Nepal
Asia
#72 of 196 worldwide
#10 of 48 in Asia
Illegal since 1976 but widely tolerated, notably during Maha Shivaratri. Legalisation bills resurface regularly.
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
The Narcotic Drugs (Control) Act of 1976 bans possession and use. Holding cannabis for personal use can bring up to a month in jail, with heavier sentences as quantities rise. Enforcement is relaxed in much of the country, where the plant grows wild.
Personal cultivation · 25%1/10adds 2.5 of 25 points
Cultivation is prohibited, with prison scaled to the number of plants. In August 2026 Gandaki province legalised licensed farming for medical use, the first such step since the 1970s.
Punishment & enforcement · 20%2/10adds 4.0 of 20 points
Short jail terms are possible for users; traffickers face up to ten years or more.
Sharing & gifting · 10%1/10adds 1.0 of 10 points
Sale and distribution are punishable by up to ten years depending on quantity.
Consumption · 10%2/10adds 2.0 of 10 points
Use is an offence, but during Maha Shivaratri devotees smoke openly at Shiva temples such as Pashupatinath and police look the other way.
Legal access · 10%0/10adds 0.0 of 10 points
No legal source.
More context not part of the score
The federal budget for 2024/25 announced legal arrangements for commercial cultivation for medicinal purposes, and Gandaki province now licenses farmers under supervision. A national framework is still pending.
Medical use is permitted in principle and now in Gandaki province, but there is no working national programme.
A drug conviction carries a criminal record.
All sources
Last updated: