Greenland
North America
12/100
Not ranked: Self-governing territory
would rank #72 among countries
Recreational cannabis possession and supply remain prohibited. Greenland’s own rules provide medical and prescription permissions and an exception for products with no more than 0.2% THC brought in through authorised importers for local distribution. The government continues to emphasise customs controls, prevention and treatment.
Self-governing territory. Greenland is a self-governing part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It has made its own laws on euphoriant substances since it took over health matters in 1992, and its criminal code differs from Denmark's; Denmark answers for it internationally. See also 🇩🇰 Denmark.
In short all countries →
- Can I carry it?NoIt is a crime
- Can I grow it?NoIt is a crime
- Can I buy it?LimitedOn prescription only
- Can I use it in public?NoUse itself is an offence
- What if I'm caught?Fine or prisonUsually a fine; prison is possible
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 12,000
- Share aged 15–64
- 30%
People who used cannabis in the past year, from a 2018 survey, applied to today's population aged 15–64. The population is approximate: the survey ages cut through an age group, or were not recorded and ages 15–64 are used. An earlier figure: UNODC's 2026 table has none for this country.
Source An earlier UNODC figure, as collected in Wikipedia's list of annual cannabis use by country. 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%1/10adds 2.5 of 25 points
Cannabis possession is controlled under Greenland’s own drug law, with exceptions for authorised activities and people receiving medicines on valid prescriptions.[1] Separate rules exempt qualifying products with no more than 0.2% THC when imported through an authorised legal entity for local distribution.[2]
Personal cultivation · 25%1/10adds 2.5 of 25 points
Punishment & enforcement · 20%2/10adds 4.0 of 20 points
Breaches of the possession and supply prohibitions can lead to measures under Greenland’s Criminal Code.[1] Repeated sales of particularly harmful substances, and supply intended for resale at schools or specified youth settings, are aggravating circumstances.[1] In June 2026 the government highlighted stronger customs staffing and prevention.[3]
Sharing & gifting · 10%1/10adds 1.0 of 10 points
Consumption · 10%1/10adds 1.0 of 10 points
Legal access · 10%1/10adds 1.0 of 10 points
References
- Greenland — Inatsisartut Act 24 of 25 November 2022 on euphoriant substancesSections 1–7; effective 1 January 2023
- Greenland — Current drug-control regulation 61 of 1 September 2025Sections 1–18; signature dated 22 August; publication and commencement distinguished
- Naalakkersuisut — Response to the debate proposal on preventing hash misuse, FM 2026/144 (1 June 2026)
More context not part of the score
Controlled cannabis cultivation, manufacture and conversion must follow Greenland’s medicines rules, including protection against unauthorised access.[1] The current low-THC exception is linked to authorised imports and distribution through local storage.[1]
The cannabis listing covers above-ground plant parts from which resin has not been removed, excluding isolated seeds and hemp fibres.[2] Products with no more than 0.2% THC can fall outside the controlled-drug definition when the authorised-import and local-distribution conditions are met.[1]
Greenland’s law permits pharmacy supply and possession of controlled medicines under prescription rules.[3] The regulation permits receipt and possession by people receiving treatment and authorised institutions.[1] Approval of medicines, including cannabis medicines, falls to Greenland’s medicines committee, as explained in the government’s 2019 answer.[4]
The law restricts delivery, receipt and possession to pharmacy, prescription and special-permission routes.[3] The regulation confines use of controlled cannabis to medical and scientific purposes.[1]
The low-THC exception requires importation by an authorised legal entity and local storage before distribution.[1] Controlled-drug receipt and possession follow prescription, treatment or other specified permissions; the government continues to prioritise customs checks against illicit imports.[1][5]
The current law provides criminal-code measures for breaches and treats specified supply in youth settings as more serious.[3] In 2026 the government said Allorfik had expanded cannabis treatment and counselling since 2016, with an emphasis on early intervention and access for families and young people.[5]
Taking cannabis into or out of Greenland 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 Greenland's embassy before travelling.[6]
General guidance that applies to almost every country, not a check of Greenland's customs rules.
References
- Greenland — Current drug-control regulation 61 of 1 September 2025Sections 1–18; signature dated 22 August; publication and commencement distinguished
- Greenland — Controlled-substance lists accompanying regulation 61 of 2025List B no. 59: cannabis; isolated seeds and fibres excluded from this definition
- Greenland — Inatsisartut Act 24 of 25 November 2022 on euphoriant substancesSections 1–7; effective 1 January 2023
- Naalakkersuisut — Answer to question 273/2019 on medical cannabis oil (15 August 2019)
- Naalakkersuisut — Response to the debate proposal on preventing hash misuse, FM 2026/144 (1 June 2026)
- International Narcotics Control Board — Travellers carrying medicines containing controlled substances
History 7 of 8 checked against a source
Entries per decade
Entries that moved the score Context only
Debate ✓
Greenland's government puts customs and prevention first on hash
Greenland’s government backed stronger customs controls and prevention in its response to a parliamentary debate on reducing hash use. It pointed to funding for three to five additional customs officers in the 2025 budget and Allorfik’s expanding cannabis treatment and counselling since 2016. Its response linked action to children and families and the national public-health strategy.
Debate ✓
Greenland’s cannabis review compares prohibition and reform options
An independent review prepared for Greenland compared prohibition, decriminalisation, limited legal access and commercial cannabis sales. It examined health, criminal-justice and economic trade-offs, with a strong focus on young people, prevention and treatment. The health department commissioned the work after a parliamentary proposal seeking a balanced assessment.
Tightening ✓ Article
Greenland requires low-THC imports to pass through local distribution
Greenland required the low-THC cannabis exception to use imports in batches for distribution after receipt at storage controlled by the authorised importer. The earlier rule already required an authorised legal entity and a 0.2% THC ceiling; the replacement added the distribution condition and more detailed product documentation. Those conditions remain in the current regulation.
Easing ✓ Article
Greenland allows low-THC cannabis through authorised importers
Greenland’s new drug law and regulation took effect together, creating an exception for cannabis products with no more than 0.2% THC imported by an authorised legal entity. The law retained prescription and pharmacy routes for controlled medicines and replaced the inherited Danish statute. The change followed parliament’s 2019 calls for access to low-THC oils.
Debate ✓
Greenland’s parliament calls for access to low-THC cannabis oils
Greenland’s parliament instructed the government to take steps allowing cannabis products and oils containing no more than 0.2% THC. The decisions sought access comparable with Denmark’s 2018 change, which did not automatically apply in Greenland. A local law and an authorised-import exception followed in January 2023.
Debate ✓
Greenland proposes a joint plan to curb hash supply and dependence
Greenland’s health department proposed a national hash action plan combining action against supply with prevention and treatment. A later independent review says the full plan remained a proposal, while some activities proceeded through the public-health programme. In 2026 the government again emphasised prevention and customs controls.
Other law ✓
Greenland takes responsibility for its own drug laws
Greenland took over legislative responsibility for euphoriant substances when it assumed responsibility for health services in 1992. Existing health legislation continued until replaced locally, so later Danish cannabis reforms needed Greenlandic decisions to apply there. This became central to the later debate about low-THC oils.
Ban ≈
Greenland first restricts cannabis
Greenland inherited drug controls based on Denmark’s 1955 law; a local law replaced that statute in January 2023. The first cannabis restriction is still estimated at 1955 because its earliest applicable instrument has not been recovered.
10012−88 points
Datasets not part of the score
What other organisations publish about Greenland, and where it stands among the countries each one covers. Every file is published in full on the sources page.
Use
UNODC · 2018
Cannabis use
30%of adults
LowestHigher than 99% of 196 countriesHighest12,000 people · survey 2018 · earlier figure, not in UNODC 2026
Society
OpenAlex · 2025
Research on cannabis
18papers per million people
35 · 202018 · 202353 · 202418 · 202520202025 LowestHigher than 97% of 176 countriesHighest1 papers in 2025
CEPII
Former colonial rulers
Once ruled by Denmark
World Bank · 2025
Government effectiveness
79of 100
59 · 200959 · 201059 · 201159 · 201259 · 201360 · 201460 · 201560 · 201660 · 201760 · 201860 · 201960 · 202060 · 202166 · 202266 · 202379 · 202479 · 202520092025 LowestHigher than 89% of 195 countriesHighestestimate 1.32 on a scale of −2.5 to 2.5 · 2025 · 60 in 2015
World Bank · 2023
Income per person
$71,038per person
38,138 · 199038,163 · 199136,343 · 199234,578 · 199336,429 · 199437,584 · 199538,091 · 199638,581 · 199741,500 · 199842,072 · 199944,992 · 200045,406 · 200144,793 · 200246,649 · 200349,742 · 200452,189 · 200555,244 · 200656,763 · 200760,506 · 200861,036 · 200961,863 · 201061,171 · 201162,111 · 201261,660 · 201364,799 · 201463,364 · 201566,246 · 201666,297 · 201766,888 · 201868,535 · 201968,534 · 202069,302 · 202170,681 · 202271,038 · 202319902023 LowestHigher than 94% of 187 countriesHighestat purchasing power parity, 2021 dollars · 2023 · $38,138 in 1990 · $61,863 in 2010
World Bank · 2017
Development indicators
69.5%use the internet
0% · 19900.1% · 19940.1% · 19951.8% · 19968% · 199714.7% · 199821.6% · 199931.7% · 200035.5% · 200144.2% · 200254.5% · 200356.1% · 200457.7% · 200559.4% · 200661.1% · 200762.8% · 200862.8% · 200963% · 201064% · 201164.9% · 201265.8% · 201366.7% · 201467.6% · 201568.5% · 201669.5% · 201719902017 LowestHigher than 37% of 195 countriesHighest86.4% live in towns · 8.2% aged 65+ · life expectancy 71.3 · 2017 · 31.7% in 2000 · 63% in 2010
Context
GBIF · 2021
Records of the cannabis plant
11dated records
1 · 18532 · 18834 · 18906 · 18997 · 19319 · 196110 · 201611 · 202118532021 LowestHigher than 48% of 128 countriesHighest1 more without a date · 1 in 2021
Our World in Data, World Bank · 2025
Population
56,542people in 2025
LowestHigher than 4% of 196 countriesHighest
All sources 5 cited in this profile
- Greenland — Inatsisartut Act 24 of 25 November 2022 on euphoriant substancesSections 1–7; effective 1 January 2023
- Greenland — Current drug-control regulation 61 of 1 September 2025Sections 1–18; signature dated 22 August; publication and commencement distinguished
- Naalakkersuisut — Response to the debate proposal on preventing hash misuse, FM 2026/144 (1 June 2026)
- Greenland — Controlled-substance lists accompanying regulation 61 of 2025List B no. 59: cannabis; isolated seeds and fibres excluded from this definition
- Naalakkersuisut — Answer to question 273/2019 on medical cannabis oil (15 August 2019)
Last updated: · 5 sources · history: 7 of 8 entries checked