Eswatini
Africa
#84 of 196 worldwide
#11 of 54 in Africa
Illegal, though 'Swazi Gold' is a major smallholder cash crop. Bills to license medical and hemp production have been debated for years.
Score breakdown ▏world average
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Possession · 25%1/10adds 2.5 of 25 points
Possession of cannabis (insangu, or dagga) is an offence under the colonial-era Opium and Habit-Forming Drugs Act of 1922, punishable by a fine or up to five years in prison. Small amounts usually end in a fine.
Personal cultivation · 25%1/10adds 2.5 of 25 points
Cultivation is illegal, yet 'Swazi Gold' is a major cash crop for smallholders in the northern hills, and Eswatini is among the world's largest illicit producers per head. Police periodically burn fields.
Punishment & enforcement · 20%2/10adds 4.0 of 20 points
Fines for small amounts, prison possible; enforcement falls mainly on rural growers and couriers.
Sharing & gifting · 10%1/10adds 1.0 of 10 points
Dealing carries up to fifteen years.
Consumption · 10%1/10adds 1.0 of 10 points
Use is an offence under the same Act.
Legal access · 10%0/10adds 0.0 of 10 points
No legal source.
More context not part of the score
None yet. A government bill to license cannabis for medical and research purposes has been before parliament in various forms since 2020; small farmers fear it would hand the trade to large investors.
No medical programme; the pending bill would create one.
A conviction is a criminal record.
All sources
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