a foreigner permanently or for two to ten years, with removal after the prison term.[@law2001] These additional penalties apply to Articles 95–103; small personal quantities are dealt with separately in Article 110.[@law2001]

No cannabis clubs are known. Cannabis, and the law leaves no room for them: cannabis cultivation is prohibited, and giving drugs to another person is punishable even when intended for that person's own consumption.[@law2001]

Visitors have no lawful recreational supply route. British travel advice warns of heavy fines[@law2001] Possession and prison for drug usepersonal growing carry the Article 110 tiers, while supply and possessiontrafficking run ten to twenty years.[@law2001] The drug law also permits exclusion of a convicted foreigner for the production, trafficking and supply offences listed in its additional-penalty clause.[@law2001]

law2001, fcdo

Figures reported by the government to the UN drugs office record 374 kg of herbal cannabis seized in 2024, against 242 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] Seized cannabis is publicly destroyed: the November 2024 burning in Bangui covered cannabis taken along the Oubangui river, in Boy-Rabe and at Combattant market.[@rnl2024]

unodc_szr, rnl2024

XAF

label Cannabis oil, small amount for personal use · treatment criminal · term Personal use · prison min 2 months · prison 1 year · fine min 25000 · fine 1250000 · note Prison or a fine, or both, label Other cannabis derivatives, small amount for personal use · treatment criminal · term Personal use · prison min 1 month · prison 6 months · fine min 25000 · fine 500000 · note Prison or a fine, or both

XAF

label Cannabis oil, small amount grown for personal use · treatment criminal · term Personal use · prison min 2 months · prison 1 year · fine min 25000 · fine 1250000 · note Prison or a fine, or both, label Other derivatives, small amount grown for personal use · treatment criminal · term Personal use · prison min 1 month · prison 6 months · fine min 25000 · fine 500000 · note Prison or a fine, or both, label Ordinary high-risk cultivation and production · treatment criminal · term Unlicensed cultivation · prison min 10 years · prison 20 years · fine min 250000 · fine 125000000 · note Prison or a fine, or both

XAF

label Giving or offering for another person's own use · treatment criminal · term Supply to a user · prison min 2 years · prison 5 years · fine min 25000 · fine 2500000 · note Prison or a fine, or both, label General high-risk supply and trafficking · treatment criminal · term Trafficking · prison min 10 years · prison 20 years · fine min 250000 · fine 125000000 · note Prison or a fine, or both

label Use outside a medical prescription · treatment criminal · term Illicit use · note Confiscation possible without prosecution; no fixed prison term stated

Cannabis is prohibited: the 2001 law bans growing, supply and trafficking, and punishes use outside a medical prescription.[@law2001] Giving it to another person is punishable even when meant for that person's own use.[@law2001] Police action is visible: in November 2024 the anti-drug office publicly burned cannabis and other products seized along the Oubangui river, in Boy-Rabe and at Combattant market in Bangui, as [that destruction](/history/car-bangui-seized-cannabis-destroyed-2024/) records.[@rnl2024]

law2001, rnl2024

none

The drug law makes no hemp exception: cannabis growing is banned everywhere, and no THC line or fibre regime appears in the reviewed text.[@law2001] Research authorisations cover strictly necessary quantities for medical or scientific work, not a hemp crop.[@law2001]

law2001