History
A history of cannabis law
The laws, court rulings and other developments that changed a country's score, newest first, along with the international treaties that set the rules countries work within. Open one to see which segments moved and the source.
2026
Thailand's cabinet approves a medical-only cannabis bill
The draft Cannabis and Hemp Act would write the 2025 prescription rule into law, make growers register their plantations and raise penalties. It still has to pass parliament.
Brazil's first legal cannabis cultivation rules take effect
Companies may grow low-THC cannabis for medicines and research under special authorisation, and patient associations may grow for their members in a supervised trial scheme.
Grenada decriminalises cannabis
The Drug Abuse (Prevention and Control) (Amendment) Act passed with support from both sides of parliament and received assent in February. Adults 21 and over may possess 56 g and grow four plants per household, and records for minor offences are expunged. There is no legal market yet.
1137+26 points
Czechia legalises possession and home growing
A criminal-code reform took effect on 1 January. Adults 21 and over may grow three plants and keep 100 g at home or 25 g in public; before, small amounts were only an administrative offence. Shops and clubs are still not allowed.
2944+15 points
2025
Slovenia's medical cannabis law takes effect
The law allows cannabis to be grown, produced and prescribed for medical use under licence, replacing a system that had relied on imported products.
2223+1 point
Turkey allows low-THC cannabis products in pharmacies
A new law permits pharmacies to sell products derived from cannabis with less than 0.3% THC.
Czechia passes its cannabis reform
Parliament approved a reform of the criminal code that legalises growing three plants and keeping 100 g at home, and the president signed it. A proposal for licensed shops had been dropped along the way. The changes were set to start on 1 January 2026.
Thailand goes prescription-only
Three years after removing cannabis from its narcotics list, Thailand reclassified the flower as a controlled herb. Buying or possessing it now requires a prescription, and thousands of dispensaries have closed rather than convert to medical premises.
6427−37 points
Croatia allows domestic production of medical cannabis
Ten years after legalising cannabis medicines, Croatia permitted growing and producing them at home, to cut prices that had kept most patients on the black market.
Hungary writes a drug ban into its constitution
The fifteenth amendment to the constitution prohibits producing, using, distributing and promoting drugs. It came with a wider government crackdown and ended the legal basis for pro-cannabis demonstrations.
Italy bans the hemp flower trade
A security decree prohibited selling hemp flowers whatever their THC content, closing the "cannabis light" shops that had spread since 2017.
2024
Japan makes cannabis use a crime
Japan used to punish possession but not use. Amendments in force from 12 December moved cannabis under the narcotics law, made use itself an offence and raised the maximum for possession from five to seven years in prison. The same reform allowed cannabis-derived medicines.
32−1 point
Ukraine legalises medical cannabis
Pharmacies may dispense cannabis-based medicines on electronic prescription. Recreational law did not change: up to 5 g remains an administrative offence.
2223+1 point
Slovakia cuts sentences for small amounts
A reform of the criminal code reduced the penalties for possessing small quantities of cannabis for personal use, in a country that had been jailing people for a few grams.
911+2 points
German cultivation associations become legal
The second stage of the Cannabis Act let non-profit associations of up to 500 members grow cannabis and hand it out to them, the only legal source besides home growing and a prescription.
The Bahamas passes its Cannabis Act
A package of bills tabled in May 2024 set up a framework for medical and religious use and made possession of less than 30 g a fixed-penalty offence with a $250 fine and no criminal record.
1122+11 points
Brazil's Supreme Court decriminalises personal possession
After a case that ran for nine years, the court ruled that possessing cannabis for personal use is not a crime. Up to 40 g or six female plants is presumed to be personal use and is handled with a warning or an educational course. It is still prohibited, and the cannabis is seized.
1523+8 points
Slovenians vote for legal cannabis
In two advisory referendums, 66% backed growing cannabis for medical use and 51.6% backed growing and possessing it for personal use. The governing coalition later drafted a personal-use bill, which is still before parliament.
South Africa signs the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act
The president signed the law Parliament wrote in response to the 2018 court ruling. It removes cannabis from the drugs act and provides for old convictions to be expunged, but it has not been brought into force: regulations setting the limits are still in draft.
Christiania closes Pusher Street
For half a century hashish had been sold openly from stalls in Copenhagen's freetown. After a series of gang shootings, residents dug up the street themselves and the stalls were removed for good.
Germany legalises possession and home growing
The Cannabis Act took effect on 1 April. Adults may carry 25 g, keep 50 g at home and grow three plants, and non-profit growing associations were allowed from July. There are no shops, and passing cannabis to another person remains a crime.
2144+23 points
The Bundestag votes to legalise cannabis
After a plan for licensed shops was abandoned as incompatible with European law, parliament passed the Cannabis Act by 407 votes to 226. It took effect five weeks later.
Malta's first cannabis associations open
Two years after legalisation, the first licensed non-profit associations began handing out cannabis to their members, the only legal source other than growing at home.
Ireland's Citizens' Assembly calls for a health-led approach
An assembly of 99 citizens recommended that possession of drugs for personal use be dealt with by health services, not the courts. On cannabis, it fell one vote short of recommending legalisation.
2023
The Netherlands starts supplying coffeeshops legally
Coffeeshops in Breda and Tilburg began selling cannabis from licensed growers, ending for them the "back door" problem of having to buy from the illegal market. The experiment covered ten municipalities by 2025.
Ecuador repeals its personal-use thresholds
President Noboa scrapped the table that had treated up to 10 g of cannabis as personal use. The constitution still says users must not be criminalised, but there is no longer a safe amount: a person has to convince police and a judge that it was for their own use.
2318−5 points
Luxembourg legalises home growing
Adults may grow up to four plants per household and consume at home. Cannabis stays prohibited in public, but carrying up to 3 g became a €145 fine instead of a criminal matter. There is no legal place to buy it.
2037+17 points
Swiss Federal Court: up to 10 g may not be confiscated
The court went a step beyond its 2017 ruling and held that police have no basis to seize up to 10 g that an adult holds for their own use.
Ghana restores licences for industrial and medical cannabis
Parliament passed again the provision, struck down by the Supreme Court the year before, that allows low-THC cannabis to be grown under licence.
Albania legalises medical cannabis cultivation
Parliament allowed cannabis to be grown under licence for medical and industrial purposes, in a country long known for illegal production.
Malaysia ends the mandatory death penalty
Judges gained discretion to impose 30 to 40 years in prison instead of death for drug trafficking. The presumption that 200 g of cannabis means trafficking was kept.
Romania's parliament rejects decriminalising 3 g
A bill to stop prosecuting possession of up to 3 g was turned down by every committee that examined it.
Colombia's Senate narrowly rejects a legal market
A constitutional amendment to allow regulated sales to adults had passed seven of its eight debates. It fell a few votes short in the last one. New versions have been introduced since and have also failed.
Uganda's Constitutional Court strikes down the 2015 drug law
The court annulled the Narcotic Drugs Act because parliament had passed it without a quorum. The judiciary stressed that the ruling did not legalise cannabis, and parliament passed the law again.
Germany drops its plan for licensed cannabis shops
The coalition had promised a nationwide regulated market. After talks with the European Commission, ministers announced a narrower plan: home growing and non-profit associations first, with shops only as regional trials later.
Switzerland starts regulated pilot sales
Basel opened the first city trial selling regulated cannabis to registered adult residents through pharmacies. Zurich, Bern, Lausanne and others followed. Outside the trials there is still no legal source.
2930+1 point
2022
France's top administrative court legalises CBD flower
The Council of State struck down a government ban on selling hemp flowers and leaves with less than 0.3% THC, ruling that they pose no risk that would justify it.
Guyana ends jail for small amounts
The National Assembly removed prison for possessing up to 30 g. Up to 15 g is simple possession, and 15 to 30 g brings community service. Before, anything over 15 g was treated as trafficking, with at least three years.
917+8 points
The US president pardons federal possession convictions
President Biden pardoned everyone convicted of simple possession of marijuana under federal law and ordered a review of its scheduling. That review led to the partial rescheduling of 2026.
Switzerland lifts its ban on medical cannabis
Doctors may prescribe cannabis without asking the federal health office for an exceptional permit each time.
2829+1 point
Fiji legalises industrial hemp
Cannabis with up to 1% THC was taken out of the drug law so that it can be grown as a crop.
Thailand removes cannabis from its narcotics list
Thailand became the first Asian country to decriminalise. Possessing and growing the plant stopped being offences, home growers only had to register through an app, and thousands of dispensaries opened within months. No law regulating the new market followed.
764+57 points
Norway's Supreme Court ends punishment for addicts
After parliament rejected a general decriminalisation, the court ruled that people who are dependent on drugs should not be punished for holding small amounts for their own use. The Director of Public Prosecutions turned this into guidelines for police the following month.
1217+5 points
Costa Rica legalises medical cannabis and hemp
The president signed a law allowing cannabis to be grown and processed for medical use and legalising hemp. Personal use was already not punished.
2223+1 point
Italy's Constitutional Court blocks a legalisation referendum
More than 600,000 people had signed for a vote on decriminalising home growing. The court ruled the question inadmissible because it would also have touched hard drugs and Italy's treaty obligations.
Czechia raises the hemp limit to 1% THC
Cannabis with up to 1% THC, up from 0.3%, stopped counting as a controlled drug. It is the highest limit in the European Union and opened the way for low-THC flower and extracts to be sold freely.
2021
Malta becomes the first EU country to legalise
Adults may carry 7 g, keep 50 g at home and grow four plants per household. Instead of shops, the law allows licensed non-profit associations that grow for their members. Smoking in public is still prohibited.
2241+19 points
Luxembourg scales back its legalisation plan
The 2018 coalition agreement had promised a fully regulated market with shops. Citing European law, the government announced it would legalise only growing and using at home.
Panama legalises medical cannabis
Panama became the first country in Central America to regulate cannabis for medical use, with a national patient registry and licensed producers.
1112+1 point
Saint Lucia decriminalises 30 g
An adult holding 30 g or less for personal, private use is no longer guilty of an offence, and a household may grow four plants. There is no legal market.
1137+26 points
Morocco legalises cannabis for medical and industrial use
Law 13-21 created a state agency to license growing in three Rif provinces for medicines, cosmetics and industry. Recreational kif stayed illegal.
1213+1 point
Norway's parliament rejects decriminalisation
The government proposed replacing fines for possession with mandatory counselling, as recommended by an expert committee. The bill failed to win a majority in parliament.
Mexico's Supreme Court strikes down the ban on personal use
The court declared the ban on adult personal use unconstitutional after Congress missed several deadlines to legislate. Adults can apply to the health regulator for a permit to grow and consume, but Congress never passed a law to regulate it and there is no legal market.
1725+8 points
Rwanda allows medical cannabis production
A ministerial order permitted growing and processing cannabis for medical use and export. Using it in Rwanda remains a crime.
Switzerland allows pilot trials of legal sales
An amendment to the Narcotics Act let cities run scientific trials selling cannabis to registered adult residents for up to ten years. The first opened in Basel in 2023.
Slovakia takes CBD off its drug list
Slovakia had been the last EU country to class CBD as a psychotropic substance.
France begins a medical cannabis experiment
A trial for up to 3,000 patients with conditions such as severe epilepsy and cancer pain began, the first legal medical use in France. It has been extended several times without becoming permanent.
Barbados decriminalises 14 g
Possession of up to 14 g became a fixed-penalty matter: a $200 fine payable within 30 days, with no arrest and no criminal record.
1222+10 points
Mexico's lower house votes to legalise
The Chamber of Deputies passed a bill to create a regulated market. The Senate never approved the amended text, and three months later the Supreme Court acted on its own.
2020
Ireland lets police caution for cannabis possession
The adult caution scheme was extended to simple possession of cannabis, so a first offence can end with a formal caution and no prosecution.
1214+2 points
The UN removes cannabis from its strictest schedule
On the advice of the World Health Organization, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs voted 27 to 25 to take cannabis and its resin out of Schedule IV of the Single Convention, the category for drugs with little or no medical value. They stay in Schedule I, so the duty to prohibit non-medical use did not change.
Argentina lets registered patients grow their own
A decree created the REPROCANN registry: with a doctor's indication, a registered person may grow cannabis at home or name a grower or association to do it for them.
2026+6 points
New Zealand votes against legalisation
A referendum on a detailed bill for a regulated market was lost by 50.7% to 48.4%, the closest any country has come to legalising by popular vote.
Dominica decriminalises small amounts
Parliament amended the drug law so that adults may possess up to 28 g without criminal liability, and a household may grow three plants. Larger amounts keep the old penalties, and there is no legal market.
1137+26 points
France introduces a €200 on-the-spot fine
Possession stays a crime with up to a year in prison on paper, but police can now settle cases under 50 g with a fixed fine, which has become the usual outcome.
1113+2 points
Lebanon legalises growing cannabis for medicine
Parliament made Lebanon the first Arab country to permit cannabis cultivation, for medical and industrial use and for export. Recreational use stayed illegal.
New Zealand opens its medicinal cannabis scheme
Doctors may prescribe cannabis products that meet a national quality standard, dispensed by pharmacies. A referendum on full legalisation failed narrowly later the same year.
1820+2 points
Ghana treats drug use as a health issue
The Narcotics Control Commission Act replaced prison for possession for personal use with a fine, and described drug use as a public health matter. Before, possession carried a minimum of ten years.
916+7 points
Saint Kitts and Nevis raises the limit to 56 g
Parliament raised the amount treated as a ticketable infraction from 15 g to 56 g and passed a Cannabis Act for medical and religious use, which was brought fully into force in 2023.
2933+4 points
Malawi legalises cannabis for medicine and industry
Parliament allowed cannabis to be grown and processed under licence for medical and industrial use, as an alternative to tobacco. Recreational use stayed illegal.
The Australian Capital Territory legalises possession and growing
Adults in Canberra may possess 50 g and grow two plants each, four per household. Selling remains illegal, and so does buying seeds. No other state or territory has followed.
Czech health insurers start paying for medical cannabis
Patients had been paying the full price since 2013, which kept the programme tiny. Insurers now cover 90% of the cost for up to 30 g a month, and the number of patients grew quickly.
2019
Trinidad and Tobago decriminalises cannabis
Adults may possess up to 30 g and grow four plants each with no penalty. Between 30 g and 60 g is a fixed-penalty ticket instead of a prosecution. Before, possession could mean years in prison. No legal market was created.
637+31 points
Italy's top court allows minimal home growing
The Court of Cassation ruled that growing a small number of plants at home with rudimentary methods, for the grower's own use, is not a crime.
2326+3 points
Zambia legalises cannabis for export and medicine
The cabinet approved growing cannabis under licence for export and medical purposes only.
Ecuador legalises medical cannabis and hemp
A reform of the criminal code took cannabis with less than 1% THC out of the list of controlled substances and allowed cannabis medicines on prescription.
2223+1 point
Brazil allows cannabis products in pharmacies
The health regulator approved rules for selling cannabis-based products in pharmacies on prescription. Growing the plant in Brazil stayed prohibited, so everything was imported.
1415+1 point
Barbados legalises medical and sacramental cannabis
Two laws set up a licensed medical cannabis industry and allowed Rastafari to use cannabis as a sacrament at their places of worship.
1112+1 point
Canada legalises edibles, extracts and vapes
A year after flower and oils, the second wave of products became legal: edibles capped at 10 mg of THC per package, plus extracts, vapes and topicals.
New Zealand tells police to consider health first
An amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Act requires police to consider whether a health-based response would do more good than prosecution. Many possession cases now end in a warning or referral.
1318+5 points
Saint Kitts and Nevis decriminalises after a court ruling
In May the High Court ruled that adults may possess and use cannabis in private. Parliament followed in July, turning small amounts and up to five plants into a ticket with a small fixed fine instead of a crime. The possession limit was raised from 15 g to 56 g in 2020.
1129+18 points
A Finnish citizens' initiative calls for decriminalisation
A petition to stop punishing cannabis use gathered more than the 50,000 signatures needed to put it before parliament, which did not act on it.
Ireland starts its Medical Cannabis Access Programme
A five-year pilot allows consultants to prescribe approved cannabis products for three conditions where other treatment has failed.
1112+1 point
Lithuania allows cannabis-based medicines
A law permitted doctors to prescribe registered medicines made from cannabis. Flower and home growing stayed illegal.
Israel replaces prosecution with fines
Adults caught with a small amount in public now receive a fixed fine and no criminal record, instead of a criminal case. Possession at home in small amounts is generally not enforced. Growing even one plant is still a crime.
2025+5 points
Thailand legalises medical cannabis
Thailand became the first country in South-East Asia to allow cannabis for medical use and research. Recreational possession stayed a narcotics offence for three more years.
67+1 point
Cyprus widens medical cannabis
A new law extended medical cannabis beyond advanced cancer to a list of chronic conditions and provided for licensed growers.
910+1 point
2018
The United States legalises hemp
The Farm Bill removed cannabis with up to 0.3% THC from the Controlled Substances Act. It was meant for fibre and CBD, but it also opened a national market in intoxicating hemp products that Congress later moved to close.
Antigua and Barbuda passes its Cannabis Act
The Act allowed four plants per household, recognised Rastafari sacramental use and set up a licensing authority for medical cannabis.
2836+8 points
Saint Vincent legalises a medical cannabis industry
Parliament passed laws licensing cultivation for medical use and export, with an amnesty meant to bring the island's traditional growers into the legal system.
2224+2 points
South Korea legalises medical cannabis
The National Assembly allowed a small number of cannabis-derived medicines to be imported for patients with rare diseases, through a state agency. It was the first country in East Asia to do so.
French deputies vote for a fixed fine
The National Assembly approved replacing prosecution for cannabis use with an on-the-spot fine of €200. It came into use nationwide in September 2020.
The United Kingdom allows medical cannabis
Specialist doctors may prescribe cannabis-based medicines. In practice almost all prescriptions come from private clinics, as the health service funds very few. Recreational law did not change.
1315+2 points
Mexico's Supreme Court rules a fifth time against the ban
Five rulings in the same direction make a precedent binding on every court. The court gave Congress 90 days to change the law; Congress missed that deadline and several extensions.
Canada legalises cannabis nationwide
The Cannabis Act made Canada the second country, and the first G7 member, to legalise. Adults may carry 30 g, grow four plants per household in most provinces, share with other adults and buy from licensed shops.
1553+38 points
Colombia tells police to confiscate the personal dose
A decree from President Duque let police seize even a personal dose found on someone in public and fine them. The Constitutional Court struck down the blanket ban on public use the following year.
South Africa's top court protects private use and growing
The Constitutional Court ruled that adults have a right to use, possess and grow cannabis in private, with no fixed gram or plant limit. Buying and selling stayed illegal, and so did use in public.
1149+38 points
Georgia's Constitutional Court ends punishment for use
The court abolished the administrative fines for consuming cannabis, making private use legal. Growing and selling remain crimes, so there is no lawful way to get it.
1922+3 points
Saint Vincent decriminalises two ounces
An amendment to the drugs law made possession of up to 56 g a non-criminal matter, dealt with by a fine of at most EC$500 and referral to counselling.
1122+11 points
Portugal legalises medical cannabis
A law allowed doctors to prescribe cannabis-based medicines, dispensed by pharmacies, when conventional treatment has failed. Very few products have been approved, though Portugal has become a major grower for export.
A Caribbean commission calls for an end to cannabis prohibition
After four years of consultations across the region, the CARICOM Regional Commission on Marijuana concluded that the existing laws were ineffective and unjust and recommended that member states treat cannabis like alcohol or tobacco. Most of the Caribbean reforms of the following years cite it.
Luxembourg legalises medical cannabis
Parliament voted unanimously to allow medical cannabis. Doctors with special training may prescribe it for chronic pain, chemotherapy nausea and multiple sclerosis, dispensed free of charge by hospital pharmacies.
1920+1 point
Zimbabwe legalises growing cannabis for medicine
Zimbabwe became the second African country to allow cannabis for medical and scientific purposes, through five-year licences to grow and sell it.
Malta legalises medical cannabis
Any doctor may prescribe cannabis, which pharmacies dispense. A second law the same year licensed production for export.
2122+1 point
Jamaica's first licensed herb house opens
Three years after the reform, the first dispensary licensed by the Cannabis Licensing Authority opened. Patients, and visitors who sign a declaration, can buy and use cannabis there.
Greece legalises medical cannabis
Parliament allowed the cultivation, production and prescription of medical cannabis. Licences for producers came quickly; finished products reached patients only years later.
1314+1 point
Antigua and Barbuda decriminalises 15 g
An amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Act means a person holding up to 15 g is no longer guilty of an offence. Households were later allowed four plants, and Rastafari sacramental use was recognised.
1128+17 points
Denmark starts a medical cannabis pilot
A four-year trial let any doctor prescribe cannabis products that were not approved as medicines. It was later extended and then made permanent.
1820+2 points
2017
Paraguay legalises medical cannabis
A law set up a state programme for medical cannabis, with free access for registered patients. Home growing for patients was added later.
1718+1 point
Georgia's Constitutional Court ends criminal penalties for use
The court ruled that criminal punishment for consuming cannabis is unconstitutional, leaving only an administrative fine. Eight months later it struck down the fine as well.
1419+5 points
Peru legalises medical cannabis
Law 30681 allowed the import, production and sale of cannabis for medical use. Cultivation by patient associations was added in 2021.
2021+1 point
Belize decriminalises 10 g
Adults may possess up to 10 g and use it on private premises without committing an offence. Growing any amount remains a crime, and a later law to create a regulated market was shelved.
1125+14 points
Poland allows medical cannabis in pharmacies
Any doctor may prescribe cannabis flower, which pharmacies prepare and dispense. The programme has grown into one of the largest in Europe.
1114+3 points
Swiss Federal Court: possessing up to 10 g is not punishable
The court held that simply having up to 10 g for one's own use carries no penalty at all, not even the CHF 100 fine, which applies only to someone caught using it.
2328+5 points
Uruguay's pharmacies start selling cannabis
Three and a half years after the law passed, registered residents could buy state-licensed cannabis in pharmacies. Home growing and clubs had opened in 2014; this was the route the law had promised to most people. Banks threatened the pharmacies' accounts, and only a few took part.
4951+2 points
Catalonia regulates cannabis clubs
The Catalan parliament passed a law legalising the growing and distribution of cannabis within registered associations. Spain's Constitutional Court annulled it the next year, ruling that only the national parliament can legislate on drugs.
Lesotho issues Africa's first medical cannabis licences
Lesotho, where cannabis has long been a major cash crop, became the first country in Africa to license its cultivation for medical use.
Mexico legalises medical cannabis
A reform of the health law allowed medicines containing cannabis. The rules needed to put it into practice were not issued until 2021.
A South African high court declares the ban on private use invalid
The Western Cape High Court ruled that banning adults from using and growing cannabis at home violated the right to privacy. The order was suspended while the government appealed; the Constitutional Court confirmed it the next year.
Argentina passes a medical cannabis law
Law 27.350 set up a national research programme and allowed cannabis oil to be imported for patients. It did not allow growing, which patients' families kept doing illegally until the 2020 registry.
Germany legalises medical cannabis
Doctors may prescribe cannabis flower and extracts for serious illness, dispensed by pharmacies and reimbursed by health insurers after approval.
2021+1 point
Cyprus allows cannabis oil for cancer patients
The health ministry authorised cannabis oil for patients with advanced cancer.
Lithuania makes any possession a crime
Until 2017 a small amount for personal use was an administrative matter. Since then possession of any quantity is a criminal offence that leaves a criminal record.
1711−6 points
2016
Four more US states legalise, including California
Voters in California, Massachusetts, Nevada and Maine approved legal cannabis on the same day, putting about a fifth of Americans in states with legal possession and sales. Most of the states that are legal today followed over the next decade.
2434+10 points
Colombia legalises medical cannabis
Law 1787 created a licensing system for growing, processing and exporting cannabis for medical and scientific use.
3839+1 point
Turkey allows cannabinoid medicines
Regulations permitted cannabinoid medicines such as Sativex on prescription, and allowed hemp growing in nineteen provinces.
North Macedonia legalises medical cannabis
An amendment allowed cannabis products to be prescribed and licensed companies to grow for medical use and export.
1112+1 point
Australia legalises medical cannabis
Parliament amended the Narcotic Drugs Act to allow cannabis to be grown and supplied for medical use. Access was slow at first but is now easy through telehealth clinics.
1922+3 points
Austria sends users to the health authority, not court
Possession remains a crime, but for small amounts for personal use police now report the case to the health authority, and proceedings are dropped if the person cooperates.
1921+2 points
2015
Chile allows cannabis medicines
A decree moved cannabis out of the list of banned substances so that medicines made from it can be produced and sold in pharmacies on prescription.
2526+1 point
Mexico's Supreme Court lets four people grow and use cannabis
In a case brought by four members of a civic group, the court held that banning adult personal use violates the right to free development of personality. The ruling applied only to them, but it started the run of cases that ended the ban.
Georgia's Constitutional Court rules out prison for 70 g
In a case brought by a man facing seven years for 69 g, the court held that imprisonment for possessing up to 70 g of dried cannabis for personal use is unconstitutionally harsh.
914+5 points
Croatia legalises medical cannabis
Doctors may prescribe cannabis-based medicines for a short list of conditions, including multiple sclerosis, cancer and epilepsy.
1920+1 point
Latvia's parliament declines to decriminalise
A citizens' petition for decriminalisation gathered the 10,000 signatures needed to reach parliament, which turned it down.
Colombia's Supreme Court protects growing up to 20 plants
The court ruled that growing up to 20 plants for personal use is not a crime, matching the long-protected personal dose of 20 g. No licence or registration is needed.
3038+8 points
Uganda passes a new narcotics law
The Act kept recreational use banned, with heavy sentences, while allowing cannabis to be grown under licence for medical and scientific purposes.
Spain raises fines for public possession
A new public safety law, widely known as the gag law, set the fine for having or using drugs in public at €601 to €30,000, and removed the option of avoiding it by entering treatment.
3331−2 points
Chile's Supreme Court accepts growing for personal use
The court acquitted a woman convicted for the plants on her terrace, ruling that growing for one's own use harms nobody else and is not the offence the drug law is aimed at. Courts have treated it as a defence since.
2225+3 points
Malta stops prosecuting small possession
The Drug Dependence Act turned possession of up to 3.5 g into a fine of €50 to €100 decided by a commissioner, not a criminal court. Growing a single plant no longer carried a mandatory prison term.
921+12 points
Jamaica decriminalises ganja
Possessing up to 2 oz became a ticket with a small fixed penalty: no arrest and no criminal record. Each household may grow five plants, Rastafari may use ganja as a sacrament, and a licensed medical industry was set up.
1135+24 points
2014
The Czech Supreme Court lowers the threshold to 10 g
After the Constitutional Court struck down the government's table of amounts, the Supreme Court issued its own guidance for judges. For cannabis the line between an administrative offence and a crime dropped from 15 g to 10 g of dried flower. Five plants stayed the limit for growing.
Italy's Constitutional Court strikes down the 2006 drug law
The court annulled the law that had put cannabis in the same class as heroin and cocaine. The earlier, milder rules came back, and thousands of sentences had to be reviewed.
1823+5 points
Romania's new penal code lowers the penalty for possession
Possession for personal use had carried two to five years in prison. It became three months to two years, or a fine.
911+2 points
2013
Uruguay becomes the first country to legalise
President Mujica signed Law 19.172, which put the whole chain under state control. Registered residents choose one of three routes: growing six plants at home, joining a club, or buying up to 40 g a month in pharmacies. Possession for personal use had not been a crime since 1974.
3249+17 points
Switzerland introduces a CHF 100 fine
Under an amendment passed in 2012, adults caught using cannabis with up to 10 g on them pay a fixed CHF 100 fine and are not prosecuted. Courts later held that simply possessing up to 10 g is not punishable at all.
1623+7 points
The US Justice Department stands back from legal states
The Cole memorandum told federal prosecutors not to interfere with state-legal cannabis businesses that kept to a list of priorities. It was rescinded in 2018, but the hands-off practice continued.
The Czech Constitutional Court strikes down the threshold table
The court ruled that what counts as a crime must be defined by law or by the courts, not by a government regulation, and annulled the 2010 table of amounts. The 2010 penalties themselves stayed in place.
Slovenia reclassifies cannabinoids for medical use
Cannabinoids were moved to the group of drugs that may be used in medicine, which allowed doctors to prescribe cannabinoid medicines.
2122+1 point
Romania allows low-THC cannabis medicines
A limited law permitted medicines derived from cannabis with less than 0.2% THC. In practice almost nothing became available.
Hungary's new criminal code makes consumption a crime again
Consumption itself became punishable with up to two years in prison, and diversion into treatment was limited to once every two years.
1210−2 points
Greece makes personal use a minor offence
Law 4139 cut the penalty for having or growing a quantity that indicates personal use to at most five months in prison, normally suspended, and kept the conviction off the ordinary criminal record.
1113+2 points
Ecuador sets personal-use thresholds
The drug-control council published a table of amounts presumed to be for personal use, 10 g for cannabis, to give effect to the 2008 constitution's rule that users must not be criminalised.
1722+5 points
Czechia legalises medical cannabis
Cannabis became available on prescription from pharmacies. Supply was scarce and expensive for years; insurance cover came later.
2829+1 point
Italy legalises medical cannabis
A health ministry decree allowed doctors to prescribe cannabis, dispensed by pharmacies. Since 2016 part of the supply has been grown by the army's pharmaceutical plant in Florence.
1718+1 point
Croatia makes personal possession a misdemeanour
A new criminal code took possession of a small amount for personal use out of criminal law. It is punished with a fine, though a large one. Growing even a few plants is still a crime.
1119+8 points
2012
Colorado and Washington become the first US states to legalise
Voters in both states approved possession by adults and a licensed market, the first anywhere in the world. Shops opened in 2014, and the federal government chose not to block them.
1624+8 points
The Netherlands restricts coffeeshops to residents
A new rule barred non-residents from coffeeshops, first in the southern provinces. Enforcement was left to mayors, and Amsterdam and most large cities never applied it.
2011
2010
Venezuela's Organic Law on Drugs takes effect
Holding up to 20 g of marijuana for personal use is not punished with prison; the person is referred for treatment or other security measures. Above that it is treated as possession for supply.
Czechia sets decriminalised amounts
A new criminal code and a government decree defined what counts as a small amount: up to 15 g or five plants became an administrative offence with a fine, not a crime.
2028+8 points
2009
Colombia writes a ban on drug use into its constitution
At President Uribe's urging, Congress amended the constitution to prohibit carrying and consuming drugs. No criminal penalty was attached, and the Constitutional Court later confirmed that the personal dose still cannot be punished.
Argentina's Supreme Court protects private use
In the Arriola ruling the court held that punishing an adult for holding a small amount for personal use in private is unconstitutional. The law itself was never changed and no gram limit was set, so judges decide case by case.
1120+9 points
Mexico stops prosecuting up to 5 g
A reform of the health law set personal-use thresholds for all drugs. Someone holding up to 5 g of cannabis is not prosecuted and is referred to treatment instead.
1117+6 points
The United Kingdom moves cannabis back to Class B
Five years after downgrading it, the government returned cannabis to Class B against the advice of its own drugs advisory council. The maximum for possession went back up from two to five years in prison.
1913−6 points
2008
Swiss voters reject legalisation
A popular initiative to legalise possession, use and growing for personal needs was rejected by 63% of voters.
Lesotho passes the Drugs of Abuse Act
The Act replaced the Dangerous Medicines Act of 1973 and brought the law into line with the UN conventions. It also allowed licences for medical and scientific use.
Austria allows cannabis to be grown for medicine
Parliament permitted cultivation for scientific and medical purposes, in practice by a single state agency that supplies the pharmaceutical industry. Patients have access only to a few cannabinoid medicines.
2007
2006
Brazil ends prison for users
A new drug law kept possession for personal use a crime but removed prison as a penalty, replacing it with a warning, community service or an educational course. Penalties for dealing went up.
914+5 points
Georgia adopts zero tolerance
The Saakashvili government began forcing people to take street drug tests by the tens of thousands a year. A positive result meant a heavy fine, and a second within a year meant a criminal case.
Bulgaria sets one to six years for possession
After two years in which any possession was treated as a serious crime, the penal code was amended: one to six years in prison, or a fine in minor cases that still counts as a conviction.
18+7 points
Italy puts cannabis in the same class as hard drugs
The Fini-Giovanardi law removed the distinction between soft and hard drugs. Anyone holding more than a fixed threshold was presumed to be dealing and faced the same sentences as for heroin.
2117−4 points
Russia cuts the decriminalised amount to 6 g
Less than two years after setting generous thresholds, the government lowered them sharply. Above 6 g of cannabis, possession is a crime again.
1511−4 points
2005
Chile passes Law 20.000
The new drug law kept private personal use unpunished and created a lesser offence of small- scale dealing. It set no gram threshold, so police and prosecutors decide who is a user and who is a dealer.
Belgium fixes the limit at 3 g or one plant
After the Constitutional Court struck out part of the 2003 law as too vague, a joint directive of the justice minister and prosecutors set a clear line: up to 3 g or one plant, held by an adult without nuisance, gets only a simplified police record.
2004
Bulgaria abolishes the personal dose
The law had exempted a loosely defined single dose for personal use from punishment. The exemption was removed, making Bulgarian law among the harshest in Europe.
121−11 points
Algeria passes its drug law
Law 04-18 bans growing, trading and possessing cannabis, with an exception for authorised medical use. A user who agrees to treatment can avoid prosecution.
Denmark replaces warnings with fines
For 35 years a first offence of holding a small amount for personal use had normally ended with a warning. A change to the drug law made a fine the standard response, rising with each repeat offence.
2218−4 points
Russia decriminalises small amounts
New thresholds made possession of up to 20 g of cannabis an administrative offence punished by a fine, not a crime.
815+7 points
The United Kingdom downgrades cannabis to Class C
Cannabis moved from Class B to Class C. The maximum for possession fell from five to two years, and police were told that adults caught with a small amount should normally get a warning, not be arrested.
1319+6 points
2003
Dutch pharmacies start dispensing medical cannabis
The Netherlands became the first country where pharmacies supplied cannabis flower on prescription, grown under contract for a government office.
Belgium writes the low priority into law
A new law, followed by a royal decree, made possession by adults for personal use the lowest category of offence, punished only by a police fine, and extended the tolerance to a plant grown at home.
1724+7 points
Hungary reopens diversion for all users
A new government reversed the 1999 tightening: anyone caught with a small amount for personal use could again avoid prosecution by completing six months of treatment or counselling.
812+4 points
2002
Estonia makes small amounts a misdemeanour
A new penal code treats possession of a small quantity for personal use, later set at 7.5 g, as a misdemeanour punished by a fine.
1119+8 points
The Philippines replace their drug law
The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act raised penalties sharply, up to life in prison for possessing 500 g of marijuana, and created the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
2001
Canada opens legal medical access
After courts ruled that a ban with no medical exemption was unconstitutional, federal regulations let authorised patients possess cannabis and grow their own or name a grower. Recreational possession stayed a crime.
1315+2 points
Cannabis social clubs take root in Spain
Because growing and sharing among a closed group of users is not treated as trafficking, associations began cultivating collectively for their members. Hundreds opened over the next decade, mostly in Catalonia and the Basque Country, tolerated but never legalised.
3033+3 points
Portugal decriminalises all drugs
Possessing up to a ten-day supply, 25 g of cannabis flower, stopped being a crime. Police confiscate it and refer the person to a dissuasion commission, which can suspend the case or impose a fine. Growing and selling remain crimes.
1124+13 points
Jamaica's National Commission on Ganja recommends decriminalisation
The commission chaired by Barry Chevannes found overwhelming public support for allowing adults to use small amounts in private and for sacramental use. The United States warned against it, and nothing was done for fourteen years.
Finland starts handling drug use with on-the-spot fines
A new offence of drug use let police issue a summary fine without a court hearing. Prosecution for use became rare, though the offence is still recorded.
1113+2 points
Luxembourg drops prison for personal use
A reform of the drug law put cannabis in its own, lower category and made using, possessing or buying it for personal use punishable by a fine only. Prison remained for use near schools or in front of minors, and for dealing.
1119+8 points
2000
Poland makes all possession a crime
An amendment removed the rule that a small amount for personal use went unpunished. Possession of any quantity became a crime with up to three years in prison.
219−12 points
An Ontario court rules the ban unconstitutional without a medical exemption
In R v. Parker the Ontario Court of Appeal held that prohibiting possession with no workable exception for patients violated the Charter, and gave Parliament a year to fix it. The medical access regulations of 2001 were the result.
1999
Hungary restricts diversion to addicts
The first Orbán government tightened the drug law. Only people diagnosed as dependent could choose treatment over prosecution; occasional users faced the courts.
128−4 points
Czechia makes possession a crime again
Possession for personal use had not been a crime since 1990. An amendment to the criminal code made holding an amount "greater than small" a criminal offence, without saying how much that was; smaller amounts stayed an administrative offence.
2520−5 points
1998
Uruguay widens the personal-use exemption
An amendment replaced the "minimal quantity" of the 1974 decree with a "reasonable quantity" for personal use, judged by the court in each case.
Belgium gives cannabis possession the lowest priority
A ministerial directive told prosecutors to treat adults holding cannabis for personal use as the lowest priority. A 2003 law and later directives fixed this at 3 g or one plant, usually ending in nothing more than a police record.
1117+6 points
Austria adopts "therapy instead of punishment"
The Narcotic Substances Act replaced the 1951 law. Prosecutors were required to drop a first case of possessing a small amount for personal use, on condition of a health assessment.
1119+8 points
1997
1996
California legalises medical cannabis
Proposition 215 let patients with a doctor's recommendation possess and grow cannabis, the first state medical law. Dozens of states followed, and dispensaries became the first legal shops in the country.
1416+2 points
The Netherlands cuts the tolerated amount to 5 g
Revised prosecution guidelines lowered the amount coffeeshops may sell per person, and the amount a person may carry without being prosecuted, from 30 g to 5 g.
3937−2 points
Laos bans cannabis
Like its neighbour Cambodia, Laos prohibited cannabis in the 1990s after centuries of use as a kitchen herb.
9812−86 points
Cambodia bans cannabis
Cannabis had been sold openly in markets and used in cooking. Under international pressure, a drug control law made it illegal, though enforcement stayed lax for years.
9813−85 points
1995
1994
Independent Slovakia makes possession a crime
A year after the split from the Czech Republic, an amendment to the criminal code made possessing drugs for personal use a criminal offence, with up to three years in prison.
259−16 points
Colombia's Constitutional Court protects the personal dose
The court ruled that punishing an adult for carrying or using a personal dose, 20 g of cannabis, violates the right to free development of personality. The dose itself had been defined in a 1986 law that still punished it.
1130+19 points
Germany's Constitutional Court limits prosecution of small amounts
The court upheld the ban on cannabis but said that cases involving a small amount for occasional personal use should generally not be prosecuted. Each state then set its own threshold, mostly around 6 g.
1520+5 points
1993
Sweden adds prison as a penalty for drug use
Use had been punishable only by a fine. Adding a prison term of up to six months gave police the power to take a suspect in for a urine or blood test.
Hungary introduces treatment instead of punishment
An amendment to the criminal code let people caught with a small amount for their own use avoid prosecution by entering treatment.
812+4 points
Italy votes to decriminalise personal use
A referendum repealed the criminal penalties for possessing drugs for personal use that had been introduced three years earlier. Possession became an administrative matter again, punished by suspending a driving licence or passport.
1121+10 points
Portugal softens the penalty for use
Decree-Law 15/93 kept drug use a crime but cut the penalty to at most three months in prison or a fine, and encouraged courts to order treatment instead.
911+2 points
1992
Germany lets prosecutors drop small cases
A new section 31a of the narcotics law allowed prosecutors to close a case without going to court when someone held a small amount for their own use. The Constitutional Court made this the expected outcome two years later.
South Africa replaces its apartheid-era drug law
The Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act did away with the mandatory minimum sentences of 1971 and left punishment to the courts. Possession stayed a crime, and anyone with more than 115 g was presumed to be dealing.
711+4 points
Lebanon cracks down on cannabis farming
Hashish had been grown openly in the Bekaa valley throughout the civil war. Under pressure from the United States, the post-war government sent the army to destroy the fields.
Spain starts fining possession and use in public
Private use had been left alone since 1983. A public safety law now made having or using drugs in a public place an administrative offence with a fine, which could be suspended if the person entered treatment.
3430−4 points
1991
1990
Czechoslovakia's decriminalisation covers Slovakia
After the fall of the communist government, an amendment to the criminal code removed possession of drugs for one's own use as an offence.
1225+13 points
Czechoslovakia stops punishing possession for personal use
After the fall of the communist government, an amendment to the criminal code removed possession of drugs for one's own use as an offence. It stayed that way until 1999.
1225+13 points
Italy makes personal use punishable
A new drug law ended the earlier rule that a modest quantity for personal use was not punishable. Holding more than a fixed "average daily dose" became a crime, and smaller amounts brought administrative sanctions.
2111−10 points
1989
Argentina criminalises personal possession again
A new drug law set one month to two years in prison for possession for personal use, which a court could replace with treatment or an educational course. The Supreme Court upheld it in 1990 and reversed itself in 2009.
2211−11 points
Iran sets the death penalty for hashish
An anti-narcotics law provided for execution for possessing more than five kilograms of hashish.
Bangladesh bans cannabis outright
Ganja had been grown under licence and sold in government-approved shops, a holdover from colonial excise law. Cultivation was prohibited in 1987 and sales in 1989, and the Narcotics Control Act 1990 made the ban complete.
323−29 points
1988
The UN Convention against Illicit Traffic
The third drug treaty went further than the first two: it asks states to make possession, purchase and cultivation for personal use a criminal offence, subject to their constitutions. That clause is why most reforms since have taken the form of decriminalisation or court rulings, not open legalisation.
Paraguay exempts 10 g for personal use
Law 1340 exempts from punishment a person holding a small amount only for their own use, with 10 g of cannabis as the guideline. A judge decides whether it was personal use, so arrest remains possible.
1117+6 points
Sweden makes drug use itself a crime
Possession was already illegal; from July 1988 so was having used a drug. Prison was added as a penalty in 1993, which lets police compel a urine or blood test from anyone they suspect.
1110−1 point
Bolivia passes Law 1008
The anti-drug law, written under pressure from the United States, treats cannabis the same as cocaine. Users are sent to treatment, but anyone judged to hold more than a personal amount faces ten to twenty-five years.
1987
1986
The United States brings back mandatory minimums
At the height of the "war on drugs", the Anti-Drug Abuse Act restored the mandatory federal sentences repealed in 1970 and tied them to quantity. Arrests for marijuana rose for the next two decades.
1614−2 points
Argentina's Supreme Court first protects personal use
In the Bazterrica case, soon after the return of democracy, the court ruled that punishing possession for personal use violated the constitutional right to privacy.
1122+11 points
Colombia defines the personal dose
The national narcotics statute defined a personal dose as 20 g of marijuana, and punished carrying it with up to 30 days of arrest and a fine. Eight years later the Constitutional Court kept the definition and struck out the punishment.
1985
India bans ganja and charas nationwide
Until 1985 cannabis was regulated by state excise laws and sold in licensed shops in much of the country. The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act made flower and resin illegal everywhere, with prison even for small amounts. Leaves were left out, which is why bhang is still legal.
4013−27 points
Poland passes its first drug prevention act
The act treated addiction as a health problem. It punished producing and supplying drugs but not possessing them, which was unusual in Europe.
China classes cannabis as a narcotic
On joining the UN drug conventions, China listed marijuana as a dangerous narcotic. Hemp for fibre and seed had been grown across the country for thousands of years and still is.
985−93 points
1983
Malaysia makes death mandatory for trafficking
An amendment to the Dangerous Drugs Act required the death sentence for trafficking, and presumed anyone holding 200 g of cannabis to be a trafficker.
92−7 points
Spain takes personal possession out of criminal law
A reform of the penal code confirmed what the Supreme Court had held since the 1970s: possessing drugs for one's own use is not a crime, only trafficking is. Fines for possession and use in public were added in 1992.
1134+23 points
1982
1979
Thailand passes the Narcotics Act
The Act classed cannabis as a category 5 narcotic. Possession carried up to five years in prison, and the law stayed in force for cannabis until 2022.
196−13 points
Pakistan prohibits cannabis
Until 1979 charas and bhang were sold through licensed vendors. The Prohibition (Enforcement of Hadd) Order, part of General Zia's Islamisation programme, banned intoxicants and closed the shops.
3510−25 points
1978
1977
Ireland passes the Misuse of Drugs Act
The Act treated cannabis more leniently than other drugs: the first two convictions for possession for personal use can only be punished with a fine.
911+2 points
Cyprus passes its Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act
The Act, still in force, put cannabis in Class B, with penalties of up to eight years in prison for possession.
1976
The Netherlands separates cannabis from hard drugs
A revised Opium Act put cannabis on its own list and made possession of up to 30 g a minor offence that prosecutors would not pursue. The same policy let coffeeshops sell small amounts openly.
1239+27 points
Brazil separates users from traffickers again
Law 6.368 ended the 1968 rule that punished users like dealers. Possession for personal use carried six months to two years in prison; trafficking carried three to fifteen.
79+2 points
Nepal passes the Narcotic Drugs (Control) Act
Three years after closing the licensed shops, Nepal made growing, producing, selling and using cannabis criminal offences. Use at Shiva festivals has been tolerated all the same.
South Korea passes the Cannabis Control Act
Hemp had been grown for cloth for centuries and smoking it was not an offence. The Act banned possession and use, with prison terms, in the middle of a government campaign against youth culture.
982−96 points
1975
Italy stops punishing a modest quantity
Law 685 distinguished users from dealers for the first time. Holding a "modest quantity" for personal use was not punishable, though the law never said how much that was.
1121+10 points
Switzerland makes consumption an offence
A revision of the Narcotics Act made using drugs punishable for the first time, though as a minor offence, and let courts waive the penalty in light cases.
1716−1 point
Belgium tightens its drug law
A major revision of the 1921 law raised penalties, added aggravating circumstances and made using drugs in a group an offence.
Singapore introduces the death penalty for drugs
An amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Act made death mandatory for trafficking above set amounts, later fixed for cannabis at 500 g.
Nigeria removes the death penalty for growing hemp
An amendment to the Indian Hemp Decree dropped capital punishment for cultivation and reduced the prison terms. A 1984 decree raised them again.
New Zealand passes the Misuse of Drugs Act
The Act put cannabis in Class C, the lowest. The maximum for possession became three months in prison or a $500 fine, with a presumption against imprisonment.
1113+2 points
The Comoros legalise cannabis
The revolutionary president Ali Soilih, courting the support of young people, lifted the ban on cannabis. It stayed legal for three years.
1172+61 points
1974
Uruguay stops punishing possession for personal use
Decree-law 14.294 exempted from punishment anyone holding a minimal quantity only for their own use. Growing and selling stayed crimes, so there was no legal way to obtain it until 2013.
1132+21 points
Argentina makes personal possession a crime again
Law 20.771 punished possession of drugs with one to six years in prison "even if intended for personal use", reversing the 1968 exemption. The Supreme Court went back and forth on it for the next 35 years.
2211−11 points
Burma bans cannabis again
The Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Law prohibited cannabis along with opium, with long prison sentences.
494−45 points
1973
Oregon becomes the first US state to decriminalise
Possession of up to an ounce became a violation with a $100 fine. Ten more states followed by 1978, covering about a third of Americans, before the trend stopped for two decades.
1116+5 points
Nepal closes its legal cannabis shops
Nepal cancelled the licences of every cannabis shop, dealer and farmer, ending the legal trade that had made Kathmandu a stop on the hippie trail. The Narcotic Drugs (Control) Act followed in 1976.
4912−37 points
Britain's Misuse of Drugs Act takes effect
The Act sorted drugs into three classes and put cannabis in Class B. The maximum for possession was halved from ten years to five, the one recommendation of the Wootton Report that became law.
1113+2 points
Singapore passes the Misuse of Drugs Act
The Act gave the narcotics bureau powers to arrest, search and test without a warrant, and made consumption itself an offence proved by a urine test.
110−11 points
Afghanistan outlaws cannabis production
Under pressure from the United States, which paid for the eradication campaign, King Zahir Shah banned growing cannabis and opium. Afghanistan had been a main stop on the hippie trail.
981−97 points
Luxembourg passes its drug law
The law on the sale of medicinal substances and the fight against drug addiction made using, holding and growing cannabis criminal offences, with prison for personal use.
9811−87 points
1972
The Philippines pass the Dangerous Drugs Act
Republic Act 6425 prohibited the possession, use and cultivation of Indian hemp, with long prison terms.
980−98 points
The Baan Commission proposes separating the drug markets
A government working group argued that drugs should be ranked by risk and that keeping cannabis users away from dealers of harder drugs mattered more than punishing them. Its report became the basis of the 1976 law.
Jamaica drops mandatory prison for ganja
After three decades, an amendment to the Dangerous Drugs Act removed the compulsory prison sentence for possession and let courts impose a fine or probation.
911+2 points
Finland makes personal use a crime
After a vote of 92 to 80 the year before, the new Narcotics Act made using drugs an offence in itself, which few countries had done.
1711−6 points
Canada's Le Dain Commission recommends ending the possession offence
After three years of hearings, the royal commission concluded that possession of cannabis should no longer be a crime. The government introduced a bill to ease penalties, but it died in Parliament and the law stayed as it was for another 46 years.
1971
West Germany replaces the Opium Law with the Narcotics Law
Reacting to the drug wave of the late 1960s, the new law raised the maximum for possession to three years in prison and for serious cases to ten. Pharmacy sales of cannabis had already ended.
2415−9 points
South Africa imposes mandatory prison for dagga
The Abuse of Dependence-producing Substances Act set a minimum of two years in prison for a first possession offence and five for dealing. The government called it the toughest drug law in the Western world.
117−4 points
The UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances
The second drug treaty brought synthetic and isolated substances under international control. THC, identified only seven years earlier, was placed in the strictest schedule, separately from the plant itself.
1970
France makes private use a crime
Until 1970 French law punished only use in company. The new drug law made any use an offence carrying up to a year in prison, with treatment offered as the alternative. It is still the basis of French law.
1711−6 points
The United States passes the Controlled Substances Act
The Act replaced the tax law struck down the year before. It put marijuana in Schedule I, the category for drugs with no accepted medical use, where it largely remains. It also repealed the mandatory minimum sentences of the 1950s and made simple possession a misdemeanour.
711+4 points
Portugal makes drug use a crime
Decree-Law 420/70 was the first Portuguese law to punish using drugs, with up to two years in prison. The approach lasted until the 2001 decriminalisation.
179−8 points
1969
Iceland bans cannabis
A regulation prohibited cannabis, and the ban was written into the drug law in 1974.
9816−82 points
Canada lets possession be dealt with by a fine
Convictions had risen from a few dozen a year to thousands, and nearly half ended in prison. An amendment to the Narcotic Control Act let prosecutors proceed by summary conviction, and a fine quickly became the usual sentence. Earlier that year the government had appointed the Le Dain Commission, which went on to recommend ending the offence altogether.
1113+2 points
Denmark tells police to warn, not prosecute
A circular from the chief public prosecutor said that possession of a small amount of cannabis for personal use should be met with a warning. It stayed the standard response until 2004.
1122+11 points
The US Supreme Court strikes down the Marihuana Tax Act
In Leary v. United States the court ruled that the 1937 tax law, the basis of federal prohibition, forced people to incriminate themselves. State laws still banned cannabis, and Congress replaced the tax act with the Controlled Substances Act the following year.
Britain's Wootton Report says cannabis is less harmful than assumed
A government advisory committee concluded that the long-term moderate use of cannabis has no harmful effects, and that nobody should go to prison for possessing a small amount. The Home Secretary rejected it, but the 1971 drug law did put cannabis in a lower class than heroin.
1968
Brazil's military government punishes users like traffickers
A decree-law issued days after the regime suspended civil liberties gave possession for personal use the same sentence as dealing. Users kept facing prison until 2006.
117−4 points
South Vietnam outlaws cannabis
With American soldiers using it widely, the South Vietnamese government condemned and banned cannabis, urged on by the United States.
986−92 points
Sweden passes the Narcotic Drugs Penal Act
The Act, still the core of Swedish drug law, replaced earlier decrees and raised the penalties for possession and supply. It followed the collapse of an experiment in prescribing drugs to users.
Argentina exempts possession for personal use
A reform of the penal code punished drug possession only above the amount needed for personal use. The exemption lasted six years.
1122+11 points
1967
Britain gives police the power to stop and search for drugs
The Dangerous Drugs Act 1967 let police stop and search anyone they reasonably suspected of carrying drugs. Cannabis convictions rose quickly, and the power remains central to how the law is enforced.
1511−4 points
Spain adapts its law to the Single Convention
Law 17/1967 on narcotics, still in force, placed cannabis under state control and limited it to medical and scientific use.
1966
Nigeria's military government issues the Indian Hemp Decree
Months after taking power, the military government replaced colonial-era fines with some of the harshest penalties in the world: at least ten years in prison for possession, and death or 21 years for growing. The death penalty was later removed, but long mandatory sentences remain.
113−8 points
Finland prohibits cannabis
Cannabis was banned in 1966, and parliament voted narrowly in 1971 to make personal use a crime as well.
9817−81 points
1964
The Single Convention enters into force
The treaty took effect once forty countries had ratified it. Through the 1960s and 1970s most governments rewrote their drug laws to match, which is why so many national prohibitions date from these years.
Britain makes growing cannabis an offence
To ratify the Single Convention, the Dangerous Drugs Act 1964 made it an offence to cultivate the cannabis plant and to let premises be used for smoking it. Possession had been illegal since 1928.
2015−5 points
1962
Czechoslovakia's criminal code punishes possession in Slovakia
The communist-era criminal code made it a crime to produce, import or keep narcotics without permission, with up to two years in prison.
2012−8 points
Czechoslovakia's new criminal code punishes possession
The communist-era criminal code made it a crime to produce, import or keep narcotics without permission, with up to two years in prison. Cannabis was barely known in Czechoslovakia at the time; home-grown use spread in the 1970s and 1980s.
2012−8 points
1961
Canada passes the Narcotic Control Act
Passed the same year as the Single Convention, the Act set a minimum of seven years for importing and a maximum of seven for possession, but dropped the mandatory six months in prison for possession, so judges could again give a fine or probation. Cannabis had been banned since 1923 but was barely used; arrests only took off later in the decade.
911+2 points
The UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs
The treaty that still frames cannabis law worldwide. It merged earlier agreements, placed cannabis in its strictest categories alongside heroin, and required countries to limit it to medical and scientific use. Traditional use was to be phased out within 25 years.
1960
1957
1956
The United States raises penalties again
The Narcotic Control Act made a first conviction for possessing marijuana punishable by two to ten years in federal prison, with no parole or probation for most offences. It was the high point of federal severity; mandatory minimums were repealed in 1970.
97−2 points
Independent Morocco bans kif
Under the French protectorate kif had been sold legally through a state tobacco and kif monopoly. France ended the sales in 1954, and after independence a royal decree extended the ban to the whole country. Growing continued in the Rif, tolerated in practice.
5712−45 points
1955
1954
Italy treats users and dealers alike
Law 1041 punished anyone holding drugs without authorisation with years in prison, making no distinction between a user and a trafficker. It stayed in force until 1975.
1311−2 points
The WHO declares cannabis medically obsolete
The World Health Organization's expert committee stated that cannabis preparations were practically obsolete and that there was no justification for their medical use. The view shaped the 1961 treaty, and the WHO only reversed it in 2019.
Canada separates trafficking from possession
An amendment to the Opium and Narcotic Drug Act created the offence of possession for the purpose of trafficking, with up to 14 years in prison. Simple possession kept its mandatory minimum of six months.
1953
The Netherlands bans possession of cannabis
Import and export had been restricted since 1928. An amendment to the Opium Act now made possessing, producing and selling cannabis offences too, just over twenty years before the country became known for tolerating it.
9812−86 points
Tunisia ends legal cannabis sales
Under French rule a state monopoly had sold cannabis, known as takrouri, alongside tobacco. A decree of April 1953 prohibited growing and using it, and independent Tunisia kept the ban.
553−52 points
1952
1951
The United States introduces mandatory minimum sentences
The Boggs Act put marijuana in the same category as heroin for sentencing and set a mandatory two to five years for a first possession offence. Many states passed their own "little Boggs acts" in the years that followed.
119−2 points
Switzerland bans cannabis
A new federal Narcotics Act prohibited producing, growing, possessing and using cannabis.
9817−81 points
Poland classifies cannabis as a narcotic
Cannabis had been named in Polish law since 1930 as a harmful substance. It was now classed as a narcotic, which restricted its production and trade. Possession itself was not an offence until 1997.
9827−71 points
1948
1946
1944
1942
1941
1940
Mexico suspends its health-based drug rule
Five months after it began, the regulation that let doctors prescribe drugs to users was suspended under pressure from the United States, which had stopped exports of medical narcotics to Mexico. Possession went back to being a crime.
2411−13 points
Soviet drug law is imposed on Lithuania
Lithuania was annexed by the Soviet Union, and Soviet criminal law, including its ban on growing cannabis, applied from then on.
9817−81 points
Soviet drug law is imposed on Latvia
Latvia was annexed by the Soviet Union, and Soviet criminal law, including its ban on growing cannabis, applied from then on.
9814−84 points
Soviet drug law is imposed on Estonia
Estonia was annexed by the Soviet Union, and Soviet criminal law, including its ban on growing cannabis, applied from then on.
9811−87 points
Mexico briefly treats drug use as a health matter
Under President Cárdenas a new federal regulation let doctors prescribe drugs to users and set up state dispensaries, taking users out of criminal law. The United States responded by cutting off medical drug exports, and Mexico suspended the rule within months.
1124+13 points
1939
Burma legalises and taxes cannabis
Two years after Burma was separated from British India, the government licensed cannabis again and sold it through government-run shops in the main towns.
1149+38 points
Malta passes the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance
The colonial ordinance banned possessing and growing cannabis. Growing later carried a mandatory prison sentence, even for a single plant.
989−89 points
Colombia restricts cannabis
The government prohibited growing and selling marijuana, and tightened the rules again in 1946.
9811−87 points
1938
Czechoslovakia's Opium Act covers Slovakia
The first Czechoslovak drug law carried out the Geneva conventions and brought Indian hemp under control. Slovakia was part of Czechoslovakia.
9820−78 points
Czechoslovakia passes its Opium Act
The first Czechoslovak drug law carried out the Geneva conventions and brought Indian hemp under control. Making, trading or holding it needed a permit, and pharmacies could supply it as medicine.
9820−78 points
1937
The United States passes the Marihuana Tax Act
Most states had already restricted cannabis. The federal act did not ban it outright but taxed and registered every transaction so heavily that legal supply, including prescriptions, became impractical. The first arrests came within days.
2211−11 points
Ireland bans cannabis
The Dangerous Drugs Act 1934, passed to carry out the Geneva convention, came into force and prohibited cannabis and cannabis resin.
989−89 points
1936
British Palestine passes the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance
The Mandate ordinance banned possessing and trading hashish across Palestine.
988−90 points
British Palestine passes the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance
The Mandate ordinance banned possessing and trading hashish. Israel kept it after independence and re-enacted it in 1973.
9817−81 points
The League of Nations convention on illicit traffic
The first treaty to ask countries to make drug trafficking a serious crime under their own law. The United States wanted it to cover cultivation and use as well and refused to sign when it did not.
1935
Nigeria passes the Dangerous Drugs Act
The British colonial government restricted cannabis for the first time, with fines and short prison terms.
9811−87 points
Siam passes the Cannabis Act
Cannabis had been a kitchen herb and folk medicine in Siam for centuries. The Cannabis Act of 1935 made possessing, growing, selling and using it criminal offences.
9819−79 points
1934
The Soviet ban on growing cannabis covers Uzbekistan
The Soviet Union prohibited the unauthorised cultivation of Indian hemp and the opium poppy. Uzbekistan was a Soviet republic.
986−92 points
The Soviet ban on growing cannabis covers Ukraine
The Soviet Union prohibited the unauthorised cultivation of Indian hemp and the opium poppy. Ukraine was a Soviet republic.
9822−76 points
The Soviet ban on growing cannabis covers Turkmenistan
The Soviet Union prohibited the unauthorised cultivation of Indian hemp and the opium poppy. Turkmenistan was a Soviet republic.
982−96 points
The Soviet ban on growing cannabis covers Tajikistan
The Soviet Union prohibited the unauthorised cultivation of Indian hemp and the opium poppy. Tajikistan was a Soviet republic.
983−95 points
The Soviet Union bans growing cannabis
The Soviet Union prohibited the unauthorised cultivation of Indian hemp and the opium poppy.
988−90 points
The Soviet ban on growing cannabis covers Moldova
The Soviet Union prohibited the unauthorised cultivation of Indian hemp and the opium poppy. Moldova was a Soviet republic from 1940.
9819−79 points
The Soviet ban on growing cannabis covers Kyrgyzstan
The Soviet Union prohibited the unauthorised cultivation of Indian hemp and the opium poppy. Kyrgyzstan was a Soviet republic.
9818−80 points
The Soviet ban on growing cannabis covers Kazakhstan
The Soviet Union prohibited the unauthorised cultivation of Indian hemp and the opium poppy. Kazakhstan was a Soviet republic.
9814−84 points
The Soviet ban on growing cannabis covers Georgia
The Soviet Union prohibited the unauthorised cultivation of Indian hemp and the opium poppy. Georgia was a Soviet republic.
989−89 points
The Soviet ban on growing cannabis covers Belarus
The Soviet Union prohibited the unauthorised cultivation of Indian hemp and the opium poppy. Belarus was a Soviet republic.
980−98 points
The Soviet ban on growing cannabis covers Azerbaijan
The Soviet Union prohibited the unauthorised cultivation of Indian hemp and the opium poppy. Azerbaijan was a Soviet republic.
988−90 points
The Soviet ban on growing cannabis covers Armenia
The Soviet Union prohibited the unauthorised cultivation of Indian hemp and the opium poppy. Armenia was a Soviet republic.
9818−80 points
1933
1932
1930
Sweden brings cannabis under its narcotics rules
A royal decree carrying out the Geneva convention added Indian hemp to the controlled narcotics.
9811−87 points
Yugoslavia's criminal code covers Slovenia
The criminal code of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia took effect and set prison sentences for drug offences. Yugoslavia had ratified the Geneva convention the year before. Slovenia was part of the kingdom.
9821−77 points
Yugoslavia's criminal code covers Serbia
The criminal code of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia took effect and set prison sentences for drug offences. Yugoslavia had ratified the Geneva convention the year before. Serbia was part of the kingdom.
9811−87 points
Yugoslavia's criminal code covers North Macedonia
The criminal code of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia took effect and set prison sentences for drug offences. Yugoslavia had ratified the Geneva convention the year before. North Macedonia was part of the kingdom.
9811−87 points
Yugoslavia's criminal code covers Montenegro
The criminal code of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia took effect and set prison sentences for drug offences. Yugoslavia had ratified the Geneva convention the year before. Montenegro was part of the kingdom.
9811−87 points
Yugoslavia's criminal code covers Kosovo
The criminal code of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia took effect and set prison sentences for drug offences. Yugoslavia had ratified the Geneva convention the year before. Kosovo was part of the kingdom.
9811−87 points
Yugoslavia's criminal code covers Croatia
The criminal code of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia took effect and set prison sentences for drug offences. Yugoslavia had ratified the Geneva convention the year before. Croatia was part of the kingdom.
9811−87 points
Yugoslavia's criminal code covers Bosnia and Herzegovina
The criminal code of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia took effect and set prison sentences for drug offences. Yugoslavia had ratified the Geneva convention the year before. Bosnia and Herzegovina was part of the kingdom.
9811−87 points
1929
Germany adds cannabis to its Opium Law
To carry out the 1925 Geneva convention, a new Opium Law brought Indian hemp under control for the first time. Cannabis could still be sold by pharmacies; other trade and possession became offences.
9824−74 points
The Bahamas pass the Dangerous Drugs Act
The colonial Act prohibited Indian hemp along with other dangerous drugs.
9811−87 points
1928
Britain bans cannabis
The Dangerous Drugs Act 1925, passed to ratify the Geneva convention, took effect. Possessing cannabis without a prescription became an offence. Growing the plant was not covered until 1964.
9820−78 points
Romania passes a narcotics law
The law covered hashish and its preparations along with other narcotics.
989−89 points
The Netherlands restricts the cannabis trade
To carry out the Geneva convention, a new Opium Act prohibited importing and exporting Indian hemp. Possession and use inside the country were not covered until 1953.
10098−2 points
1927
New Zealand bans cannabis
The Dangerous Drugs Act restricted cannabis to medical use on prescription, following the Geneva convention. Almost nobody used it at the time; the first notable prosecutions came in the 1960s.
9811−87 points
The Dutch East Indies ban cannabis
A colonial narcotics ordinance prohibited growing, possessing and trading cannabis across the archipelago. Independent Indonesia kept the ban and later made it far harsher.
980−98 points
1926
Portugal passes its first drug law
A decree carried out the international opium conventions and restricted the import and sale of narcotics, cannabis included.
9817−81 points
Lebanon prohibits hashish
The French mandate authorities banned hashish. Growing in the Bekaa valley continued anyway and still does.
9811−87 points
Australia begins banning cannabis
The federal government prohibited imports after signing the Geneva convention. The states then banned possession and use one by one, from Victoria in 1928 to Tasmania in 1959.
9811−87 points
Argentina makes drug possession a crime
Two years after restricting the sale of narcotics to pharmacies, Congress made possessing them without a legitimate reason a crime.
9811−87 points
1925
Trinidad and Tobago bans ganja
The colonial legislature prohibited cannabis, which Indian indentured workers had brought to the islands.
986−92 points
Cannabis enters international drug control
At Egypt's request, the International Opium Convention signed in Geneva added "Indian hemp" to the substances under control. It restricted export and import to medical and scientific use, the first time cannabis was covered by an international treaty.
1924
1923
Panama bans cannabis
A law prohibited growing and using cannabis.
9811−87 points
Italy passes its first drug law
The Mussolini-Oviglio law punished the sale and unauthorised possession of narcotics, including hashish, with prison.
9813−85 points
Canada bans cannabis
Cannabis was added to the schedule of the Opium and Narcotic Drug Act without debate in Parliament. Nobody has established why: there was almost no use in Canada, and the first seizure was not until 1932.
989−89 points
1922
1921
1920
Sierra Leone bans cannabis
The British colony prohibited cannabis, which had long been grown and smoked there.
983−95 points
Mexico bans marijuana
A federal health decree prohibited growing and selling marijuana, seventeen years before the United States acted. It had been restricted in Mexico City since the 1880s.
9811−87 points
1916
France bans hashish in Algeria
Decrees of September 1916 and February 1917 applied the new French drug law to Algeria and prohibited hashish.
983−95 points
France passes its first drug law
Hashish was listed with opium and cocaine. The law punished importing, selling, possessing and using these drugs in company, but left private use alone, which stayed the position until 1970.
9817−81 points
1914
1913
American states begin banning cannabis
California prohibited cannabis in 1913, after Massachusetts in 1911. By 1933 most states had restricted it, many by adopting the Uniform State Narcotic Drug Act. This entry stands for the whole process.
9822−76 points
Jamaica passes the Ganja Law
Ganja had come to Jamaica with Indian indentured workers in the 1840s. Pressed by the churches, the colonial legislature banned growing and importing it, and later possession and smoking.
9813−85 points
British Guiana passes the Indian Hemp Ordinance
The ordinance moved from licensing to prohibition, banning the growing and possession of cannabis.
499−40 points
1912
1907
1905
1902
1894
1891
1890
1879
1872
1870
Natal bans dagga for Indian workers
The colony of Natal prohibited Indian indentured labourers from smoking, using or possessing dagga, one of the earliest cannabis laws anywhere. Other provinces followed with restrictions of their own before the national ban of 1922.
The Straits Settlements ban cannabis
The British colony that included Singapore prohibited cannabis, one of the first bans in Asia.
9811−87 points
The Straits Settlements ban covers Penang and Malacca
The British colony of the Straits Settlements, which included Penang and Malacca as well as Singapore, prohibited cannabis. The Malay states followed under British rule.
9811−87 points