Singapore
Asia
#196 of 196 worldwide
#48 of 48 in Asia
Mandatory death penalty for trafficking over 500 g; caning and prison for possession. Citizens can be prosecuted for use abroad. Cannabinoid pharmaceuticals are approved case by case.
Score breakdown ▏world average
Select a segment to show or hide the exact rules and sources.
Possession · 25%0/10adds 0.0 of 25 points
Cannabis is a Class A controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Possessing any amount carries up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to S$20,000, or both. Holding more than 15 g triggers a legal presumption that you are trafficking, which you must disprove. There is no tolerated amount of any kind.
Personal cultivation · 25%0/10adds 0.0 of 25 points
Cultivating any cannabis plant is a serious offence with a mandatory minimum prison term and up to 20 years.
Punishment & enforcement · 20%0/10adds 0.0 of 20 points
The harshest regime in the index. Trafficking, importing or exporting more than 500 g of cannabis carries the mandatory death penalty, and executions for cannabis have been carried out as recently as 2023. Between 330 g and 500 g: 20 to 30 years or life, plus 15 strokes of the cane.
Sharing & gifting · 10%0/10adds 0.0 of 10 points
Giving cannabis to another person is trafficking, whether or not money changes hands: for under 330 g, a minimum of 5 years and 5 strokes of the cane, up to 20 years and 15 strokes.
Consumption · 10%0/10adds 0.0 of 10 points
Consumption is itself a crime, proved by urine test, with up to 10 years in prison. Police can require a test without a warrant. Uniquely, citizens and permanent residents who use cannabis abroad — even where it is legal — are liable as if they had used it in Singapore, and can be tested on return.
Legal access · 10%0/10adds 0.0 of 10 points
None. There is no legal source of any kind.
More context not part of the score
None. CBD products are also prohibited; a pharmaceutical cannabinoid can be approved for an individual patient.
No medical cannabis programme. In rare cases the health regulator has approved a cannabidiol medicine for a named patient, such as a child with drug-resistant epilepsy.
Users can be committed to a Drug Rehabilitation Centre and then placed under supervision with regular urine tests. Foreigners are deported after sentence, and a drug record affects employment for life.
All sources
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