Table II

Country attitudes to marijuana

Country/sourceRecreationalMedicalCultivation
Argentina/(Infobae, 2017)DecimalizedLegalIllegal
Australia/(Copeland, 2010)Decriminalised for personal use in the Northern Territory, South Australia, and the Australian Capital TerritoryLegal at federal level and in all states
Qualifying conditions and other details vary by state
Legal for medical purposes
Austria/(Seshata, 2015)Decriminalised as of January 2016
Possession for personal use
Cannabis-derived drugsAllowed for medical purposes
Belgium/(Anderson, 2017)Decriminalised up to 3 gCannabis-derived drugsDecriminalised for cultivation of one plant
Canada/(Canada, 2018)LegalLegalLegal
Chile/(Cannabis, 2018a)DecriminalisedLegalLegal
Colombia/(Langlois, 2012)Decriminalised up to 22 grams for personal useLegal for medical use.Legal up to twenty plants for personal consumption. No limit for medicinal use and if licensed by the “National Anti-narcotics Council”
Costa Rica/(The Costa Rica News, 2018)DecriminalisedIllegalDecriminalised
Croatia / (The High Can, 2018)DecriminalisedLegalIllegal
Czech Republic/(Conbiz, 2018)Decriminalised up to 10 grams since 2014LegalDecriminalised for cultivation of up to five plants. Cultivation for medicinal purposes subject to license legal
Denmark/(Shekshnya, 2018).Illegal for recreational use, however, the law is often unenforced by police. (Declared legal in Freetown but this is unrecognised by Danish authorities)LegalLegal with government license. Licenses issued for medical production only
Finland/(Cannabis, 2018b)Illegal but sometimes not enforcedLegal under licenseLegal for medicinal use only
Georgia/(State Laws, 2018)Decriminalised for possession and consumptionUse is legal, but no system for the dispensing of cannabis existsDecriminalised for personal use
Germany/(DW, 2018)Possession illegal, but consumption legalLegal to those with a prescriptionLegal if permission is given by “Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices”
Israel/(Osborne, 2018)Currently illegal; decriminalisation being consideredLegalLicensed medicinal providers only
Italy/(Povoledo, 2018)Decriminalised; allowed for religious usageLegalIllegal
Jamaica/(Margolin, 2018)Decriminalised; legal for RastafariLegalLegal
Luxembourg/(Walder, 2018)DecriminalisedLegalIllegal
Mexico/Janikian (2018) DecriminalisedLegal for medical use, THC content below 1%Legal for medical purposes. Decriminalised for personal use
Netherlands/Haines, G. (2017b) Illegal – but use and sale is tolerated in licensed coffeeshops. Possession of up to five grams is decriminalised.LegalDecriminalised up to five plants; plants are generally still destroyed. Home growers can be evicted for one single plant or have their mortgage cancelled
Norway/(Cannabis, 2018c)Illegal (in progress of decriminalisation)LegalIllegal
Peru/(Dunnell, 2018)DecriminalisedLegalIllegal
Poland/(Sharman, 2017)Illegal, but sometimes not enforced for small amountsLegalIllegal
Portugal/(Seshata, 2014)Decriminalised up to 25 g herb or 5 g hashishLegalDecriminalised
UK/(Gov, 2018)IllegalLegalIllegal
USA / (NCSL, 2018)Legal in 9 states, the District of Columbia, and some Indian Reservations – but Illegal at federal level. An additional 13 states and the USA Virgin Islands have decriminalisedUSALegal in 9 states, the District of Columbia, and some Indian Reservations – but illegal at federal level. An additional 13 states and the USA Virgin Islands have decriminalised
Uruguay/(Arsenault, 2018)Legal; buying prohibited for foreignersLegal for all usesLegal for up to six plants
Zimbabwe/(Polianskaya, 2018)IllegalLegalIllegal

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