Cannabis Freedom Index
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Iceland

Europe

Restrictive

#54 of 196 worldwide
#19 of 45 in Europe

Recreational: IllegalMedical: Limited

Possession of small amounts is punished with a fine.

Score breakdown ▏world average

Select a segment to show or hide the exact rules and sources.

Possession · 25%2/10
adds 5.0 of 25 points

Possession of any amount is prohibited under the Addictive Drugs and Narcotics Act. For small amounts the standard outcome is a fine — around 35,000 krónur for a first offence involving up to a gram. Since 2019, minor possession is no longer entered on the offender's criminal record.

Personal cultivation · 25%1/10
adds 2.5 of 25 points

Cultivation is a criminal offence; indoor grows are regularly raided.

Punishment & enforcement · 20%3/10
adds 6.0 of 20 points

Fines for users. In 2021 the health minister introduced a government bill to decriminalise possession of all drugs for personal use; it did not pass.

Sharing & gifting · 10%1/10
adds 1.0 of 10 points

Supply is a crime with prison.

Consumption · 10%1/10
adds 1.0 of 10 points

Use is covered by the possession offence and fined.

Legal access · 10%0/10
adds 0.0 of 10 points

No legal source. A bill to legalise and regulate sales to adults over 20 was proposed in parliament but went nowhere.

More context not part of the score

Commercial production

No licensed production.

Products

One prescription cannabinoid medicine.

Medical use

Limited to a cannabinoid mouth spray on specialist prescription.

Other consequences

Keeping minor possession off the criminal record since 2019 removed the main lasting consequence for users.

All sources

  1. Nordic Research Council for Criminology — Retreat or entrenchment? Drug policies in Iceland revisited
  2. The Cannigma — Iceland cannabis laws
  3. TNI — Legalization of cannabis proposed (Iceland)

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