Samoa
Oceania
#135 of 196 worldwide
#12 of 14 in Oceania
Possession carries up to 14 years; a 2017 recommendation to allow medicinal cannabis was not adopted.
Score breakdown ▏world average
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Possession · 25%1/10adds 2.5 of 25 points
Cannabis is a Class B narcotic under the Narcotics Act 1967. Possession carries a maximum of 14 years in prison. Courts sentence well below that for small amounts, but custodial sentences for a few joints or seeds are not unusual.
Personal cultivation · 25%1/10adds 2.5 of 25 points
Cultivating cannabis, or even possessing a seed, carries a maximum of 14 years.
Punishment & enforcement · 20%1/10adds 2.0 of 20 points
One of the Pacific's stricter approaches, with prison used for small amounts.
Sharing & gifting · 10%1/10adds 1.0 of 10 points
Supply carries heavier penalties.
Consumption · 10%1/10adds 1.0 of 10 points
Use is an offence under the Narcotics Act.
Legal access · 10%0/10adds 0.0 of 10 points
More context not part of the score
None; a proposal to allow cultivation was rejected by the prime minister.
None. The Samoa Law Reform Commission recommended a regulated medicinal cannabis regime in its 2017 final report on the Narcotics Act; the government did not adopt it.
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