Aruba
North America
24/100
Not ranked: Country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands
would rank #31 among countries
Cannabis possession remains an offence, but the revised 2025 prosecution instruction provides for surrender and dismissal in the 0–30 g band, with exceptions. Larger personal amounts can attract fine requests. Low-THC CBD has a separate medicinal import route.
Country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Aruba is a self-governing country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with its own parliament, criminal law and public prosecution service. The Dutch coffeeshop policy does not apply there. See also 🇳🇱 Netherlands.
In short all countries →
- Can I carry it?LimitedNot a crime, but you can be fined
- Can I grow it?NoIt is a crime
- Can I buy it?NoThere is no legal source
- Can I use it in public?NoUse itself is an offence
- What if I'm caught?A fineOr a referral to treatment
A rough guide read from the scores below, not legal advice. The details and the exceptions are in each segment: select an answer to jump to it.
- Cannabis users
- about 5,100
- Share aged 15–64
- about 7.1%
This site's figure: there is no national survey, so the median rate of surveyed countries in North America is applied to people aged 15–64.
Source A median computed on this site from surveyed countries in North America, using UNODC World Drug Report 2026 figures. Population from the World Bank, aged 15–64. The whole dataset →Score breakdown ▏world average
Select a segment to show or hide the exact rules and sources. How the scores are made →
Possession · 25%4/10adds 10.0 of 25 points
Cannabis possession is prohibited under the ordinance.[1] The revised prosecution instruction sets surrender and dismissal for the 0–30 g soft-drug band, with exceptions for minors, repeat offending, another offence and specified settings.[2] The next 30–100 g band has a proposed fine of AWG 250.[2]
Personal cultivation · 25%1/10adds 2.5 of 25 points
The ordinance’s cannabis controls cover growing, preparation and manufacture.[1] The government created a medicinal-cannabis agency and invited proposals for licensed production, with awards contingent on legislative changes and agreements.[3][4] In a documented individual case, the minister refused a business cultivation permission in March 2023.[5]
Punishment & enforcement · 20%4/10adds 8.0 of 20 points
The revised instruction governs prosecution decisions and sentencing requests.[2] Its possession/courier table calls for fines of AWG 250 in the 30–100 g band, AWG 750 in the 100–300 g band and AWG 1,500 in the 300–500 g band; from 500 g, requests are half the hard-drug table.[2] Qualifying resident defendants can receive a request for a wholly or partly suspended sentence with three years’ probation.[2]
Sharing & gifting · 10%1/10adds 1.0 of 10 points
Consumption · 10%2/10adds 2.0 of 10 points
Legal access · 10%0/10adds 0.0 of 10 points
Commercial import, storage and distribution of CBD medicines with no more than 0.2% THC require ministerial permission following a health-inspectorate assessment.[6] Growing and supplying other cannabis remain controlled by the ordinance; the government’s medicinal-production invitation made awards contingent on legislation and agreements.[1][4]
References
- Aruba — Amendment to the Narcotic Drugs Ordinance, AB 2012 no. 51Articles I–II; published 7 December 2012, effective the following day
- Prosecutor-General of Aruba — Revised narcotics instruction (2025)pp. 1–5; header says revised 16 June 2025, signed 14 July 2025; soft-drug table p. 4
- Aruba — Decree creating the Bureau Medicinale Cannabis Aruba, 9 June 2020 no. 2Landscourant 3 July 2020, pp. 34–36; retroactive effect from 1 June 2020
- Bureau Medicinale Cannabis Aruba — Amended request for proposals for medicinal cultivation and processing (2021)Both pages; registration and proposal timetable; awards contingent on legislation and agreements
- Aruba Court of First Instance — Cannacrossaruba Healthy licensing dispute, 14 May 2025Facts 1.1–1.17 and assessment 3.1–3.3; official XML body read via data.rechtspraak.nl
- Inspectie Volksgezondheid Aruba — Importing CBD productsCurrent official guidance on medicines with no more than 0.2% THC; read 23 October 2026
More context not part of the score
The medicinal-cannabis agency was created to supervise cultivation, manufacturing, quality and trade, including stocks and exports.[1] A subsequent invitation sought proposals for cultivation, processing, or both, with limited exemptions to follow agreements and legislative changes.[2]
The 2019 rules designated CBD and its preparations as medicines, including preparations combined with THC, and excluded CBD preparations with no more than 0.2% THC from a narcotics designation.[3][4] The separate exception for specified supplements, foods and external-use products was withdrawn in January 2020.[5] Current commercial guidance applies a 0.2% THC maximum to the CBD medicinal import route.[6]
CBD products with no more than 0.2% THC are treated as medicines under the health inspectorate’s import rules.[6] The government’s medicinal-cannabis production proposals required further legislative changes and agreements before awards.[2] A later court record documents one business being refused growing and manufacturing permission in 2023.[7]
The ordinance prohibits growing and supplying cannabis outside its permissions.[8] The medicinal-production invitation concerns selected operators working under agreements and exemptions.[2]
The instruction’s small-quantity table is expressed in quantities and circumstances; separate guidance on suspended sentencing requests applies to qualifying Aruba residents.[9] It generally does not request probation-service reports for non-residents, while allowing defendants or lawyers to present personal circumstances.[9]
The prosecution instruction calls for confiscation and destruction of drugs and seeks recovery of criminal proceeds.[9] Repeat offending within five years raises the sentencing request; the person’s role, profit and circumstances also matter.[9]
Taking cannabis into or out of Aruba is a separate offence from possessing it, normally charged as smuggling or trafficking, with far heavier penalties. That holds almost everywhere, including between two places where cannabis is legal.
A prescription or medical card from another country is generally not recognised. Travellers who need a cannabis-based medicine should ask Aruba's embassy before travelling.[10]
General guidance that applies to almost every country, not a check of Aruba's customs rules.
References
- Aruba — Decree creating the Bureau Medicinale Cannabis Aruba, 9 June 2020 no. 2Landscourant 3 July 2020, pp. 34–36; retroactive effect from 1 June 2020
- Bureau Medicinale Cannabis Aruba — Amended request for proposals for medicinal cultivation and processing (2021)Both pages; registration and proposal timetable; awards contingent on legislation and agreements
- Aruba — Designation of cannabidiol as a medicine, AB 2019 no. 82Articles 1–3; signed 20 December, published 23 December, effective 24 December 2019
- Aruba — Cannabidiol narcotics regulation, AB 2019 no. 83Articles 1–2; CBD exception up to 0.2% THC; effective 24 December 2019
- Aruba — Withdrawal of the cannabidiol product exceptions, AB 2020 no. 7Articles I–II; published 16 January, effective 17 January 2020
- Inspectie Volksgezondheid Aruba — Importing CBD productsCurrent official guidance on medicines with no more than 0.2% THC; read 23 October 2026
- Aruba Court of First Instance — Cannacrossaruba Healthy licensing dispute, 14 May 2025Facts 1.1–1.17 and assessment 3.1–3.3; official XML body read via data.rechtspraak.nl
- Aruba — Amendment to the Narcotic Drugs Ordinance, AB 2012 no. 51Articles I–II; published 7 December 2012, effective the following day
- Prosecutor-General of Aruba — Revised narcotics instruction (2025)pp. 1–5; header says revised 16 June 2025, signed 14 July 2025; soft-drug table p. 4
- International Narcotics Control Board — Travellers carrying medicines containing controlled substances
History 7 of 8 checked against a source
Score and entries per decade
24 today, from 21 before its first recorded change
This country's score Entries that moved the score Context only
Easing ✓ Article
Aruba raises the cannabis dismissal band from 5 to 30 grams
Aruba’s revised prosecution instruction raised the soft-drug surrender-and-dismissal band from 0–5 g to 0–30 g. Its possession/courier table replaced the earlier short prison request with fine requests of AWG 250 for 30–100 g, AWG 750 for 100–300 g and AWG 1,500 for 300–500 g. Exceptions remained for minors, repeat offending, another offence and specified settings, including carnival parades, workplaces and government buildings.
2124+3 points
Other law ✓
Aruba refuses a business permission to grow and make medicinal cannabis
Aruba’s health minister refused Cannacrossaruba Healthy permission to grow cannabis and manufacture medicinal or supplement preparations containing controlled drugs. The business had been seeking permission since 2019; its CBD-import request was conditionally refused while it was given time to submit the required documents. A later court record says that refusal became final when the inspectorate did not receive the documents by the deadline.
Other law ✓ Article
Aruba tells prosecutors to drop many cannabis cases up to 5 grams
Aruba’s prosecution guideline set surrender and dismissal for the 0–5 g soft-drug band, subject to exceptions including minors, repeat offending, another offence and specified settings. For 5–250 g the possession/courier table set a sentencing request of up to one month, potentially partly suspended, with three years’ probation. The guideline drew on policies elsewhere in the Dutch Caribbean; a revised instruction later raised the dismissal band to 30 g.
Other law ✓ Article
Aruba creates an agency to oversee medicinal cannabis production
Aruba created a medicinal-cannabis agency within the health ministry, with effect from 1 June 2020, to oversee a controlled cultivation, manufacturing and trading system. Its tasks included permits, quality controls, records and coordination of stocks and exports to meet international treaty requirements. A later government call invited cultivation and processing proposals, with awards contingent on legislative changes and agreements.
Tightening ✓
Aruba withdraws the CBD exemption for supplements and other products
Aruba withdrew the rule that exempted specified low-THC CBD products, including supplements, foods and external-use preparations, from medicinal classification. Health minister Dangui Oduber said the December rule did not fully match the intended CBD policy. The health inspectorate’s current guidance treats CBD products with no more than 0.2% THC as medicines requiring permission for commercial import, storage and distribution.
Medical ✓ Article
Aruba recognises CBD medicines and exempts low-THC CBD from narcotics rules
Aruba designated cannabidiol and its preparations as medicines and excluded CBD preparations with no more than 0.2% THC from a narcotics designation. The minister cited growing use of cannabis preparations for health reasons and the need to protect consumers. A companion rule exempted specified external-use products, supplements, herbs and foods from medicinal classification, but was withdrawn the following month.
Tightening ✓
Aruba extends cannabis controls and gives police wider search powers
Aruba expanded its cannabis controls to include seeds and leaves without flowering tops, alongside growing, sale, transport and possession offences. Uniformed police gained powers to search people and their belongings on specified grounds, and prosecutors could authorise area-wide clothing searches for up to twelve hours after consultation. The government cited rising drug sales and use as its reason for expanding enforcement powers.
Ban ≈
Aruba first restricts cannabis
No first law on cannabis is recorded here for Aruba. The Netherlands banned trade in Indian hemp in 1928, and the Netherlands Antilles, Aruba included, had their Opium Ordinance by 1960, so the first restriction is assumed to fall between those years.
10021−79 points
Datasets not part of the score
What other organisations publish about Aruba, and where it stands among the countries each one covers. Every file is published in full on the sources page.
Use
UNODC
Cannabis use
7.1%of adults
LowestHigher than 76% of 196 countriesHighest5,100 people · median of surveyed countries in the region, computed here
Law
UNODC · 2021
Cannabis seized
280kg in 2021
63 · 2016280 · 202120162021 Less seizedHigher than 19% of 163 countriesMore seized280 kg of herb
Society
OpenAlex · 2023
Research on cannabis
9.3papers per million people
9.3 · 20209.3 · 202320202023 LowestHigher than 93% of 176 countriesHighest1 papers in 2023
CEPII
Former colonial rulers
Once ruled by Netherlands
World Bank · 2025
Government effectiveness
71of 100
70 · 200477 · 200577 · 200677 · 200778 · 200880 · 200970 · 201070 · 201170 · 201270 · 201365 · 201465 · 201565 · 201665 · 201768 · 201868 · 201968 · 202068 · 202171 · 202264 · 202364 · 202471 · 202520042025 LowestHigher than 81% of 195 countriesHighestestimate 0.91 on a scale of −2.5 to 2.5 · 2025 · 65 in 2015
Pew Research Center · 2020
Most common religion
Christians
Christians · 2010Christians · 202020102020 the largest group · 2020
World Bank · 2024
Income per person
$45,428per person
33,147 · 199034,079 · 199134,458 · 199234,628 · 199335,581 · 199435,476 · 199534,507 · 199635,534 · 199735,361 · 199835,317 · 199937,619 · 200038,827 · 200138,195 · 200238,182 · 200340,102 · 200438,926 · 200538,664 · 200639,562 · 200739,983 · 200835,075 · 200934,038 · 201034,926 · 201134,058 · 201235,712 · 201335,837 · 201436,753 · 201536,926 · 201638,213 · 201739,378 · 201839,755 · 201930,409 · 202035,207 · 202139,083 · 202242,783 · 202345,428 · 202419902024 LowestHigher than 79% of 187 countriesHighestat purchasing power parity, 2021 dollars · 2024 · $33,147 in 1990 · $34,038 in 2010
World Bank · 2017
Development indicators
97.2%use the internet
0% · 19902.8% · 19964.5% · 199915.4% · 200017.1% · 200118.8% · 200220.8% · 200323% · 200425.4% · 200528% · 200630.9% · 200752% · 200858% · 200962% · 201069% · 201174% · 201278.9% · 201383.8% · 201488.7% · 201593.5% · 201697.2% · 201719902017 LowestHigher than 92% of 195 countriesHighest62.8% live in towns · 12.7% aged 65+ · life expectancy 75.6 · 2017 · 15.4% in 2000 · 62% in 2010
Context
Our World in Data, World Bank · 2025
Population
108,000people in 2025
LowestHigher than 7% of 196 countriesHighest
All sources 9 cited in this profile
- Aruba — Amendment to the Narcotic Drugs Ordinance, AB 2012 no. 51Articles I–II; published 7 December 2012, effective the following day
- Prosecutor-General of Aruba — Revised narcotics instruction (2025)pp. 1–5; header says revised 16 June 2025, signed 14 July 2025; soft-drug table p. 4
- Aruba — Decree creating the Bureau Medicinale Cannabis Aruba, 9 June 2020 no. 2Landscourant 3 July 2020, pp. 34–36; retroactive effect from 1 June 2020
- Bureau Medicinale Cannabis Aruba — Amended request for proposals for medicinal cultivation and processing (2021)Both pages; registration and proposal timetable; awards contingent on legislation and agreements
- Aruba Court of First Instance — Cannacrossaruba Healthy licensing dispute, 14 May 2025Facts 1.1–1.17 and assessment 3.1–3.3; official XML body read via data.rechtspraak.nl
- Inspectie Volksgezondheid Aruba — Importing CBD productsCurrent official guidance on medicines with no more than 0.2% THC; read 23 October 2026
- Aruba — Designation of cannabidiol as a medicine, AB 2019 no. 82Articles 1–3; signed 20 December, published 23 December, effective 24 December 2019
- Aruba — Cannabidiol narcotics regulation, AB 2019 no. 83Articles 1–2; CBD exception up to 0.2% THC; effective 24 December 2019
- Aruba — Withdrawal of the cannabidiol product exceptions, AB 2020 no. 7Articles I–II; published 16 January, effective 17 January 2020
Last updated: · 9 sources · history: 7 of 8 entries checked