--- title: "Legal Status by Country - Cannabis Laws Guide | Madrid CSC" description: "Cannabis legal status by country — ✅ an educational overview of worldwide laws, from fully legal and decriminalized to strictly prohibited, explained…" canonical: https://madrid-socialclubs.com/safety/legal-status language: en robots: index, follow og_type: website type: legal-status language_alternates: en: https://madrid-socialclubs.com/safety/legal-status.md cs: https://madrid-socialclubs.com/cs/bezpecnost/pravni-status.md de: https://madrid-socialclubs.com/de/sicherheit/rechtsstatus.md es: https://madrid-socialclubs.com/es/seguridad/estado-legal.md fr: https://madrid-socialclubs.com/fr/securite/statut-legal.md hu: https://madrid-socialclubs.com/hu/biztonsag/jogi-allapot.md it: https://madrid-socialclubs.com/it/sicurezza/stato-legale.md nl: https://madrid-socialclubs.com/nl/veiligheid/juridische-status.md pl: https://madrid-socialclubs.com/pl/bezpieczenstwo/status-prawny.md pt: https://madrid-socialclubs.com/pt/seguranca/status-legal.md ru: https://madrid-socialclubs.com/ru/безопасность/правовой-статус.md tr: https://madrid-socialclubs.com/tr/guvenlik/yasal-durum.md zh: https://madrid-socialclubs.com/zh/安全/法律状态.md ja: https://madrid-socialclubs.com/ja/安全/法的地位.md ar: https://madrid-socialclubs.com/ar/السلامة/الوضع-القانوني.md ko: https://madrid-socialclubs.com/ko/안전/법적-지위.md pt-br: https://madrid-socialclubs.com/pt-br/seguranca/status-legal.md hi: https://madrid-socialclubs.com/hi/सुरक्षा/कानूनी-स्थिति.md content_hash: sha256:1f254ea9011e40d651d45c8d599e3bd48b85b6fcf882cb254a2bb1ade99dee87 generated: 2026-08-08 --- > **Machine-readable Markdown rendering.** This is a Markdown representation of a web page, > served for AI agents and crawlers as a token-efficient alternative to the full HTML. > Full interactive HTML version: https://madrid-socialclubs.com/safety/legal-status > Canonical URL: https://madrid-socialclubs.com/safety/legal-status > Available languages: en, cs, de, es, fr, hu, it, nl, pl, pt, ru, tr, zh, ja, ar, ko, pt-br, hi > Change detection: `content_hash` is the SHA-256 of this document's Markdown body — everything > below this block, whitespace-trimmed, excluding the front-matter. Compare it to detect a real > content change; `generated` moves on every render and is not a change signal. Legal Information # Legal Status Cannabis laws vary by country Legal information is provided for educational purposes only. Laws change frequently — verify current status with local authorities. ## Legal ### Germany Legal 2024 Legal for adults 18+ with regulated cultivation and possession limits under KCanG ### Canada Legal 2018 Fully legal for adults with regulated sales through licensed retailers ### Malta Legal 2021 Adults 18+: 7 g in public, 50 g and 4 plants at home; non-profit associations supply members, licensed by ARUC [Official source](https://aruc.mt/ "Official source") ### Uruguay Legal 2013 Legal for registered citizens and residents 18+ via pharmacies, home growing or clubs; not open to tourists (Ley 19.172) ## Partially legal ### Spain Partially legal Private consumption allowed; social clubs operate in legal grey area ### Netherlands Partially legal 1976 Tolerated in licensed coffeeshops under gedoogbeleid policy ### United States Partially legal 2012 Legal in many states; remains federally prohibited ### Switzerland Partially legal 2012 Decriminalized small amounts; pilot projects for regulated sales ### Czech Republic Partially legal 2026 Adults 21+ may grow up to 3 plants and hold 100 g at home; no retail sale or clubs [Official source](https://www.zakonyprolidi.cz/cs/2025-270 "Official source") ### Luxembourg Partially legal 2023 Adults 18+ may grow 4 plants per household and consume at home; up to 3 g in public is a fine, not a crime [Official source](https://police.public.lu/en/actualites/2023/07/semaine-30/dispositions-cannabis-en.html "Official source") ### Thailand Partially legal 2026 Prescription-only: cannabis flower requires a valid ภ.ท. 33 prescription, minimum age 20 ### South Africa Partially legal 2018 Adults may use, possess and grow in private; selling stays criminal and there is no legal retail source [Official source](https://www.gov.za/documents/acts/cannabis-private-purposes-act-7-2024-english-sepedi-03-jun-2024 "Official source") ### Australia (ACT only) Partially legal 2020 In the Australian Capital Territory adults 18+ may hold 50 g and grow 2 plants; sale is a crime, and it stays illegal in every other state [Official source](https://www.legislation.act.gov.au/a/2019-34/ "Official source") ### Georgia Partially legal 2018 Consumption is not punishable after the 2018 Constitutional Court ruling, but growing and selling remain crimes — there is no legal way to obtain it ### Mexico Partially legal 2021 Prohibition struck down in 2021, but use requires an individual permit; there is still no legal commercial market [Official source](https://www.scjn.gob.mx/derechos-humanos/sites/default/files/sentencias-emblematicas/summary/2022-07/Summary%20DGI1-2018%20HRO.pdf "Official source") ## Decriminalized ### Portugal Decriminalized 2001 Personal use decriminalized; focus on treatment over punishment ### Italy Decriminalized 2013 Personal use subject to administrative sanctions, not criminal ### Belgium Decriminalized 2003 Small amounts for personal use tolerated; no prosecution policy ### Austria Decriminalized Small quantities may result in therapy instead of prosecution ### Poland Decriminalized 2017 Small amounts may not be prosecuted at prosecutors discretion ### Croatia Decriminalized 2013 Personal possession is a fine rather than a crime; cannabis medicines need a prescription, home growing stays banned and there is no legal retail ## Illegal ### France Illegal Illegal for all purposes; possession subject to fines ### Morocco Illegal 2021 Cultivation is licensed only for the medical and industrial supply chain; recreational use stays criminal and there is no legal way to buy any [Official source](https://www.anrac.gov.ma/fr/loi1321/ "Official source") ### Denmark Illegal 2026 Prescription-only medical cannabis under a scheme made permanent in 2026; recreational use and sale remain criminal [Official source](https://laegemiddelstyrelsen.dk/da/special/medicinsk-cannabis/ordningen-med-medicinsk-cannabis/ "Official source") ### Ireland Illegal 2021 Illegal apart from a narrow consultant-prescribed medical programme; possession is an offence and there is no legal retail source [Official source](https://www.garda.ie/en/crime/drugs/is-cannabis-legal-.html "Official source") ### Greece Illegal 2018 Medical products only, dispensed by pharmacies on prescription (Law 4523/2018); recreational use remains an offence with no legal retail ### United Kingdom Illegal 2018 Class B controlled substance; medicinal cannabis legal since 2018 ### Brazil Illegal Illegal; Supreme Court distinguished personal use from trafficking ### Japan Illegal 2023 Strictly prohibited; recent law changes increased penalties ### South Korea Illegal 2018 Strictly prohibited; penalties apply even for use abroad ### Turkey Illegal Prohibited; severe penalties for possession and distribution ### Hungary Illegal 2025 Classified as narcotic; stricter enforcement measures Information compiled from government sources and legal databases, 2026. This information is for educational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. Always consult local authorities for current regulations. Updated Aug 6, 2026