Changes
What moved the scores
New laws and other important developments that changed a country's score, newest first. Open one to see which segments moved and the source.
2026
Grenada decriminalises cannabis
The Drug Abuse (Prevention and Control) (Amendment) Act passed with support from both sides of parliament and received assent in February. Adults 21 and over may possess 56 g and grow four plants per household, and records for minor offences are expunged. There is no legal market yet.
1137+26 points
Czechia legalises possession and home growing
A criminal-code reform took effect on 1 January. Adults 21 and over may grow three plants and keep 100 g at home or 25 g in public; before, small amounts were only an administrative offence. Shops and clubs are still not allowed.
2944+15 points
2025
2024
Japan makes cannabis use a crime
Japan used to punish possession but not use. Amendments in force from 12 December moved cannabis under the narcotics law, made use itself an offence and raised the maximum for possession from five to seven years in prison. The same reform allowed cannabis-derived medicines.
32−1 point
Brazil's Supreme Court decriminalises personal possession
After a case that ran for nine years, the court ruled that possessing cannabis for personal use is not a crime. Up to 40 g or six female plants is presumed to be personal use and is handled with a warning or an educational course. It is still prohibited, and the cannabis is seized.
1523+8 points
Germany legalises possession and home growing
The Cannabis Act took effect on 1 April. Adults may carry 25 g, keep 50 g at home and grow three plants, and non-profit growing associations were allowed from July. There are no shops, and passing cannabis to another person remains a crime.
2144+23 points
2023
2022
2021
Malta becomes the first EU country to legalise
Adults may carry 7 g, keep 50 g at home and grow four plants per household. Instead of shops, the law allows licensed non-profit associations that grow for their members. Smoking in public is still prohibited.
2241+19 points
Mexico's Supreme Court strikes down the ban on personal use
The court declared the ban on adult personal use unconstitutional after Congress missed several deadlines to legislate. Adults can apply to the health regulator for a permit to grow and consume, but Congress never passed a law to regulate it and there is no legal market.
1725+8 points
2020
2019
Trinidad and Tobago decriminalises cannabis
Adults may possess up to 30 g and grow four plants each with no penalty. Between 30 g and 60 g is a fixed-penalty ticket instead of a prosecution. Before, possession could mean years in prison. No legal market was created.
637+31 points
Saint Kitts and Nevis decriminalises after a court ruling
In May the High Court ruled that adults may possess and use cannabis in private. Parliament followed in July, turning small amounts and up to five plants into a ticket with a small fixed fine instead of a crime. The possession limit was raised from 15 g to 56 g in 2020.
1133+22 points
Israel replaces prosecution with fines
Adults caught with a small amount in public now receive a fixed fine and no criminal record, instead of a criminal case. Possession at home in small amounts is generally not enforced. Growing even one plant is still a crime.
2025+5 points
2018
Canada legalises cannabis nationwide
The Cannabis Act made Canada the second country, and the first G7 member, to legalise. Adults may carry 30 g, grow four plants per household in most provinces, share with other adults and buy from licensed shops.
1553+38 points
South Africa's top court protects private use and growing
The Constitutional Court ruled that adults have a right to use, possess and grow cannabis in private, with no fixed gram or plant limit. Buying and selling stayed illegal, and so did use in public.
1149+38 points
Georgia's Constitutional Court ends punishment for use
The court abolished the administrative fines for consuming cannabis, making private use legal. Growing and selling remain crimes, so there is no lawful way to get it.
1922+3 points
Antigua and Barbuda decriminalises 15 g
An amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Act means a person holding up to 15 g is no longer guilty of an offence. Households were later allowed four plants, and Rastafari sacramental use was recognised.
1136+25 points
2017
2015
Malta stops prosecuting small possession
The Drug Dependence Act turned possession of up to 3.5 g into a fine of €50 to €100 decided by a commissioner, not a criminal court. Growing a single plant no longer carried a mandatory prison term.
922+13 points
Jamaica decriminalises ganja
Possessing up to 2 oz became a ticket with a small fixed penalty: no arrest and no criminal record. Each household may grow five plants, Rastafari may use ganja as a sacrament, and a licensed medical industry was set up.
1135+24 points
2013
Uruguay becomes the first country to legalise
Law 19.172 put the whole chain under state control. Registered residents choose one of three routes: growing six plants at home, joining a club, or buying up to 40 g a month in pharmacies. Possession for personal use had not been a crime since 1974.
3251+19 points
Switzerland introduces a CHF 100 fine
Adults caught using cannabis with up to 10 g on them pay a fixed CHF 100 fine and are not prosecuted. Courts later held that simply possessing up to 10 g is not punishable at all.
1630+14 points
Croatia makes personal possession a misdemeanour
A new criminal code took possession of a small amount for personal use out of criminal law. It is punished with a fine, though a large one. Growing even a few plants is still a crime.
1120+9 points
2010
2009
Argentina's Supreme Court protects private use
In the Arriola ruling the court held that punishing an adult for holding a small amount for personal use in private is unconstitutional. The law itself was never changed and no gram limit was set, so judges decide case by case.
1126+15 points
Mexico stops prosecuting up to 5 g
A reform of the health law set personal-use thresholds for all drugs. Someone holding up to 5 g of cannabis is not prosecuted and is referred to treatment instead.
1117+6 points
2001
Canada opens legal medical access
After courts ruled that a ban with no medical exemption was unconstitutional, federal regulations let authorised patients possess cannabis and grow their own or name a grower. Recreational possession stayed a crime.
1315+2 points
Portugal decriminalises all drugs
Possessing up to a ten-day supply, 25 g of cannabis flower, stopped being a crime. Police confiscate it and refer the person to a dissuasion commission, which can suspend the case or impose a fine. Growing and selling remain crimes.
1124+13 points
Luxembourg drops prison for personal use
A reform of the drug law made using, possessing or buying cannabis for personal use punishable by a fine only. Prison remained for use near schools or in front of minors, and for dealing.
1120+9 points