Context not part of the score
Recreational use
How adults actually get and use cannabis here, legally or not.
Adult use is legal in only a handful of countries, and each did it differently. Uruguay was first, in 2013, putting the whole chain under the state; Canada followed in 2018 with licensed shops; Malta chose non-profit associations in 2021; Germany legalised possession and home growing in 2024 without shops. An overview is in the legality of cannabis.
Elsewhere use is tolerated or decriminalised rather than legal. In the Netherlands selling small amounts in a coffeeshop is still an offence that prosecutors do not pursue, within rules on nuisance, minors, advertising and a limit of 5 grams per sale.[1] These sections describe how adults actually get cannabis in each country, legally or not.
- profiles with this section
- 203
- explained as not applicable
- 0
- not researched yet
- 17
- of 220 places covered
- 92%
Recreational status, on the map
Select a country for its section. The interactive map โ
There is no legal way to get cannabis.
There is no legal recreational supply.
There is no legal recreational market.
Adults have no lawful cannabis shops or home-growing allowance: possession, cultivation and import for personal use remain criminal offences.
There is no legal way to get cannabis.
Adults get cannabis from their own four home-grown plants: since March 2018 holding up to 15 g is not an offence, and use at home is lawful, whileโฆ
Decriminalised but with no market.
Small possession and use are administrative offences with heavy fines;
Adult use is partly decriminalised, not legal: the ACT exempts possession and home growing, other states and territories answer small amounts withโฆ
There is no legal recreational supply.
Adults have no legal way to buy cannabis.
There is no legal recreational supply.
There is no legal recreational supply.
All recreational use is prohibited.
There is no legal recreational market.
Adults have no legal shop or personal-growing allowance for drug cannabis.
There is no legal way to buy cannabis.
There is no legal recreational supply: up to 10 g may be possessed and used on private premises, but nothing may be grown or bought since supply of any kind stays a crime.
There is no legal way to get cannabis.
There is no legal recreational market.
There is no legal recreational supply.
Fully illegal with no decriminalisation.
There is no general recreational authorisation under the state law.
Recreational use, purchase and growing remain illegal.
Adult use is decriminalised but not legal: up to 40 g or six female plants draws administrative measures, and there are no lawful sales.
All recreational use is prohibited: consumption itself is an offence proved by urine test, cultivation starts at three years, and trafficking overโฆ
There is no legal recreational supply.
There is no legal way to get cannabis.
There is no legal way to get cannabis.
No legal recreational supply exists, though 'happy pizza' restaurants and street sellers operate openly in some cities, tolerated rather than licensed.
The justice ministry calls cannabis one of the most produced and consumed drugs in Cameroon, trafficked by several networks and hitting young users hard.
There is no lawful recreational supply.
Cannabis is prohibited: the 2001 law bans growing, supply and trafficking, and punishes use outside a medical prescription.
There is no legal way to get cannabis.
Adult use is decriminalised, not legal: private personal use and growing for it go unpunished, public use is a minor offence, and there are no lawful sales.
All recreational use is prohibited.
Decriminalised but with no market.
There is no legal recreational market.
There is no legal recreational supply.
There is no legal recreational market, but personal use is not punished: possessing a small amount for your own consumption carries no criminalโฆ
Cannabis is prohibited, but the 2022 law treats users as patients first: prosecutors must order care before trial and judges may substitute treatment for prison.
There is no legal recreational supply.
There is no legal recreational supply.
There is no legal recreational supply.
There is no legal recreational supply.
There is still nowhere to buy cannabis legally, so adults who use it either grow their own, up to three plants, or buy from dealers.
There is no legal way to buy cannabis.
Adults get cannabis from their own three home-grown plants: up to 28 g of cannabis or resin is exempt from ordinary possession penalties, and earlierโฆ
There is no legal recreational supply.
Cannabis is prohibited, yet the DR Congo counts among Africa's most significant producers, mostly for local consumption.
Adult use sits in a constitutional grey zone rather than a market: the 2008 constitution treats use as a health matter and forbids criminalisingโฆ
There is no legal recreational supply.
No legal recreational market, but own-use possession sits outside criminal punishment since the 2012 ruling;
There is no legal way to get cannabis.
There is no legal recreational supply.
All recreational use is prohibited.
There is no legal way to get cannabis.
Recreational possession and growing remain offences, including small personal quantities, which police prosecute when discovered.
Recreational possession, cultivation and supply are criminal offences with no legal market.
There is no legal way to get cannabis.
There is no legal recreational market.
There is no lawful source for adults: cannabis, known locally as paka, is widely grown and banned.
Private use is legal, but there is no legal way to buy cannabis.
Adults may carry and use cannabis, but there is still no shop to buy it in.
There is no legal recreational supply.
Adult-use supply is prohibited: possession can bring up to twelve months in prison or a fine in lower-court proceedings, or five years or a fine in aโฆ
There is no legal recreational supply.
Recreational possession and supply remain prohibited: breaches lead to measures under Greenland's Criminal Code, with sales of particularly harmfulโฆ
Since February 2026 adults aged 21 and over may possess up to 56 g of cannabis and 15 g of resin, and each household may grow four plants afterโฆ
Adults 21 and over may hold one ounce of cannabis, eight grams of concentrate or infused products with up to 800 mg THC, give those amounts awayโฆ
Fully illegal with no decriminalisation.
Recreational possession and growing remain criminal offences, with fines common for small possession cases.
There is no legal way to get cannabis.
Cannabis is prohibited: small personal possession, cultivation and use carry custody bands, and supply carries up to twelve years.
There is no legal recreational market.
There is no legal recreational supply.
There is no legal way to get cannabis.
There is no legal way to get cannabis.
There is no legal recreational supply.
There is no legal way to get cannabis.
Flower and resin are criminal nationwide, with small quantities up to one year and repeat trafficking open to discretionary death.
All recreational use is prohibited.
Adults have no legal way to buy cannabis.
There is no legal way to buy cannabis.
There is no legal way to buy cannabis.
Cannabis possession and home cultivation remain criminal offences, with 2024 court cases showing fines even for small personal quantities.
There is no legal recreational supply.
There is no legal recreational supply.
Ganja is part of everyday Jamaican life, but there is still no legal recreational market.
Adults have no legal way to buy cannabis for fun.
There is no lawful recreational supply.
There is no legal recreational supply.
Adults have no legal way to buy cannabis.
There is no legal recreational supply.
Recreational cannabis is illegal.
There is no legal recreational supply.
There is no legal recreational supply.
Small personal possession and use are administrative offences;
All recreational use is prohibited: under five grams for consumption leads to treatment, five to ten grams to prison, and trading even small amountsโฆ
There is no legal recreational supply.
There is no legal recreational supply.
All recreational use is prohibited.
There is no legal way to get cannabis.
All recreational use is prohibited.
Adults have no lawful recreational seller;
Home growing is the lawful personal supply route: adults can raise four plants from seed per household at their usual residence.
There is no legal way to get cannabis.
There is no legal recreational market.
Recreational cannabis is fully illegal: the licensing scheme covers medicinal, industrial and scientific production only, and parliament "has notโฆ
All recreational use is prohibited.
There is no legal way to get cannabis.
Cannabis is prohibited, but small personal supplies, including cultivation, fall under the lighter Article 138 tiers with a fine-only option, whileโฆ
Malta was the first EU country to legalise, in December 2021: adults 18+ may carry up to 7 g in public, keep 50 g at home and grow four plants per household.
All recreational use is prohibited.
There is no legal recreational market.
Partly lawful, with no market.
There is no legal recreational supply in any state.
Adults have no legal recreational supply, and passing cannabis to another person is a criminal offence.
Adults have no lawful recreational cannabis shops or personal cultivation allowance.
There is no legal way to get cannabis.
There is no legal recreational supply.
There is no legal recreational market.
Cannabis is prohibited, but personal use and holding fall under the lighter Article 55 bands, with waiver and treatment routes for occasional users and minors.
All recreational use is prohibited.
Recreational cannabis is fully prohibited: the 1971 Act criminalises possessing or using a prohibited dependence-producing drug or plant, andโฆ
All recreational use is prohibited.
Illegal since 1976 but widely tolerated: the plant grows wild, enforcement is relaxed in much of the country, and devotees smoke openly at Shivaโฆ
Most adults who buy cannabis legally do so in a coffeeshop.
Recreational cannabis is fully illegal: possession is a crime even if police must now consider a health response first, and the only public vote on a legal market failed.
There is no legal way to get cannabis.
There is no legal way to get cannabis.
There is no legal recreational market.
There is no lawful recreational supply: marijuana is illegal, a criminal offence to smoke with no leniency promised, even though personal cultivationโฆ
Personal possession is expressly excluded from criminal punishment by the 2023 amendment.
Adults have no general permission to buy, hold or grow cannabis for recreation.
Adults 21 and over may possess up to one ounce in public and eight ounces at home, plus solid and liquid products and five grams of extracts, and mayโฆ
There is no legal way to get cannabis.
There is no legal recreational supply.
Illegal on paper, widely used in practice: charas is smoked widely and police often ignore it, and use is culturally embedded at Sufi shrines and festivals.
All recreational use is prohibited.
There is no legal recreational market in either territory.
There is no legal recreational supply.
Recreational cannabis is fully prohibited, with prison the default across both charging routes: up to two years for 10 g or less under the Controlledโฆ
There is no legal recreational supply.
Decriminalised but with no market: Article 299 leaves immediate personal possession unpunished up to 8 g, but any supply is trafficking and there are no legal sales.
All recreational use is prohibited at any amount: possession starts at over twelve years, selling or giving away brings life imprisonment, and useโฆ
There is no legal recreational supply.
Possession and consumption for personal use are administrative offences, handled through commissions rather than criminal sentencing.
There is no legal adult-use supply.
There is no legal recreational supply.
There is no legal recreational supply on the island.
There is no legal recreational supply.
Adults have no legal shop or home-growing allowance for psychoactive cannabis.
Cannabis is prohibited and the penalties are severe, yet police keep intercepting large cross-border loads: in December 2017 they seized 400 kgโฆ
Private personal use by adults is constitutionally protected since the 2019 High Court ruling.
Adults get cannabis from their own four home-grown plants per dwelling-house: up to 30 g is exempt from the ordinary possession offence, and privateโฆ
There is no legal recreational market.
All recreational use is prohibited.
Recreational possession and use remain criminal, including when the cannabis is solely for the holder.
There is no legal recreational market.
There is no legal recreational supply.
Cannabis is prohibited: growing is banned everywhere, Table I handling is prohibited, and use outside prescription is an offence.
There is no legal recreational supply.
There is no adult-use supply.
There is no legal way to get or use cannabis in Singapore, and using it is itself a crime, proved by a urine test the police can require.
There is no legal recreational supply.
There is no legal recreational supply.
Recreational cannabis is fully prohibited: growing, possession, giving and sale are all offences with no personal-use allowance, and penalties run toโฆ
All recreational use is prohibited: the 1970 law prescribes two to seven years for unauthorised possession, and the 1984 decree ten years for supply.
A South African adult can lawfully grow and smoke dagga at home but cannot lawfully buy it, so most cannabis is grown at home, shared, or bought from the illicit trade.
All recreational use is prohibited, including edibles and vapes from abroad.
All recreational use is prohibited: possession or use can bring up to five years, a fine, or both, and dealing up to fourteen years.
Personal use and exclusively personal possession in private fall outside criminal trafficking rules.
All recreational use is prohibited: the Ordinance bans possessing, consuming or using any part or preparation of the hemp plant, thoughโฆ
All recreational use is prohibited.
There is no legal recreational supply.
There is no legal way to get cannabis.
Registered trial participants can buy controlled cannabis products through approved outlets, including pharmacies and social clubs.
All recreational use is prohibited.
Holding, using and growing cannabis remain controlled offences;
All recreational use is prohibited: unlawful possession without intent to supply starts at a fine or up to two years, supply at up to five yearsโฆ
There is no legal recreational supply.
Recreational use is officially no longer permitted: since June 2025 flower is a controlled herb available only on prescription for medical use in private.
All recreational use is prohibited.
Cannabis is prohibited, but small personal-use amounts fall under a lighter one-to-three-year tier with waiver and treatment options, while supplyโฆ
All recreational use is prohibited.
Adults face complete prohibition across Transnistria, with no legal coffeeshops, dispensaries or social clubs.
Adults get cannabis from their own four home-grown plants: possession of 30 g of cannabis or 5 g of resin is ordinarily exempt, and private use is generally lawful.
There is no legal recreational market.
There is no legal recreational supply.
Cannabis is manufactured within Uganda and smoking it (sada) is practised alongside khat chewing, though exact user numbers are unknown.
Adults have no legal recreational shop, and supplying cannabis remains a crime.
There is no legal recreational supply.
There is no legal way to buy cannabis for adult use: all of it is supplied illegally, mostly high-strength herbal cannabis, and used in private.
Two systems in one country.
Uruguay is the only country where the state runs the whole market.
Adults have no legal way to buy cannabis.
Recreational cannabis is fully prohibited: possession, supply and unlicensed growing are crimes with a twenty-year, VT100 million maximum, thoughโฆ
Recreational cannabis is fully prohibited.
All recreational use is prohibited.
All recreational use is prohibited.
All recreational use is prohibited.
Cannabis is prohibited: unlawful acquisition, possession, use and personal growing carry a fine up to level ten, up to five years, or both, withโฆ
Recreational status: how the 220 researched places divide
| Status | What it means | Places | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal | Adults may legally possess cannabis, within limits | 15 | |
| Partly legal / tolerated | Legal in part of the country or in some settings, or openly tolerated | 6 | |
| Decriminalized | Still prohibited, but small amounts bring at most a fine | 30 | |
| Illegal | A crime, punished with anything from a fine to prison | 140 | |
| Death penalty | A crime, and the law allows the death penalty for cannabis offences, in practice trafficking | 29 |
Country by country
The opening of each profile's section; the country's page has it in full, with sources.
| Country | Recreational status | What the profile says |
|---|---|---|
| AbkhaziaAsia | Death penalty | Not researched yet |
| AfghanistanAsia | Illegal | There is no legal way to get cannabis. Hashish remains widely used despite the bans: offenders are tried by sharia courts, facing imprisonment and flogging, and drug users have been rounded up into compulsory treatment camps. |
| AlbaniaEurope | Illegal | There is no legal recreational supply. A small single dose for personal use is exempt, assessed case by case with no fixed gram limit; anything more brings prison terms of several years. |
| AlgeriaAfrica | Death penalty | There is no legal recreational market. Personal use or possession carries two months to two years and a DZD20,000โ50,000 fine, with no quantity threshold, while holding beyond personal use is treated as supply. |
| AndorraEurope | Illegal | Adults have no lawful cannabis shops or home-growing allowance: possession, cultivation and import for personal use remain criminal offences. Smoking together is separately punishable, including sharing with one other person. |
| AngolaAfrica | Illegal | There is no legal way to get cannabis. Using it, or holding, buying or growing it for one's own use, brings up to three months in prison, or up to a year above three days' supply; |
| Antigua and BarbudaNorth America | Legal | Adults get cannabis from their own four home-grown plants: since March 2018 holding up to 15 g is not an offence, and use at home is lawful, while public smoking is banned as with tobacco. |
| ArgentinaSouth America | Decriminalized | Decriminalised but with no market. Adults may hold a small amount for personal use in private under the Arriola ruling, and grow a few plants where courts extend it, but buying and selling stay criminal and there is no legalโฆ |
| ArmeniaAsia | Decriminalized | Small possession and use are administrative offences with heavy fines; there is no legal way to buy cannabis. Sale and larger growing are criminal. |
| ArubaNorth America | Illegal | Not researched yet |
| AustraliaOceania | Partly legal / tolerated | Adult use is partly decriminalised, not legal: the ACT exempts possession and home growing, other states and territories answer small amounts with expiation fees, cautions or diversion, and no jurisdiction has lawful sales. |
| AustriaEurope | Decriminalized | There is no legal recreational supply. Possessing cannabis for personal use stays a crime with up to six months or 360 day-fines, but qualifying cases must be put on hold for one to two years with health measures, and unpaidโฆ |
| AzerbaijanAsia | Illegal | Adults have no legal way to buy cannabis. A small amount for personal use is an administrative offence carrying a fine or up to two months' arrest; |
| BahamasNorth America | Illegal | There is no legal recreational supply. Unauthorised possession and use remain offences under the Dangerous Drugs Act, and the 2024 Cannabis Act's $250 fixed-penalty route for under 30 g and its religious-use licences have notโฆ |
| BahrainAsia | Death penalty | There is no legal recreational supply. Possessing listed plants or seeds for personal use brings imprisonment and a fine of up to BHD3,000; |
| BangladeshAsia | Death penalty | All recreational use is prohibited. Herbal cannabis brings six months to ten years by weight, consumption three months to two years, and digital buying or selling can bring death; a licensed ganja trade ended in 1989. |
| BarbadosNorth America | Decriminalized | There is no legal recreational market. Since 2021 police may deal with 14 g or less by a $200 fixed-penalty notice payable within 30 days, with no court appearance and no conviction; |
| BelarusEurope | Illegal | Adults have no legal shop or personal-growing allowance for drug cannabis. Personal possession remains criminal even when a court uses the shorter custody option added in March 2025. |
| BelgiumEurope | Decriminalized | There is no legal way to buy cannabis. Adults buy from dealers and use in private: up to 3 g for personal use normally brings only a simplified police report and the lowest prosecution priority, but fines and charges remainโฆ |
| BelizeNorth America | Decriminalized | There is no legal recreational supply: up to 10 g may be possessed and used on private premises, but nothing may be grown or bought since supply of any kind stays a crime. |
| BeninAfrica | Illegal | There is no legal way to get cannabis. Possession is reported to carry two to five years and a fine of 500,000 to 5 million CFA francs; |
| BermudaNorth America | Decriminalized | There is no legal recreational market. Simple possession of seven grams or less is exempt from the possession offence, but police may still seize any amount and supply intent can be prosecuted below that weight. |
| BhutanAsia | Illegal | There is no legal recreational supply. Possession up to 50 g of herbal cannabis is a misdemeanour carrying one to under three years, with higher felony bands above that; |
| BoliviaSouth America | Illegal | Fully illegal with no decriminalisation. Users with the medically assessed immediate-use quantity face compulsory treatment rather than prison, but anything above it is presumed trafficking at ten to twenty-five years. |
| Bosnia and HerzegovinaEurope | Illegal | There is no general recreational authorisation under the state law. Possession is criminal in the Federation, while the current Republika Srpska and Brฤko codes do not reproduce that standalone offence. |
| BotswanaAfrica | Illegal | Recreational use, purchase and growing remain illegal. Since 22 December 2025, possessing 60 g or less is a low-level offence with a fine of up to P10,000, no imprisonment and prescribed rehabilitation; |
| BrazilSouth America | Decriminalized | Adult use is decriminalised but not legal: up to 40 g or six female plants draws administrative measures, and there are no lawful sales. |
| British Virgin IslandsNorth America | Illegal | Not researched yet |
| BruneiAsia | Death penalty | All recreational use is prohibited: consumption itself is an offence proved by urine test, cultivation starts at three years, and trafficking over 500 g carries a mandatory death sentence that is imposed but not carried out. |
| BulgariaEurope | Illegal | There is no legal recreational supply. Cannabis is a class A high-risk drug with heroin and cocaine: possession brings one to six years and up to โฌ5,112.92, or up to โฌ511.29 in minor cases โ still a criminal conviction. |
| Burkina FasoAfrica | Illegal | There is no legal way to get cannabis. Small quantities for personal use carry shorter prison terms and fines of 250,000โ600,000 CFA francs; general possession brings two to five years and up to 5 million. |
| BurundiAfrica | Illegal | There is no legal way to get cannabis. Adults who use it risk one to five years in prison, a fine of 50,000 to 100,000 francs, or both, plus court-ordered supervision meant to prevent repeat use. |
| Cabo VerdeAfrica | Illegal | Not researched yet |
| CambodiaAsia | Illegal | No legal recreational supply exists, though 'happy pizza' restaurants and street sellers operate openly in some cities, tolerated rather than licensed. Unlawful possession carries two to five years in prison. |
| CameroonAfrica | Illegal | The justice ministry calls cannabis one of the most produced and consumed drugs in Cameroon, trafficked by several networks and hitting young users hard. |
| CanadaNorth America | Legal | Not researched yet |
| Cayman IslandsNorth America | Illegal | There is no lawful recreational supply. Possession, use, growing and supply remain criminal offences, though voters backed decriminalising small amounts in April 2025. |
| Central African RepublicAfrica | Illegal | Cannabis is prohibited: the 2001 law bans growing, supply and trafficking, and punishes use outside a medical prescription. Giving it to another person is punishable even when meant for that person's own use. |
| ChadAfrica | Illegal | There is no legal way to get cannabis. Possessing narcotics without a legitimate reason brings one to six years in prison, a fine of 300,000 to three million CFA francs, or both under the 2000 pharmacy law, whose consolidationโฆ |
| ChileSouth America | Decriminalized | Adult use is decriminalised, not legal: private personal use and growing for it go unpunished, public use is a minor offence, and there are no lawful sales. |
| ChinaAsia | Death penalty | All recreational use is prohibited. Small possession and use bring administrative detention and fines, larger amounts are crimes from 30 kg of leaf, and trafficking any amount can bring life or death. |
| ColombiaSouth America | Decriminalized | Decriminalised but with no market. Adults may carry up to 20 g and grow up to 20 plants for personal use under court protection, and public use is allowed outside restricted areas. |
| ComorosAfrica | Illegal | There is no legal recreational market. Holding or using narcotics carries ten to fifteen years in prison and a heavy fine, with no lighter tier for personal use โ though cannabis was legal from 1975 to 1978 under President Aliโฆ |
| CongoAfrica | Illegal | There is no legal recreational supply. A small personal amount of cannabis oil can bring two months to one year, a 100,000โ500,000 franc fine, or both; |
| Costa RicaNorth America | Decriminalized | There is no legal recreational market, but personal use is not punished: possessing a small amount for your own consumption carries no criminal penalty, though the law never defines small and the cannabis is confiscated. |
| Cรดte d'IvoireAfrica | Illegal | Cannabis is prohibited, but the 2022 law treats users as patients first: prosecutors must order care before trial and judges may substitute treatment for prison. |
| CroatiaEurope | Decriminalized | There is no legal recreational supply. Since 2013 small-amount personal possession is a misdemeanour, not a crime: โฌ663.61โ2,654.46 or up to 90 days' detention, with no fixed gram threshold โ courts assess personal use. |
| CubaNorth America | Death penalty | There is no legal recreational supply. Simple possession without authorisation or prescription brings six months to two years and a 200โ500 quota fine, with no lawful personal-use quantity. |
| CuraรงaoNorth America | Illegal | There is no legal recreational supply. Prosecutors confiscate and may conditionally dismiss the 0โ25 g band, and request a fine of up to Cg 500 in the 25โ50 g band โ but the statute still permits life imprisonment, 24 years or aโฆ |
| CyprusEurope | Illegal | There is no legal recreational supply. Personal possession is a criminal offence carrying up to eight years, with a two-year ceiling for qualifying young first offenders; 30 g or more presumes supply intent. |
| CzechiaEurope | Legal | There is still nowhere to buy cannabis legally, so adults who use it either grow their own, up to three plants, or buy from dealers. |
| DenmarkEurope | Illegal | There is no legal way to buy cannabis. Most adults buy hashish from dealers and smoke at home: possession of any amount is an offence, punished with fines that rise with repeat offences. |
| DjiboutiAfrica | Illegal | Not researched yet |
| DominicaNorth America | Legal | Adults get cannabis from their own three home-grown plants: up to 28 g of cannabis or resin is exempt from ordinary possession penalties, and earlier small-possession convictions are spent. |
| Dominican RepublicNorth America | Illegal | There is no legal recreational supply. Personal possession up to 20 g of marijuana (5 g of hashish) brings six months to two years and a 1,500โ2,500 peso fine โ but since 1995 any intent to distribute removes the personal tierโฆ |
| DR CongoAfrica | Illegal | Cannabis is prohibited, yet the DR Congo counts among Africa's most significant producers, mostly for local consumption. |
| EcuadorSouth America | Decriminalized | Adult use sits in a constitutional grey zone rather than a market: the 2008 constitution treats use as a health matter and forbids criminalising users, but there is no legal supply and no safe amount since the 2023 repeal. |
| EgyptAfrica | Death penalty | There is no legal recreational supply. Hashish in every form is covered by the 1960 narcotics law as amended, but enforcement is uneven: widespread use is tolerated in some settings while others are jailed, and high-profileโฆ |
| El SalvadorNorth America | Illegal | No legal recreational market, but own-use possession sits outside criminal punishment since the 2012 ruling; weight alone does not decide, and only a proved trafficking purpose still brings prison. |
| Equatorial GuineaAfrica | Illegal | There is no legal way to get cannabis. The 1993 decree criminalised cultivation, possession, use and gifts, and current British travel advice still calls possession a serious offence punishable by prison; |
| EritreaAfrica | Illegal | Not researched yet |
| EstoniaEurope | Decriminalized | There is no legal recreational supply. A small quantity for personal use is a misdemeanour with a fine of up to 300 fine units or detention, with no gram figure in the statute. |
| EswatiniAfrica | Illegal | All recreational use is prohibited. The 1922 Act covers possession, cultivation, sale and use with up to E2,000 or five years, while the Pharmacy Act allows up to E15,000 or fifteen years for possession and E10,000 or ten yearsโฆ |
| EthiopiaAfrica | Illegal | There is no legal way to get cannabis. Personal use can bring rigorous imprisonment of up to seven years and a fine of up to 50,000 Birr. |
| Faroe IslandsEurope | Illegal | Recreational possession and growing remain offences, including small personal quantities, which police prosecute when discovered. The basic drug-law offence carries a fine or up to two years in prison. |
| FijiOceania | Illegal | Recreational possession, cultivation and supply are criminal offences with no legal market. The October 2026 law creates a separate personal-use offence for cannabis plant material โ at most a FJ$500 fine or three months inโฆ |
| FinlandEurope | Illegal | There is no legal way to get cannabis. Adults buy hashish or home-grown weed from dealers and use in private: unlawful use, or possessing a small amount for one's own use, is a drug-use offence punished with day-fines or up toโฆ |
| FranceEurope | Illegal | There is no legal recreational market. Ordinary illicit use is a criminal offence, but since August 2026 most cases end in a fixed fine โ โฌ500, โฌ400 if paid within 15 days, โฌ1,000 if increased โ rather than court, and the lawโฆ |
| French PolynesiaOceania | Illegal | There is no lawful source for adults: cannabis, known locally as paka, is widely grown and banned. Cases go to the court in Papeete and usually end in fines; |
| GabonAfrica | Illegal | Not researched yet |
| GambiaAfrica | Illegal | Not researched yet |
| GeorgiaAsia | Partly legal / tolerated | Private use is legal, but there is no legal way to buy cannabis. Up to 5 g of dried cannabis is an administrative fine; above that, possession is criminal again, with up to six years in prison and higher bands above 70 g. |
| GermanyEurope | Legal | Adults may carry and use cannabis, but there is still no shop to buy it in. The legal routes are growing three plants at home or joining a non-profit growing association, and both are open only to people who have lived in Germanyโฆ |
| GhanaAfrica | Illegal | There is no legal recreational supply. Holding cannabis for personal use brings a fine of 200 to 500 penalty units, but buying it for personal use is a separate offence that can bring four to ten years in prison or a 2,000 toโฆ |
| GibraltarEurope | Illegal | Adult-use supply is prohibited: possession can bring up to twelve months in prison or a fine in lower-court proceedings, or five years or a fine in a higher-court trial, and supply can carry up to life imprisonment. |
| GreeceEurope | Illegal | There is no legal recreational supply. Obtaining or possessing a personal-use quantity is a misdemeanour with up to five months, usually suspended or replaced by treatment and not entered on the record absent a repeat within fiveโฆ |
| GreenlandNorth America | Illegal | Recreational possession and supply remain prohibited: breaches lead to measures under Greenland's Criminal Code, with sales of particularly harmful substances and supply for resale at schools or youth settings as aggravatingโฆ |
| GrenadaNorth America | Legal | Since February 2026 adults aged 21 and over may possess up to 56 g of cannabis and 15 g of resin, and each household may grow four plants after registering with the Cannabis Secretariat. |
| GuamOceania | Legal | Adults 21 and over may hold one ounce of cannabis, eight grams of concentrate or infused products with up to 800 mg THC, give those amounts away without payment, and grow six plants per residence with no more than threeโฆ |
| GuatemalaNorth America | Illegal | Fully illegal with no decriminalisation. A 2016 bill would have let adults use cannabis privately and grow up to five plants at home, with licensed commercial supply and a 10% sales tax for hospitals and police education โ aโฆ |
| GuernseyEurope | Illegal | Recreational possession and growing remain criminal offences, with fines common for small possession cases. Importing cannabis is treated separately and much more severely. |
| GuineaAfrica | Illegal | There is no legal way to get cannabis. Small personal buying or possession brings one to three years and a fine of three times the value seized; convicted foreigners can also be permanently excluded from the country. |
| Guinea-BissauAfrica | Illegal | Cannabis is prohibited: small personal possession, cultivation and use carry custody bands, and supply carries up to twelve years. |
| GuyanaSouth America | Illegal | There is no legal recreational market. Since November 2022 there is no prison for 30 g or less: up to 15 g means mandatory counselling, 15โ30 g community service โ but more than 30 g is presumed trafficking. |
| HaitiNorth America | Illegal | There is no legal recreational supply. Holding a small personal quantity brings up to six months and a 5,000โ100,000 gourde fine, though the court may order detoxification or care instead. |
| HondurasNorth America | Illegal | There is no legal way to get cannabis. The 1989 personal-use rule was repealed in 2020, and Article 311 punishes possession for trafficking or for facilitating consumption with four to seven years, or one to three inโฆ |
| Hong KongAsia | Illegal | There is no legal way to get cannabis. Possession and use carry up to seven years; first offenders with very small quantities often get fines, probation or community service instead. |
| HungaryEurope | Illegal | There is no legal recreational supply. Possessing or using a small amount โ up to 6 grams of total THC โ is a crime with up to two years, avoidable only by admitting it, completing six months of treatment and identifying theโฆ |
| IcelandEurope | Illegal | There is no legal way to get cannabis. Adults buy hashish from dealers and use in private: possession of any amount is prohibited, with small amounts punished by fines that have stayed off the criminal record since 2019. |
| IndiaAsia | Death penalty | Flower and resin are criminal nationwide, with small quantities up to one year and repeat trafficking open to discretionary death. |
| IndonesiaAsia | Death penalty | All recreational use is prohibited. Planting or possessing plant-form cannabis carries up to twelve years, personal use up to four years with rehabilitation, and aggravated sale can bring death; |
| IranAsia | Death penalty | Adults have no legal way to buy cannabis. Possession up to 50 g is punished with a fine and lashes rather than prison, but the amount, the lashes and the risk of a custodial sentence rise steeply with weight. |
| IraqAsia | Death penalty | There is no legal way to buy cannabis. Personal use carries one to three years and a fine, trafficking can bring death or life, and the law has no quantity threshold. |
| IrelandEurope | Illegal | There is no legal way to buy cannabis. Adults buy illegally and use in private: possession remains a crime, with the first two offences fine-only and prison possible from the third. |
| Isle of ManEurope | Illegal | Cannabis possession and home cultivation remain criminal offences, with 2024 court cases showing fines even for small personal quantities. |
| IsraelAsia | Decriminalized | There is no legal recreational supply. Up to 15 g for personal use is an administrative offence with a fixed fine and no record, and public use is fined the same way. |
| ItalyEurope | Decriminalized | There is no legal recreational supply. Personal-use possession is administrative, not criminal: the prefect can suspend a driving licence, passport or firearms licence for one to three months, or warn a first small case โ thereโฆ |
| JamaicaNorth America | Decriminalized | Ganja is part of everyday Jamaican life, but there is still no legal recreational market. Since 2015 an adult with up to 2 ounces gets a J$500 ticket instead of an arrest, and a household may grow five plants. |
| JapanAsia | Illegal | Adults have no legal way to buy cannabis for fun. Possession and use carry up to seven years, and transfer does too, even without payment. Police investigated a record 6,832 people in 2025; |
| JerseyEurope | Illegal | There is no lawful recreational supply. Small amounts are usually settled at a Parish Hall enquiry with a written caution or a fine, neither of which appears on the person's criminal record; |
| JordanAsia | Death penalty | There is no legal recreational supply. Plant possession for personal use brings one to six months and a JOD200โ500 fine; |
| KazakhstanAsia | Illegal | Adults have no legal way to buy cannabis. Possession without intent to sell is criminal even in the smallest band, with a fine or up to 40 days' arrest; an especially large amount brings three to seven years. |
| KenyaAfrica | Illegal | There is no legal recreational supply. A person who satisfies the court the cannabis was solely for their own consumption faces up to five years or a fine of up to 100,000 shillings; |
| KiribatiOceania | Illegal | Recreational cannabis is illegal. Possession, cultivation, sale and gifts carry the same maximum โ A$2,000 and ten years in the High Court, or A$1,000 and five years before a magistrate โ with no personal-use exemption orโฆ |
| KosovoEurope | Illegal | There is no legal recreational supply. Possessing cannabis for personal use is a criminal offence, including below three grams for a first-time offender, where the penalty is a fine or up to one year with confiscation. |
| KuwaitAsia | Death penalty | There is no legal recreational supply. Personal consumption, possession and purchase carry up to five years and KD5,000, rising to ten years and KD10,000 in prisons, schools and treatment centres. |
| KyrgyzstanAsia | Decriminalized | Small personal possession and use are administrative offences; supply and larger amounts are criminal. There is no legal recreational supply. Wild cannabis grows across the Chuy valley and is subject to eradication campaigns. |
| LaosAsia | Illegal | All recreational use is prohibited: under five grams for consumption leads to treatment, five to ten grams to prison, and trading even small amounts to prison terms that reach life for large extract quantities. |
| LatviaEurope | Decriminalized | There is no legal recreational supply. First-offence small possession brings an administrative fine up to โฌ280 and a warning; repeating within twelve months, or exceeding the product ceiling, can bring a criminal charge. |
| LebanonAsia | Illegal | There is no legal recreational supply. A small quantity for personal use brings three months to three years and LBP 2โ5 million; any other possession or supply can bring life. |
| LesothoAfrica | Illegal | All recreational use is prohibited. The 2008 Act has no simple-possession offence; prosecutors use section 9 for unlicensed acquisition or administration (minimum five years or M20,000) and section 43 for supply (minimum twentyโฆ |
| LiberiaAfrica | Illegal | There is no legal way to get cannabis. First-time unauthorised use of Schedule I drugs carries four months to one year, and a second apprehension escalates to a second-degree felony with one to five years; |
| LibyaAfrica | Death penalty | All recreational use is prohibited. Personal use or possession carries three to fifteen years and a 1,000โ5,000 dinar fine, and a single act or tiny quantity can be treated as trafficking under the 2002 amendment. |
| LiechtensteinEurope | Illegal | Not researched yet |
| LithuaniaEurope | Illegal | Adults have no lawful recreational seller; ordinary distribution remains punishable by imprisonment. A small amount for oneself still attracts criminal-misdemeanour proceedings. |
| LuxembourgEurope | Legal | Home growing is the lawful personal supply route: adults can raise four plants from seed per household at their usual residence. The permission does not create shops or a right to pass cannabis to another household. |
| MacauAsia | Illegal | There is no legal way to get cannabis. Personal acquisition or possession brings three months to one year or a fine of 60โ240 day-rates; |
| MadagascarAfrica | Illegal | There is no legal recreational market. Rongony is grown on a large scale in the north and south and sold in a large domestic market that is hard to police in remote growing regions. |
| MalawiAfrica | Illegal | Recreational cannabis is fully illegal: the licensing scheme covers medicinal, industrial and scientific production only, and parliament "has not decriminalized it for recreational use". |
| MalaysiaAsia | Death penalty | All recreational use is prohibited. Possession starts at up to five years, weight bands add caning, 200 g or more is presumed trafficking, and trafficking can bring discretionary death; consumption brings up to two years. |
| MaldivesAsia | Death penalty | There is no legal way to get cannabis. Even 5 g or less makes a non-dependent person presumed to be dealing, at fifteen years; a dependent person with the same amount is presumed to hold it for use, at three years. |
| MaliAfrica | Illegal | Cannabis is prohibited, but small personal supplies, including cultivation, fall under the lighter Article 138 tiers with a fine-only option, while ordinary cultivation and trafficking draw five to ten years. |
| MaltaEurope | Legal | Malta was the first EU country to legalise, in December 2021: adults 18+ may carry up to 7 g in public, keep 50 g at home and grow four plants per household. |
| Marshall IslandsOceania | Illegal | Not researched yet |
| MauritaniaAfrica | Death penalty | All recreational use is prohibited. Possession of any amount is treated as trafficking under Article 5, with 15โ30 years and a large fine, while simple use carries up to two years. |
| MauritiusAfrica | Illegal | There is no legal recreational market. Use is an offence, with a rehabilitation route for small amounts since November 2022. Cannabis ('gandia') remains prohibited under the 2000 Act, and prisons hold many drug offenders. |
| MexicoNorth America | Partly legal / tolerated | Partly lawful, with no market. Adults may seek a COFEPRIS authorization to grow and consume for personal use, and up to 5 g is not prosecuted. There are no legal recreational sales or licensed dispensaries; |
| MicronesiaOceania | Illegal | There is no legal recreational supply in any state. Penalties vary: the national one-ounce possession fine is $50, but Pohnpei, Yap and Kosrae allow custody for the same amount, and Kosrae's trafficking offence is a ten-yearโฆ |
| MoldovaEurope | Decriminalized | Adults have no legal recreational supply, and passing cannabis to another person is a criminal offence. Small personal possession remains outside criminal law but can carry a substantial fine under the 2026 reform. |
| MonacoEurope | Illegal | Adults have no lawful recreational cannabis shops or personal cultivation allowance. Retail products sold as CBD in neighbouring France have also led to prosecution in Monaco, including sprays and chewing gum in the 2025โฆ |
| MongoliaAsia | Illegal | There is no legal way to get cannabis. Unlawful preparation, storage, giving or acquisition without a selling purpose brings one to five years of travel restriction or imprisonment, with no small-quantity exemption. |
| MontenegroEurope | Decriminalized | There is no legal recreational supply. Holding drugs for personal use brings a โฌ100โ โฌ2,000 misdemeanour fine; selling, holding for sale, buying or transporting for sale brings two to ten years. |
| MoroccoAfrica | Illegal | There is no legal recreational market. Traditional kif smoking is widely tolerated in the northern growing regions, with uneven enforcement, while users elsewhere can be jailed though often are not. |
| MozambiqueAfrica | Illegal | Cannabis is prohibited, but personal use and holding fall under the lighter Article 55 bands, with waiver and treatment routes for occasional users and minors. |
| MyanmarAsia | Death penalty | All recreational use is prohibited. Possession of even a small quantity for personal use risks five to ten years, over 100 g is deemed for sale, and trafficking can bring death; use itself leads to treatment rather than prison. |
| NamibiaAfrica | Illegal | Recreational cannabis is fully prohibited: the 1971 Act criminalises possessing or using a prohibited dependence-producing drug or plant, and cannabis (dagga) โ whole plant, portions and products โ sits in Schedule Part I. |
| NauruOceania | Illegal | All recreational use is prohibited. Since 23 December 2024 possession carries twelve months to three years in custody with no fine, while cultivation, supply, use and import or export carry a minimum of ten years without paroleโฆ |
| NepalAsia | Illegal | Illegal since 1976 but widely tolerated: the plant grows wild, enforcement is relaxed in much of the country, and devotees smoke openly at Shiva temples during Maha Shivaratri while police look the other way. |
| NetherlandsEurope | Partly legal / tolerated | Most adults who buy cannabis legally do so in a coffeeshop. At the end of 2024 there were 563, in 103 municipalities; most towns have none. About two-thirds are places where customers may also smoke; |
| New ZealandOceania | Illegal | Recreational cannabis is fully illegal: possession is a crime even if police must now consider a health response first, and the only public vote on a legal market failed. |
| NicaraguaNorth America | Illegal | There is no legal way to get cannabis. Under 5 g is a minor offence punished with day-fines and community service but no prison, though it is still recorded; larger amounts bring prison in two steps. |
| NigerAfrica | Illegal | There is no legal way to get cannabis. Small quantities for personal consumption carry shorter prison terms and fines of 250,000โ1,000,000 CFA francs; no gram or plant limit is given. |
| NigeriaAfrica | Illegal | There is no legal recreational market. Possession without lawful authority carries fifteen to twenty-five years on paper, but small cases commonly end in much shorter sentences through plea deals or lesser charges. |
| North KoreaAsia | Death penalty | There is no lawful recreational supply: marijuana is illegal, a criminal offence to smoke with no leniency promised, even though personal cultivation may often go unpunished. |
| North MacedoniaEurope | Decriminalized | Personal possession is expressly excluded from criminal punishment by the 2023 amendment. It creates no gram allowance, home-growing licence or retail system. |
| Northern CyprusEurope | Illegal | Adults have no general permission to buy, hold or grow cannabis for recreation. Eligible people convicted of possession or use can accept supervised treatment before sentencing under the 2016 law. |
| Northern Mariana IslandsOceania | Legal | Adults 21 and over may possess up to one ounce in public and eight ounces at home, plus solid and liquid products and five grams of extracts, and may give those amounts to another adult without payment. |
| NorwayEurope | Illegal | There is no legal way to get cannabis. Adults buy hashish from dealers and use in private: possession of up to 15 g for personal use normally ends in a fine that goes on the criminal record, and use itself is an offence fined theโฆ |
| OmanAsia | Death penalty | There is no legal recreational supply. Personal possession, growing and use carry one to three years and a fine of 1,000โ5,000 rials, with treatment alternatives for established dependence. |
| PakistanAsia | Illegal | Illegal on paper, widely used in practice: charas is smoked widely and police often ignore it, and use is culturally embedded at Sufi shrines and festivals. |
| PalauOceania | Illegal | All recreational use is prohibited. Possession of two ounces or less is a $500 citation, $1,000 for each later violation; more than two ounces reaches one year, and more than a pound ten years. |
| PalestineAsia | Illegal | There is no legal recreational market in either territory. In the West Bank, personal use carries six months to two years and a 1,000โ5,000 dinar fine; in Gaza the 2013 law carries three to fifteen years. |
| PanamaNorth America | Illegal | There is no legal recreational supply. Small personal amounts are often met with a fine, a security measure or treatment referral, but prison remains possible and foreigners can be deported. |
| Papua New GuineaOceania | Illegal | Recreational cannabis is fully prohibited, with prison the default across both charging routes: up to two years for 10 g or less under the Controlled Substance Act, and up to forty years under the Dangerous Drugs Act route stillโฆ |
| ParaguaySouth America | Decriminalized | There is no legal recreational supply. Up to 10 g for exclusively personal use is exempt from punishment, but a judge advised by a forensic doctor decides, so arrest and prosecution remain possible โ and home growing is illegalโฆ |
| PeruSouth America | Decriminalized | Decriminalised but with no market: Article 299 leaves immediate personal possession unpunished up to 8 g, but any supply is trafficking and there are no legal sales. |
| PhilippinesAsia | Illegal | All recreational use is prohibited at any amount: possession starts at over twelve years, selling or giving away brings life imprisonment, and use brings rehabilitation or prison. A 2026 medical bill has not become law. |
| PolandEurope | Illegal | There is no legal recreational supply. Possession without authorisation brings up to three years, though prosecutors may drop small personal-use cases where punishment would be pointless; there is no fixed gram allowance. |
| PortugalEurope | Decriminalized | Possession and consumption for personal use are administrative offences, handled through commissions rather than criminal sentencing. |
| Puerto RicoNorth America | Illegal | There is no legal adult-use supply. Unauthorised possession remains a felony with a fixed three-year term, though first offenders can earn probation with dismissal once in a lifetime, and courts can order fines with communityโฆ |
| QatarAsia | Death penalty | There is no legal recreational supply. Personal possession or growing brings six months to three years and QR10,000โ20,000, though a court may send a proven addict to a clinic instead and self-seekers are not prosecuted. |
| RรฉunionAfrica | Illegal | There is no legal recreational supply on the island. Zamal grows wild in several regions and is smoked despite the ban; |
| RomaniaEurope | Illegal | There is no legal recreational supply. Personal-use possession brings three months to two years or a fine, though users often end with a fine or community service; growing for personal use falls under the same provision. |
| RussiaEurope | Illegal | Adults have no legal shop or home-growing allowance for psychoactive cannabis. Even the lowest possession tier permits detention, and giving cannabis to a friend falls under the criminal supply law. |
| RwandaAfrica | Illegal | Cannabis is prohibited and the penalties are severe, yet police keep intercepting large cross-border loads: in December 2017 they seized 400 kg trafficked from DR Congo on the RubavuโNyabihu road, as that seizure records. |
| Saint Kitts and NevisNorth America | Decriminalized | Private personal use by adults is constitutionally protected since the 2019 High Court ruling. The statute adds EC$50 ticket bands: up to 56 g of cannabis or 15 g of resin, and up to five secured home plants, with the holderโฆ |
| Saint LuciaNorth America | Legal | Adults get cannabis from their own four home-grown plants per dwelling-house: up to 30 g is exempt from the ordinary possession offence, and private use only is allowed โ public smoking stays criminal. |
| Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesNorth America | Decriminalized | There is no legal recreational market. Since March 2020 two ounces or less brings at most an EC$500 fine with no arrest, and accepting the police measures discharges liability without a record. |
| SamoaOceania | Illegal | 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. |
| San MarinoEurope | Illegal | Recreational possession and use remain criminal, including when the cannabis is solely for the holder. A particularly minor personal case can receive a lower sentencing grade at the judgeโs discretion. |
| Sรฃo Tomรฉ and PrรญncipeAfrica | Illegal | There is no legal recreational market. Acquiring or holding up to a three-day personal quantity carries up to three months in prison or a 60-day fine, and courts may excuse an occasional consumer; |
| Saudi ArabiaAsia | Death penalty | There is no legal recreational supply. Possessing, buying or obtaining cannabis for personal use brings six months to two years with no exempt amount; |
| SenegalAfrica | Illegal | Cannabis is prohibited: growing is banned everywhere, Table I handling is prohibited, and use outside prescription is an offence. |
| SerbiaEurope | Illegal | There is no legal recreational supply. Small-amount personal possession brings a fine or up to three years, with possible waiver; prosecutors may defer eligible cases with obligations like community work or treatment. |
| SeychellesAfrica | Illegal | There is no adult-use supply. Use is an offence, though the 2016 Act allows treatment-oriented outcomes for dependent users, and the 2020 medical regulations forbid smoking cannabis of any form. |
| Sierra LeoneAfrica | Illegal | Not researched yet |
| SingaporeAsia | Death penalty | There is no legal way to get or use cannabis in Singapore, and using it is itself a crime, proved by a urine test the police can require. |
| Sint MaartenNorth America | Illegal | Not researched yet |
| SlovakiaEurope | Illegal | There is no legal recreational supply. Even a negligible amount โ up to 2 g โ is a crime with up to one year, and small amounts bring six months to three years. |
| SloveniaEurope | Decriminalized | There is no legal recreational supply. A smaller quantity for one-time personal use is a non-criminal misdemeanour with a fine of โฌ41.73โ208.65 and confiscation; |
| Solomon IslandsOceania | Illegal | Recreational cannabis is fully prohibited: growing, possession, giving and sale are all offences with no personal-use allowance, and penalties run to ten years on conviction with assessors. |
| SomaliaAfrica | Illegal | All recreational use is prohibited: the 1970 law prescribes two to seven years for unauthorised possession, and the 1984 decree ten years for supply. In Al-Shabaab-controlled areas intoxicants bring corporal punishment. |
| SomalilandAfrica | Illegal | Not researched yet |
| South AfricaAfrica | Legal | A South African adult can lawfully grow and smoke dagga at home but cannot lawfully buy it, so most cannabis is grown at home, shared, or bought from the illicit trade. |
| South KoreaAsia | Illegal | All recreational use is prohibited, including edibles and vapes from abroad. Possession brings up to five years, supply at least one year, and smoking or ingesting up to five years; |
| South SudanAfrica | Illegal | All recreational use is prohibited: possession or use can bring up to five years, a fine, or both, and dealing up to fourteen years. A 2022 Bor bhang case ended with prison terms and SSP 50,000 fines. |
| SpainEurope | Partly legal / tolerated | Personal use and exclusively personal possession in private fall outside criminal trafficking rules. Unlawful public possession or use still brings โฌ601โ30,000. |
| Sri LankaAsia | Illegal | All recreational use is prohibited: the Ordinance bans possessing, consuming or using any part or preparation of the hemp plant, though small-quantity cases usually end in a magistrate's fine. |
| SudanAfrica | Death penalty | All recreational use is prohibited. Personal use carries up to five years plus a court-set fine, while any gift or unpaid supply falls under the minimum-ten-year supply provision and aggravated trafficking can carry death. |
| SurinameSouth America | Illegal | There is no legal recreational supply. Possessing, holding or using cannabis brings up to thirteen years in prison and a fine โ the same maximum as for selling it โ with no tolerated amount. |
| SwedenEurope | Illegal | There is no legal way to get cannabis. Adults buy hashish or domestically grown weed from dealers and use in private, because use itself has been a crime since 1988: police who suspect someone is under the influence can detainโฆ |
| SwitzerlandEurope | Decriminalized | Registered trial participants can buy controlled cannabis products through approved outlets, including pharmacies and social clubs. The studies accept adults who already use cannabis and live in the participating canton. |
| SyriaAsia | Death penalty | All recreational use is prohibited. Personal possession for use carries three to fifteen years and a 100,000โ500,000 pound fine, with a treatment route; supply carries life or, with aggravating facts, death. |
| TaiwanAsia | Illegal | Holding, using and growing cannabis remain controlled offences; the lower personal-growing band still carries prison. |
| TajikistanAsia | Illegal | All recreational use is prohibited: unlawful possession without intent to supply starts at a fine or up to two years, supply at up to five years rising to twenty, and gifts count as supply. |
| TanzaniaAfrica | Illegal | There is no legal recreational supply. Mainland law has a small-personal-use tier โ a fine of at least 500,000 shillings, three years, or both โ but the burden is on the holder to prove personal consumption, and traffickingโฆ |
| ThailandAsia | Illegal | Recreational use is officially no longer permitted: since June 2025 flower is a controlled herb available only on prescription for medical use in private. |
| Timor-LesteAsia | Illegal | All recreational use is prohibited. Personal possession or use carries up to one year or a 120-day fine, or two years above 5 g of herb, 2.5 g of resin or 1.25 g of oil; trafficking carries five to fifteen years. |
| TogoAfrica | Illegal | Cannabis is prohibited, but small personal-use amounts fall under a lighter one-to-three-year tier with waiver and treatment options, while supply and cultivation draw decades in prison. |
| TongaOceania | Illegal | All recreational use is prohibited. Under 28 g carries up to one year or T$5,000; 28 g or more up to seven years or T$50,000, whether the charge is possession, use, cultivation or supply. |
| TransnistriaEurope | Illegal | Adults face complete prohibition across Transnistria, with no legal coffeeshops, dispensaries or social clubs. |
| Trinidad and TobagoNorth America | Legal | Adults get cannabis from their own four home-grown plants: possession of 30 g of cannabis or 5 g of resin is ordinarily exempt, and private use is generally lawful. |
| TunisiaAfrica | Illegal | There is no legal recreational market. Use or possession of any amount is a crime carrying one to five years and a 1,000โ3,000 dinar fine, with no quantity threshold. |
| TรผrkiyeAsia | Illegal | There is no legal recreational supply. Buying, receiving or possessing for personal use brings two to five years, but first offences normally get five years' deferred prosecution with at least a year of supervised probation andโฆ |
| TurkmenistanAsia | Illegal | Not researched yet |
| TuvaluOceania | Illegal | Not researched yet |
| UgandaAfrica | Illegal | Cannabis is manufactured within Uganda and smoking it (sada) is practised alongside khat chewing, though exact user numbers are unknown. Use clusters in Kampala slum hotspots such as Kisenyi, and prisons report drug use. |
| UkraineEurope | Decriminalized | Adults have no legal recreational shop, and supplying cannabis remains a crime. Small possession can bring administrative detention; the dried-plant ceiling is 5 g, with lower ceilings for resin and extracts. |
| United Arab EmiratesAsia | Death penalty | There is no legal recreational supply. A first personal-use offence brings at least three months or an AED 10,000โ100,000 fine, with treatment possible instead; |
| United KingdomEurope | Illegal | There is no legal way to buy cannabis for adult use: all of it is supplied illegally, mostly high-strength herbal cannabis, and used in private. |
| United StatesNorth America | Partly legal / tolerated | Two systems in one country. Roughly half the states let adults 21+ buy capped amounts from licensed stores for any use; the rest punish possession with arrest and jail. |
| UruguaySouth America | Legal | Uruguay is the only country where the state runs the whole market. A resident who wants cannabis legally signs up with the regulator IRCCA for one of three routes: buying in a pharmacy, joining a club, or growing at home. |
| US Virgin IslandsNorth America | Legal | Not researched yet |
| UzbekistanAsia | Illegal | Adults have no legal way to buy cannabis. A small amount for personal use is an administrative offence carrying a fine or up to fifteen days' detention; |
| VanuatuOceania | Illegal | Recreational cannabis is fully prohibited: possession, supply and unlicensed growing are crimes with a twenty-year, VT100 million maximum, though courts apply a lesser personal-use category in small cases. |
| VenezuelaSouth America | Illegal | Recreational cannabis is fully prohibited. Consumers holding an individually assessed personal dose go through the court-ordered rehabilitation procedure, but possession outside lawful activities and personal use is separatelyโฆ |
| VietnamAsia | Death penalty | All recreational use is prohibited. Possession starts at three to five years, sale at three to seven years rising to life or death in the highest weight bands, and use brings monitoring, rehabilitation or prison depending onโฆ |
| YemenAsia | Death penalty | All recreational use is prohibited. Personal use carries five years with a treatment alternative, while unpaid supply, trading and growing for trade can bring death or twenty-five years. |
| ZambiaAfrica | Illegal | All recreational use is prohibited. Possession of up to 0.5 g of cannabis solids or 2.5 ml of oil is punishable by up to fifteen years, and anything above that is treated as trafficking with one to twenty-five years and no bail. |
| ZimbabweAfrica | Illegal | Cannabis is prohibited: unlawful acquisition, possession, use and personal growing carry a fine up to level ten, up to five years, or both, with treatment possible where addiction is established. |