Photo by splifr
Update: Due to the changing nature of marijuana laws and your comments, we will be adding regular posts about the practice of smoking pot around the world and related international laws. If interested, please view the first in the series: Marijuana Laws in Southeast Asia.
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From an American kid hitting a bong while watching Harold and Kumar to a Moroccan enjoying hash with his afternoon tea, people all over the world smoke cannabis.
Despite the popularity of weed and hash, most governments in the world have deemed it harmful to the individual and society as a whole.
There are only 11 nations in the world where weed and hash have been decriminalized. A handful of countries impose mandatory prison sentences and other harsh punishments for the possession or sale of any form of weed and hash. Another handful look the other way when dealing with cannabis.
Some places that are easy on weed heads can be broken up by region:
Latin America
In Latin America, cannabis is tolerated and/or decriminalized in most countries, with the exception of Bolivia, Ecuador, Honduras and Guatemala. Marijuana grows well in Central and South America and is a large part of the economy.
Governments tend to have more to worry about than whether someone is smoking a joint. For travelers, this means that smoking in South America is probably okay, but caution should be used.
Only Peru considers cannabis to be a legal drug, provided you are not in possession of another drug. I get the impression that throughout Latin America, the tolerance doesn’t typically extend to tourists, especially if the police can get a bribe out of it, but you should never travel with pot and risk being searched.
I would highly recommend caution throughout Mexico, Panama, Guatemala and even Costa Rica. Although weed is sold to tourists all the time in quantities up to 1/4 pound, those buyers in turn, are often set up for the policia.
In this particular region, weed may be tolerated, decriminalized or even legal up to small amounts (usually about 20 grams), but as always, keep a low profile.
Photo by martin cleary
Here’s a quick break down:
- ARGENTINA: Decriminalized for personal use in small amounts and for consumption only in private locations. Public consumption is generally accepted among the young adults and overlooked by police in the suburbs.
- BOLIVIA: Possession illegal. No move to decriminalize.
- BRAZIL: Possession illegal.
- CHILE: Personal use of marijuana in small quantities on a private place is not against the law. More than one person using it at the same place is considered as a group and thus is considered illegal.
- COLOMBIA: Possession of small quantities of all drugs legal; permitted “personal dose” for marijuana is 20 grams.
- ECUADOR: Possession illegal. No move to decriminalize.
- PARAGUAY: Possession illegal. No move to decriminalize.
- PERU: Possession of up to 8 grams (0.28 oz) of marijuana is legal as long as one isn’t in possession of another drug. However, I’ve read some first hand accounts about the police being fairly strict. Caution is urged.
- URUGUAY: Possession for personal use not penalized; law does not specify quantity for “personal” amount.
- VENEZUELA: Possession of up to 20 grams not punished.
- BELIZE: Illegal, but use by locals is slightly tolerated.
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GUATEMALA: Highly illegal. Possession by Guatemalans in not normally prosecuted for personal use, but tourists are commonly arrested and jailed for several days before being released.
- HONDURAS: Illegal, but use by locals is slightly tolerated.
- PANAMA: Illegal
- COSTA RICA: Illegal, but tolerated. Watch out for being set up.
Europe
Europe is another region where cannabis is generally tolerated, decriminalized or even legal.
We all know about the Netherlands. It is legal to buy and smoke herb in the Netherlands, in amounts up to five grams per person per day. People regularly smoke in public parks and anywhere else they can find a bench and a view.
In the Netherlands, one notices that tourists (especially American tourists) go a little overboard and smoke their way into oblivion. The only caution I would take here is making sure you don’t get duped at the coffee shops or robbed by opportunistic thugs.
- GERMANY and BELGIUM: decriminalized. This means that possessing a small amount is ok, but puffing in public and selling weed is not.
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SPAIN and FRANCE: smoking at home and the possession of a few grams will get you searched and checked out at worst.
- ITALY: possession of more than a gram could result in a search and seizure.
- GREECE: illegal. Really tough on weed.
- DENMARK: illegal. Very uncool towards cannabis ever since authorities bulldozed the Christiana district in Copenhagen.
- MACEDONIA: decriminalized.
- SERBIA: looks away if it looks at all.
- SLOVENIA: has no police (just kidding, but it is a relaxed place).
- BOSNIA: illegal but tolerated.
- CROATIA: illegal and not tolerated.
- SCANDINVIAN COUNTRIES: laws are quite strict concerning weed and it is not advisable to get caught smoking
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Photo by Shira Golding
North Africa
The other region where weed is ok is North Africa. In Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco, locals smoke hash, a fine alternative to alcohol and accepted in society. However, this societal norm does not necessarily apply to tourists.
In other words, locals may be puffing, but if the laws still consider what you are doing as illegal, a cop can still make money off you. I recommend smoking with friends only in this region.
- EGYPT: Illegal, but not strictly enforced, just don’t smoke in public. Also, don’t carry large quantities unless you’d like to see the inside of an Egyptian jail.
- MOROCCO: Illegal. Not recommended to smoke in public or to carry more than a few grams at a time–whatever you can quickly swallow or throw away. Tourists are usually let off with fines, but technically can be jailed for 4-10 years. Even more if you’re suspected of smuggling.
Having said all that, these are the nations in which cannabis is legal for consumption and where you should be able to smoke in peace:
Photo courtesy of author
- BELGIUM: Up to 5 grams.
- CZECH REPUBLIC: Personal use.
- GERMANY: Up to 5 grams.
- INDIA: All good.
- MACEDONIA: Up to 5 grams.
- NETHERLANDS: Coffee shops and parks, personal use.
- PAKISTAN: Ummm… All good, but as a tourist I would watch my back and smoke with Pakistani friends in their homes.
- PERU: Personal use, up to 5 grams.
- RUSSIA: Personal use, up to 5 grams If you are caught, you will have to pay low fines as possession of small amounts is still illegal
- VENEZUELA: Personal use, up to 5 grams.
- AUSTRALIA: Up to 50grams! (Certain states of Australia have decriminalized marijuana possession. In Tasmania, Victoria and Queensland one can be simply ticketed for up to 50 grams. If found in possession with intent to supply, convictions apply)
I use “up to five grams” because I like to err on the side of caution. I have smoked publicly with fishermen in Thailand, tea merchants in Egypt, farmers in SW China and all my homies throughout Europe and the US. I will continue to do so.
People all over the planet understand the need to just relax and do your thing after a long day. Some do it with alcohol, some with tea, some with weed, and some with a book.
Stick to the nations numbered above and if you need to puff elsewhere, be careful.
Community Connection
Headed to Amsterdam? Check out 7 Coffee Shops in Amsterdam that are Good to Go – and, while you’re at it, 10 Things to do in Amsterdam Besides Smoking Pot. Also be sure to give a read to Tim Patterson’s Tripping Out On The Road: Drugs, Alcohol and Travel.
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249 Comments... join the discussion!
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What about asia? completely skipped that part?
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The author is wrong about Macedonia.It’s not dcriminalized.It’s illegal
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Foreigners in Morocco don’t need to be afraid if they are in possesion of a gram or so. Everyone in Morocco knows what it is though, so from a moral standing moroccan people in general are against but fore most not as wrong as alcohol. DON’T SMOKE IN PUBLIC in front of women, kids old and more religious people or around a mosque. You’ll end up getting beaten up by a local much faster than getting caught by the police.
Find a laidback spot close(if your at the beach climb up a hill, you’ll enjoy it even beter) do your thing, no one will bother you (If in tangier by your thing around the exit of the harbour)↵ -
Mexico, it’s legal to posses. Netherlands, weed is illegal. It’s just tolerated, it’s a grey area in the law.
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It is very much illegal in Mexico.
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it’s decriminalized hasta la madre
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interesting article but there seem to be a few mistakes and lapses.
i would like to add that in Portugal it is not a crime to possess any type of drugs up to a certain “personal use” amount. nothing worse than getting your stash taken will happen if you get caught smoking in public.↵ -
I have always wanted to go to Pakistan to smoke weed!
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hey! you forgot Nepal… it’s “illegal” but nobody cares… the plants grow on the side of the road!!
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we were just in Freetown Christiana in Copenhagen Denmark and it is still alive and kicking in full force.
cheers
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Excellent overview. I’ve added this to our extensive resources. You may want to check out these 7 countries you really don’t want to get caught with drugs in!
http://blog.thegooddrugsguide.com/0801/7-countries-you-dont-want-to-get-caught-with-drugs-in/
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i have spent about 2 years in india smoking really good charis,but beware,it is illegal and you could get up to ten years in prison.people go to india thinking its ok to smoke,but dont make that mistake,theres always the police who would love to catch you and take alot of money from you…in some towns in india you can but bhang which is a weaker form of charis but is has a great effect if eaten or drank in bhang lassie.
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I just wanted to say that you are living the dream.
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The author seems to have completely overlooked Canada.
Toronto & Vancouver are very liberal now.↵ -
California is where the good weed is and hopefully in a few months ill have a few of those bud branches myself!!
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yea, the author also seemed to over look many parts of NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. cities like Oakland have decriminalized minor amounts of possession and counties like Humbolt allow adults to grow. california is also a part of the medical marijuana program. so as long as you have a VALID medical reason to smoke marijuana, and a recomendation from a licensed physician you can buy, carry and transport up to 8 ounces. By the way, the marijuana in cali is way better then the premature marijuana sold to tourist in amsterdam. visit california, and support our economy by lighting a joint of that cali sticki green
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All drugs are illegal in Colombia and Venezuela and there is no move to legalize them. Colombia is very much of the thinking of the US and bud is illegal here. But, that being said it can be found for very cheap. In Venezuela it is also illegal and Chavez wouldn’t ever allow legalization. Peace from Bogota.
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After Mexico and Argentina maybe there will be a great change in the decriminalization movement in the whole world but firstly in Central and South America.Or so i do hope so;)
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I would also like to know about Asia and North America. I know that in parts of Cambodia, Thailand and Laos, it can be pretty easy to acquire some ganja with little hassle but it still can get you a big fine if you are not smart about it.
As for N. America, people’s attitudes are starting to change (finally). Counties around the US are starting to decriminalize small amounts for personal use (I was previously living in Denver, Colorado where up to an oz. was OK for a resident over 21 but still not accepted by state or federal police). Even when I got caught in northern Colorado, all I had to do was pay a $100 fine and m record is clean.
When it comes to traveling and toking, it’s really just best to excercise caution at all times. Some people will scam you–others might rat you out–others might feel you are offending them or their culture. It’s important to be a responsible representatve of the weed smoking community, especially if we want to see further progress in the tolerance of the plant.
Thanks for a great article, even if a few people think there are some mistakes. Readers have to understand that these laws are changing often and can vary from city to city withing some countries. Take it easy and enjoy it when you can. Cheers!
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How about Iceland? Anyone know the deal?
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Great list for weed smokers! Unfortunately the information about Germany is incorrect: althought smoking is tolerated in Berlin, an most of the other states, Bavaria is another story… You even get punished for small amounts. Don’t even think of smoking in the English Garden as undercover cops look for smokers every day!
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What’s the breakdown for countries in Asia?
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VERY ILLEGAL in Macedonia. No move to decriminalise.
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In México city since april 29th 2009 is legal to carry up 5 grs marihuana.
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Just wanted to comment on Spain. I live in Barcelona, and here consuming is not illegal at all!!! what is forbidden is the trade, buying and selling. SOOOOO, there are grow shops every second corner, and every citizen is allowed to grow up to 3 plants on his sunny balcony. and there are so many people smoking on my street on sundays i only need to take a breath outside to inhale…
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first off thanks. I love this page. but what about the u.k no mentions of the status of weed atall
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hey whats up! im from peru. here is sooo stupid… the goverment think that 8 gr. of marihuana is just possesion then is a crime …what a fuck!!!
but it barranco, for example, the weed is normal and good ^^
hehe
take care guys and if you come to peru one day be with peruvians friends..we know how the police is..
bye
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Portugal decriminalized all drug use in 2001. Everything from pot to cocaine is legal there now. Since then, drug use has fallen dramatically.
Forget Amsterdam. They’re starting to crack down on pot there and have been closing down marijuana cafes. It may have to do with the increasing Muslim population, leading to intolerance of marijuana use.
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your facts about australia are very wrong
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Greetings.
I live in Izmir, Turkey.
Here its really easy to find and smoke weed, but you gotta find the wise guy that knows whats going on. You know there is a guy like that in every weed crew. But its simply a crime buying or selling it.↵ -
I personally just go and smoke this LEGAL cannabinoid. It is just as good as the best weed I ever tried and it doesn’t make me cough like weed. Check out:
http://www.herbavigor.com/html/cannibinoids.html
They should legalize pot, but until then I’ve got this cannabinoid. I don’t miss anything.
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hello:
i would like to apologize to veryone for getting a buttload of facts wrong. i have smoked all over the planet and never had any trouble anywhere. I just take simple precautionary measures. this article is wak, but the commetns and posts are amazing and very informative. what i did notice though, is that a lot of the comments contradict each other, which shows a basic general misunderstanding about all of the laws.
This topic needs a book or its own website.
so again, sorry for being wak, but thanks for calling me out and thanks even more for dropping knowledge and getting it going
the Author
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you did miss israel on your site it is more ore less illigal but in realltiy its a bit like spain a lot of people smoke and you dont get bothered a lot.
in the last year or so it is quite easy to get us quality weed to so get holy shit in jerusalem (ir ha koidesh)
and dont miss the dead sea (best in winter) light up in the lowest place of this planet.↵ -
Don’t even think about smoking in East Asia, If its sold or smuggled its punishable for upto 15 years and can even lead to execution in places like Thailand, Japan and China.
in 2009 U.K reclassified it as strictly illigal (class B) and you can be inprisoned for it. Before then, being caught with it would just mean a confiscation. People buy it and sell it all the time and it is smoked in doors.
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smoke mad bud in east asia! yes, it is punishable and yes the penalties in thailand especially can be nasty, but many many heads puff down there. all of this is basically common sense. if you smoke in thailand, do it in your bungalow or underneath a waterfall or in the safe confines of a police protected bar or something. in china, most cops dont know what weed is. but that doenst mean you walk the streets yelling “get high” and exhaling mad weed smoke into the air. be smooth about it for God’s sake.
for example, todays NYT has a story about a kid who got caught in Dali, China and is now in some big trouble Here is what went down, i was there for this: japanese and chinese kids were slanging hashish in japan and got caught. the japanese authorities went to the chinese because it involved smuggling. they traced the hash to beijing and then to dali, where it was being grown/processed. a few weeks later a joint sino-nippon force slipped down to dali and arrested a bunch of japanese dudes who ran the sun island. bar owners that slang weed out of their bars, that i know, were left unscathed. this kid in the story linked below was a fool with a fake passport, grips of weed and a “drug lab” in dali. anyway, he got caught and turned over to the US for stuff he did with the ELF in the uS.
so yes, shit can go down. the real key is to not be a bumbling fool when you buy, smoke, grow or sell any funky substance. grow two plants in yer home. buy off people you know and trust. dont sell period, but if you have to, don’t flash it and be a dumbass. laws are meant to be circumvented and broken and questioned and defied at all costs unless they actually benefit humanity — i.e. violent crimes.
i say spread the word and lift consciousness wherever you are. and be smart about it or dont do it at all.
http://msasch.blogspot.com/2009/11/this-could-have-been-anyone-of-us.html
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Dope is for losers, there are very few successful people who smoke weed. Yes there are the exceptions like Michael Phelps, but most people who smoke weed never amount to very much. It stops the brain’s synapses from properly communicating with each other but forming a “film” over the synapses which retards communication. This effectively makes you stupid. If you are weed free for two years, this film will disappear and your brain will work normally again. Dope also robs you of your ambition, people sit around and get high, playing Xbox rather than getting ahead in life. There are also those people who get addicted to dope, and it ruins their lives. For others dope is a gateway drug, and they get hooked on heavier drugs. Recent studies have also linked dope to cancer.
Hey if your happy with your dope use, ignore me. However if your 45 and your wondering why you have no assets, why your wife left you, and why you haven’t seen a promotion in 10 years, you may want to rethink your dope use.
For those who are happy smoking pot, I would be very careful in Central and South American countries. There governments are very corrupt, and the bribe to pay off the police maybe higher than you think. You do not want to see the inside of their jails.
In Arab countries I would also be very careful. Also marijuana use in these countries predates Islam. Islam forbids drug use, it is haram (not cool/kosher). You could find yourself in a heap of trouble if you get caught with dope in the Islamic world. Personally I would just for go smoking/carrying pot in these countries.
Also don’t get caught bringing in dope into any of these countries, even America, you are very likely to be suspected of drug trafficking, no matter how small a quantity you have. At the least you will be banned from re-entering the country. If it is an EU country, you could be banned from entering any EU country, and you will have a Interpol file, even if they don’t charge you. In the U.S. you will be banned from visiting the U.S. ever gain, and you will have an FBI file. My advice is to buy in the countries you visit, it is best if you know people locally who you can buy from. If not try and ask your tour guide discreetly.
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Hey.. I just loved the info that I got here….
if you want to have some info from Brazil or if you wanna check the Cannabis Culture i can help you out here ….
So Peace out .. take care..
And good buds…↵ -
I have a perscrition and am traveling to Costa Rica in march. Can I legally bring it into the country? How about if I made cookies? Can dogs smell the thc is them?
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As we all know SB109 passed on Tuesday setting regulations for younger patients and doctors. Thursday in the state capital our senate committee will take public comment so please get out and exercise your free speech if you can on Thursday.
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You forgot Hungary (same rules as CZ).
Also, Lebanon; it’s illegal but very very available.
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yeah ur rite about india
im n indian and i smoke pot all d time↵ -
You’ve acknowledged that half (or more) of the information here is bullshit, so why don’t either fix it up or cross out the facts you have wrong?
Nothing wrong with giving your impression of how relaxed a place may be, but if you’re talking about laws that could get you thrown into jail, you should be more precise. 50g in Australia? What rubbish.
Please fix up the main post so that people who don’t bother reading comments don’t get in trouble.
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the author did a half ass job at best. Portugal is the most pot friendly country on earth and he didn’t even say anything about it. check out these links.
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1893946,00.html
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/03/14/portugal/
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Czech Republic update: they have governmentally funded cannabis fields in the country, no one cares if you smoke in the park – rural or otherwise – even Letna Park in Prague. Generally they’re pretty lax about it
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I’m from Denmark, and Christiana have not been bulldozed! I don’t know where you get your facts from, but clearly you have to make a recheck. Just saying.
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hey is it really illegal in ecuador ? how strict are they abt it ? im going for 2 months and i better be able to get some there
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