North Macedonia
Europe
#73 of 196 worldwide
#29 of 45 in Europe
Medical cannabis was legalised in 2016 and many producers are licensed for export. Recreational use is illegal.
Score breakdown ▏world average
Select a segment to show or hide the exact rules and sources.
Possession · 25%1/10adds 2.5 of 25 points
Possession for personal use is not explicitly criminalised as such, but there is no defined threshold, and people caught with small amounts are routinely charged under the offence of 'enabling the use of narcotics' or with unauthorised production and trade. In practice it is treated as a crime.
Personal cultivation · 25%1/10adds 2.5 of 25 points
Unlicensed cultivation is a crime with prison.
Punishment & enforcement · 20%2/10adds 4.0 of 20 points
Users are prosecuted through neighbouring offences; sentences for production and trade are heavy.
Sharing & gifting · 10%1/10adds 1.0 of 10 points
Consumption · 10%1/10adds 1.0 of 10 points
Use is not itself an offence in the Criminal Code, though it brings police attention and related charges.
Legal access · 10%1/10adds 1.0 of 10 points
No adult-use source. Pharmacies can dispense cannabis oils on prescription.
History
More context not part of the score
Medical cultivation and manufacturing were legalised in March 2016, and by 2022 the state had issued 66 licences — far more than the domestic market needs. Exports were at first limited to oils and extracts, with dried flower exports opened later; diversion from licensed sites has been a recurring scandal.
Prescription oils and extracts.
Legal since 2016 for a list of serious conditions, on specialist prescription, dispensed in pharmacies.
A conviction is a criminal record.
All sources
Last updated: