Regions continent
Oceania
14 countries and 3 territories in Oceania. The average score is 11.6 of 100, 1.7 below the world average; Australia is the freest and Nauru the harshest.
- average score · world 13.3
- 11.6
- countries, and 3 territories
- 14
- people
- 46.5 million
- legal for adults · 2 with a medical route
- 0
Oceania on the map
Each country coloured by its score: red means prison risk, green means free. Select a country for its profile.
In the ACT an adult is outside the local small-possession and one-or-two-plant offences, within the limits ACT Policing states. Elsewhere, infringement notices, expiation fees, cautions and diversion are used for small amounts, and charges remain available. Medical cannabis is available on prescription. Presence-based drug-driving laws are strict.
Illegal, but since 2019 police must consider a health-based response before prosecuting. A legalisation referendum narrowly failed in 2020; the medical scheme has operated since.
Cannabis penalties vary by state. The national code’s $50 small-possession provision is not a nationwide ceiling: published state laws also allow custody, and the available Chuuk drug-law appendix is historical.
Small possession is a $500 citation, not prison; giving away an ounce or less is treated the same. Cultivation and sale are felonies carrying up to eight years.
Cannabis possession remains criminalised, with court guidelines favouring non-custodial sentences for up to 100 g. A separate hemp exemption was approved in 2022. A drug-law rewrite signed in October 2026 provides for commencement by ministerial notice.
Cannabis offences carry fines or prison, with higher penalties for larger amounts and repeat convictions.
Cannabis possession, growing and gifting are offences. The published reprint gives up to six months on summary conviction or ten years on conviction with assessors, plus fines expressed in penalty units; current practice needs fuller verification.
Cannabis is a Class B drug. Under 28 g carries up to T$5,000 or a year in prison; 28 g or more carries up to T$50,000 or seven years. There is no medical, hemp or CBD exemption.
Cannabis possession, supply and unlicensed growing are crimes. Court guidance distinguishes small personal grows from commercial cultivation. Medical-cannabis licences authorise production for export, while adult-use sales remain prohibited.
Cannabis possession, growing and gifts are offences; separate rules cover prescribed extracts and tinctures.
Possession, use and supply carry up to 14 years; a 2017 recommendation to regulate medicinal use was not adopted. There is no medical, hemp or CBD exemption.
Cannabis possession and cultivation are prohibited. The Controlled Substance Act has quantity tiers, including up to two years for 10 g or less and life for more than 2 kg or more than 20 plants. The Dangerous Drugs Act remains in force alongside it, carries a maximum of forty years and/or K1 million, and is still used for cannabis; the quantity tiers are not a guarantee of the only charge or penalty.
A 2025 amendment sets minimum prison terms for small cannabis offences and permits medical or scientific licences; ordinary recreational supply remains prohibited.
Unlawful possession carries at least a year in custody; growing, supply and use face much longer prison terms.
Cannabis, known locally as paka, is widely grown and banned. Cases go to the court in Papeete and usually end in fines. A 2023 medical cannabis law was repealed that November without ever being used. Its 2024 replacement allows low-THC hemp and cannabis medicines, and a pilot with nine growers is now under way.
Adults 21 and over may hold limited amounts, give cannabis away and grow six plants per residence, with no more than three flowering. Medical patients have a separate home-growing permit. Commercial supply has faced years of delays: the first grower's operating permit was approved in June 2026, with retail still pending.
The Northern Mariana Islands legalised adult and medical use in September 2018. Adults 21 and over may carry an ounce, keep eight at home and grow their own. Licensed shops and lounges opened in 2021; in January 2026 the regulator moved from the Cannabis Commission to the Alcohol Beverage and Tobacco Control Division.
How the 14 countries divide
For adults
- Partly legal / tolerated 1Australia
- Illegal 13New Zealand, Micronesia, Palau, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands…
For patients
- Legal 2Australia, New Zealand
- Limited 5Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Tuvalu
- None verified 7Micronesia, Palau, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Papua New Guinea…
Oceania over time
The average score and the share of countries, or of people, in each band, rebuilt from the recorded history.
Cannabis freedom in Oceania over time
Oceania average score
11.6Prohibition−88.4 since 186011.6Prohibition−0.4 since 201117.5Restrictive−82.5 since 186017.5Restrictive+1.4 since 2011
Countries under prohibition or worse
Countries under prohibition or worse
People under prohibition or worse
People under prohibition or worse
71%10 of 14+71 points since 186071%10 of 14−7 points since 201129%of Oceania's people+29 points since 186029%of Oceania's people−10 points since 2011
Every country, ranked
The index score from 0 to 100 and its six parts from 0 to 10. Territories follow, unranked.
| # | Country | Score | Adults | Patients | Possession | cultivation | enforcement | Sharing | Consumption | Legal access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1#33 | AustraliaRestrictive | 22 | Partly legal / tolerated | Legal | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 2#44 | New ZealandRestrictive | 20 | Illegal | Legal | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 3#47 | MicronesiaRestrictive | 18 | Illegal | None verified | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 4#53 | PalauRestrictive | 17 | Illegal | None verified | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 5#69 | FijiProhibition | 13 | Illegal | None verified | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 6#90 | Marshall IslandsProhibition | 11 | Illegal | Limited | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 7#96 | Solomon IslandsProhibition | 11 | Illegal | Limited | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 8#98 | TongaProhibition | 11 | Illegal | None verified | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 9#100 | VanuatuProhibition | 11 | Illegal | Limited | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 10#126 | KiribatiProhibition | 9 | Illegal | Limited | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 11#132 | SamoaProhibition | 9 | Illegal | None verified | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 12#147 | Papua New GuineaProhibition | 7 | Illegal | None verified | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 13#156 | TuvaluProhibition | 6 | Illegal | Limited | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 14#194 | NauruSevere prohibition | 0 | Illegal | None verified | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| – | French PolynesiaOverseas collectivity | 11 | Illegal | Limited | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| – | GuamUnincorporated territory | 43 | Legal | Limited | 5 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| – | Northern Mariana IslandsUnincorporated territory | 55 | Legal | Legal | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 6 |
The second number under the rank is the country's place worldwide, of 196.
Latest in Oceania
The newest entries in the history. All history →
- 8 October 2026
- 2 October 2026
- 24 September 2026
- 23 September 2026
- 22 September 2026
- 21 September 2026
- 15 September 2026
- 27 August 2026
- 25 August 2026
- August 2026
- 12 August 2026
- 10 August 2026