Serbia countries/rs.yaml
Possessing a small amount for personal use carries a fine or up to three years in prison, with possible waiver of punishment.[@code] A large quantity carries three to ten years even when intended for personal use.[@code] The Supreme Court upheld three years for about 372 g in January 2024 and said judges assess quantity case by case.[@stock24] Prosecutors may defer eligible small-possession cases subject to accepted obligations.[@prosecutor] [Serbia's new Criminal Code softened drug penalties in 2006.](/history/serbia-new-criminal-code-2006/) [Three years were upheld for a large personal stock in 2024.](/history/serbia-large-personal-stock-sentence-2024/)
label Small amount for personal use · treatment criminal · term Possession · prison 3 years · note Fine or up to three years, with possible waiver possible; prosecutors may defer with obligations, label Large quantity, even for personal use · treatment criminal · term Possession · prison min 3 years · prison 10 years · note ThreeApplies even to ten yearspersonal use; three years upheld for about 372 g in 2024
Unauthorised growing of psychoactive cannabis carries two to eight years in prison, raised from six months to five years in December 2019.[@code,amendment19] Drug production and supply have a separate three-to-twelve-year range.[@code] A 2019 judgment treated drying and packaging cannabis for sale as production.[@harvest19] Licensed low-THC hemp crops have separate agricultural rules.[@zpks] [Drug sentences were raised in 2019.](/history/serbia-drug-sentences-raised-2019/) [Drying and packaging for sale counted as production in 2019.](/history/serbia-cannabis-drying-sentence-2019/)
label Unauthorised growing of psychoactive cannabis · treatment criminal · term Cultivation · prison min 2 years · prison 8 years · note Two to eight yearsTightened by the December 2019 amendment
Small personal possession can receive a fine, waiver of punishment or deferred prosecution; the latter may require a payment for public purposes, community work or treatment.[@code,prosecutor] Growing cannabis carries a two-to-eight-year statutory range.[@code] Large possession can bring prison despite personal use, as in the three-year sentence upheld for about 372 g in 2024.[@stock24] [Serbia created a separate small-possession offence in 2009.](/history/serbia-personal-possession-offence-2009/)
Giving another person drugs to consume, or providing a place for their use, carries six months to five years under the facilitating-consumption offence.[@code] Unauthorised sale and other supply carry three to twelve years, with aggravated offences for minors, specified locations and abuse of professional roles.[@code] [Serbia's new Criminal Code softened drug penalties in 2006.](/history/serbia-new-criminal-code-2006/)
label Giving drugs to consume or providing premises (facilitation) · treatment criminal · term Facilitation · prison min 6 months · prison 5 years · note Six months to five yearsFor enabling consumption or providing premises, label Unauthorised sale and other supply · treatment criminal · term Supply · prison min 3 years · prison 12 years · note Three to twelve years, aggravatedAggravated for minors, specified locations and professional roles
The controlled-substances law prohibits unauthorised use.[@zpks] The Criminal Code punishes possession for personal use and separately punishes giving drugs to another person to consume or providing premises for use.[@code] [Possession for personal use was criminalised in 2003.](/history/serbia-possession-criminalised-2003/)
Recreational supply remains prohibited.[@code] Goran Čabradi’s medical-cannabis bill failed to secure a place on parliament’s agenda in March 2018.[@assembly18] [Parliament refused to schedule a medical cannabis bill in 2018.](/history/serbia-medical-agenda-refused-2018/)
There is no legal recreational supply. Small-amount personal possession brings a fine or u … bout 372 g in 2024.[@code,stock24] Unauthorised growing brings two to eight years.[@code] [Serbia created a separate small-possession offence in 2009.](/history/serbia-personal-possession-offence-2009/) [Drug sentences were raised in 2019.](/history/serbia-drug-sentences-raised-2019/)
Hemp cultivation rules cover licensed crops and specified fibre-and-seed purposes. Cannabis and resin remain on controlled-drug lists 1 and 2. The government’s 2018 consultation report rejected proposals to legalise medical cannabis oil.
hemp13, schedules26, proposal18
The current schedules place cannabis and resin on both lists 1 and 2.[@schedules26] The law permits list-2 substances for research and exceptionally for therapy under its controls.[@zpks] It also allows the minister to authorise imports of unregistered controlled medicines for a named patient or group through a licensed wholesaler.[@zpks] Patient campaigners and lawmakers have sought a wider medical cannabis route; a 2018 consultation rejected legalising medical cannabis oil.[@assembly18,proposal18] [Patients asked the health ministry to permit cannabis treatment in 2015.](/history/serbia-medical-proposal-2015/) [Parliament refused to schedule a medical cannabis bill in 2018.](/history/serbia-medical-agenda-refused-2018/)
schedules26, zpks, assembly18, proposal18
Small personal possession remains a criminal offence, though the court may waive punishment.[@code] For eligible cases prosecutors can defer prosecution for up to one year while agreed obligations are fulfilled, then dismiss the complaint.[@prosecutor] Those obligations can include a public-purpose payment, community work or drug treatment.[@prosecutor] [Serbia's new Criminal Code softened drug penalties in 2006.](/history/serbia-new-criminal-code-2006/)
Cannabis varieties capable of containing more than 0.3% THC are prohibited.[@zpks] Licensed hemp growers must use registered varieties below 0.3%, with properly documented seed and an agriculture permit covering one production year.[@zpks,hemp13] Seed production for further propagation also requires registration as a seed producer.[@hemp13]
Collective recreational growing and supply fall under the offences against unauthorised cultivation, production and distribution.[@code] Giving drugs to another person for use or providing premises for use is separately punishable by six months to five years.[@code]
Recreational supply remains prohibited.[@code] Small personal possession carries a fine or up to three years in prison, with possible waiver of punishment.[@code] Large possession carries three to ten years; the Supreme Court has upheld that offence even when cannabis was held for personal use.[@stock24] [Three years were upheld for a large personal stock in 2024.](/history/serbia-large-personal-stock-sentence-2024/)
The Road Traffic Safety Law forbids driving under the effect of psychoactive substances, and defines that state as the presence of such substances in the body, established by a test.[@zobs187] For alcohol the same article sets a level of 0.20 mg/ml; for drugs it sets none.[@zobs187] Police exclude such a driver from traffic on the spot.[@zobs187]
Marijuana is by far the largest drug seized. The interior ministry reported more than 6.1 … owing and production sites found: 37 indoor, 92 outdoor and one synthetic drug laboratory.[@n1_26] [Police reported 5.43 tonnes of marijuana seized in a year.](/history/serbia-drug-seizures-2025/)
Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia — Adult perpetrators of criminal offences, 2024 (Bulletin) 14 unchanged
The statistics office recorded 5,270 reported adult perpetrators of unlawful possession of narcotics and 1,474 for unlawful production and circulation in 2024.[@stat24] The figures cover all narcotics, not cannabis alone, and count crime reports rather than arrests.[@stat24]
stat24