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Tunisia

Africa

Severe prohibition

#174 of 196 worldwide
#52 of 54 in Africa

Recreational: IllegalMedical: None

'Law 52' imposed a mandatory one-year sentence for use. Since 2017 judges have discretion, but thousands are still jailed.

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

Law 52 of 1992 imposed a mandatory minimum of one year in prison and a fine for possessing or using cannabis (zatla), with no room for mitigating circumstances. An April 2017 amendment gave judges discretion to go below that for first-time users. Prison remains the standard outcome for others.

Personal cultivation · 25%0/10

adds 0.0 of 25 points

Cultivation is a serious crime.

Human Rights Watch — report on Tunisia's Law 52 (PDF)

Punishment & enforcement · 20%1/10

adds 2.0 of 20 points

Drug cases, mostly cannabis use, have accounted for a large share of Tunisia's prison population, and the 2017 reform has not changed that.

Sharing & gifting · 10%0/10

adds 0.0 of 10 points

Supply carries long sentences.

Human Rights Watch — report on Tunisia's Law 52 (PDF)

Consumption · 10%1/10

adds 1.0 of 10 points

Use is a crime, typically proved by a urine test taken in custody. In 2021 a court in El Kef sentenced three young men to 30 years for smoking cannabis in a public stadium, triggering protests.

Legal access · 10%0/10

adds 0.0 of 10 points

None.