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Sierra Leone

Africa

Severe prohibition

#168 of 196 worldwide
#48 of 54 in Africa

Recreational: IllegalMedical: None

Multi-year prison terms for possession under the 2008 Act, with exemplary sentences in recent drug cases.

Score breakdown ▏world average

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

Possession · 25%0/10

adds 0.0 of 25 points

Unlawful possession of a drug is an offence under section 8 of the National Drugs Control Act 2008, with multi-year prison sentences and no fine-only route for small amounts. Recent sentences under that section have been extreme — 25 years for 30.5 g — though those cases involved 'kush', a synthetic drug, rather than cannabis.

Personal cultivation · 25%0/10

adds 0.0 of 25 points

Cultivation is a serious offence under the Act; cannabis (jamba) is nonetheless widely grown.

National Drugs Control Act 2008 — Sierra Leone (PDF)

Punishment & enforcement · 20%1/10

adds 2.0 of 20 points

Courts have been handing down exemplary sentences since a national emergency over kush was declared in 2024, and the same Act and section apply to cannabis.

Sharing & gifting · 10%0/10

adds 0.0 of 10 points

Dealing carries very long sentences, ten to thirty years in recent cases.

Consumption · 10%1/10

adds 1.0 of 10 points

Use is prosecuted through possession.