Panama
North America
#74 of 196 worldwide
#17 of 23 in North America
Medical cannabis was legalised in 2021; 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
Recreational possession is illegal. Small amounts for personal use are often dealt with by a fine, a security measure or referral to treatment, but imprisonment remains possible and foreigners can be deported.
Personal cultivation · 25%1/10adds 2.5 of 25 points
Cultivation is a crime; only licensed medical producers may grow.
Punishment & enforcement · 20%2/10adds 4.0 of 20 points
Fines or treatment for small amounts in many cases, prison for larger amounts and trafficking.
Sharing & gifting · 10%1/10adds 1.0 of 10 points
Supply is trafficking.
Consumption · 10%1/10adds 1.0 of 10 points
Recreational use is prohibited.
Legal access · 10%1/10adds 1.0 of 10 points
No adult-use source. Registered patients can obtain medical cannabis products through licensed pharmacies.
More context not part of the score
Law 242 of October 2021 — the first medical cannabis law in Central America — and its regulations created a national directorate that issues a limited number of production licences.
Prescription medical products only.
Any licensed doctor who has completed health-ministry training may prescribe, for qualifying conditions such as chronic pain, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis. Patients are entered in a national registry.
A drug conviction is a criminal record; foreigners risk deportation.
All sources
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