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Benin

Africa

Prohibition

#112 of 196 worldwide
#18 of 54 in Africa

Recreational: IllegalMedical: None

Illegal for all purposes; possession is reported to carry two to five years in prison, with some informal tolerance outside the cities.

Score breakdown ▏world average

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Possession · 25%1/10

adds 2.5 of 25 points

Cannabis is illegal for all purposes under the 1997 drug-control Act and the 2018 Penal Code. Unauthorised possession of a narcotic is reported to carry two to five years in prison and a fine of 500,000 to 5 million CFA francs. There is some informal tolerance in parts of the country, but raids and arrests are active in Cotonou and at borders.

Personal cultivation · 25%1/10

adds 2.5 of 25 points

Cultivation is a crime with heavy sentences.

Punishment & enforcement · 20%1/10

adds 2.0 of 20 points

Prison terms of years are on the books for simple possession. The death penalty, abolished in 2016, no longer applies to any drug offence.