Marijuana is a dried, crumbled mixture of marijuana plant pieces that might be green, brown, or gray. Chemicals in the plant influence your brain and can alter your mood or level of consciousness.
Legalizing marijuana has remained a contentious topic. Unless an agreement is established on the herb’s economic, health, and social advantages, the debate seems to continue for the foreseeable future.
Although marijuana is illegal in most countries, let us find the places where it has been decriminalized. Here are the ten countries where marijuana is not illegal. In these places, the drug is allowed due to its possible health benefits, crime reduction, or economic advantages:
1. Canada
Recreational and medicinal marijuana use is permitted everywhere in Canada. Marijuana became legal for adult use in all provinces and territories in Canada on October 17, 2018. The government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau aimed to accomplish several things with the Cannabis Act.
One of the goals of marijuana legalization in Canada is to lower youth accessibility to the drug and the criminal activity associated with its distribution. It also aims to take revenues away from criminals while safeguarding public health.
The new legal framework is consistent with the idea that cannabis users are sensible and capable of making wise choices. Most users may efficiently avoid difficulties associated with marijuana usage by using judgment and moderation.
2. Colombia
Colombian law prohibits the selling of marijuana for profit. However, specific medicinal applications are allowed, and home production and use are not criminal crimes. The Colombian government legalized personal marijuana use and possession of up to 20 grams in 2012. In 2015, the government took this legalization a step further by also legalizing the private production of up to 20 cannabis plants. Marijuana and its byproducts can now be farmed, manufactured, imported, or exported for medicinal and scientific purposes in Colombia.
Although it is illegal to use marijuana recreationally, it is straightforward to obtain when visiting or traveling to Colombia. Tourists are permitted to possess up to 20 grams. The police can confiscate marijuana, but there are no legal consequences for amounts of 20 grams or less.
3. Costa Rica
It is technically against the law to use marijuana in Costa Rica, but using it for personal use is not explicitly illegal. Medical marijuana has been authorized there as of March 2022. Costa Rica’s Congress has approved a measure legalizing medicinal marijuana usage and permitting its industrial growth. However, marijuana sales are subject to criminal sanctions.
Narcotics Law No. 8204 states that it is unlawful to transport marijuana in quantities more significant than a moderate amount and to sell marijuana on a large scale. The government emphasized that the new law will improve the health of people who use marijuana to alleviate the symptoms of their diseases and promote economic growth in rural areas where marijuana will be grown.
4. Netherlands
In the Netherlands, marijuana is prohibited but not punished if used for personal purposes, according to the Opium Act of 1976.
The substance is accessible at coffee shops and is authorized for recreational use. Marijuana and other soft drugs are allowed for personal recreational use and even medical help. The use of such products of hard drugs is not accepted, including cocaine and heroin.
By Dutch law enforcement, it is only tolerated. Marijuana use has been practically legal since the 1970s, even though the laws against it are rarely enforced. The government can only push tolerance for soft substances so far. In the case of hash bars or coffee shops, they must adhere to a few basic rules. Marketing, selling hard drugs to minors, sales of more than five grams per transaction, sales of alcohol, and proximity to schools are prohibited on the Dutch border.
Instead of treating marijuana like heavier drugs, the Dutch authorities opted to categorize it as something more like alcohol or cigarettes.
5. Spain
For personal production, use, and other non-sale or non-trade uses, marijuana is legal in Spain.
Spain has a complicated marijuana legal system. Marijuana cultivation and smoking for personal use are both permitted, but it is against the law to sell or distribute weed. Marijuana smoking is likewise prohibited in public areas, but there are cannabis clubs where members can do so.
It is prohibited for business or commercial objectives. Cannabis clubs are an excellent strategy for enthusiasts to purchase and use marijuana as a technically-legal private collective by taking advantage of the legal uncertainties in Spanish law. In remote places, consuming and possessing small amounts up to 100 grams or 3.5 oz is legal.
It is illegal to grow marijuana for research, medicinal, or scientific reasons unless the Spanish Agency has approved it for Medicines and Medical Devices. Also, it is unlawful to produce, import, or sell marijuana for recreational use. Despite this, case law indicates that marijuana possession for personal use is not illegal in Spain. It is unlawful to plant for commercial gain or in plain view.
6. Uruguay
In 2013, Uruguay was the first country to legalize marijuana. Uruguay decriminalized drug possession in 1974, but it was debatable whether the nation should aim to legalize it entirely.
Buyers must register with the government; the weekly purchase limit is 10 grams, and most of the time, people may only purchase the drug through Uruguayan clinics. As a consequence, Uruguay’s government strictly regulates both distribution and use. Aside from the 12 state clinics that already sell marijuana there, just two private companies are scheduled initially to enter into agreements with the Uruguay government and provide it with marijuana. Simbiosys and the International Cannabis Corporation are these companies (ICC).
The Institute for the Regulation and Control of Marijuana manages the marijuana sector and monitors the drug’s active ingredients’ efficacy.
There has been a considerable decrease in overall drug trafficking due to Uruguay’s decision to legalize marijuana. Many people abandoned illegal consumption in favor of legal use. Because drug abuse and poverty may sometimes go hand in hand, Uruguay’s decision to legalize marijuana may have helped poor people leave behind unhealthy lifestyles.
7. Jamaica
Marijuana was prohibited in Jamaica before 2015 when lawmakers enacted a change to the Dangerous Drugs Act that decriminalized the possession of up to 56.6 grams of marijuana for personal use.
Marijuana consumption for religious and therapeutic purposes is now permitted in Jamaica. The Jamaican Ministry of Health issues medical marijuana dispensaries, growers, and manufacturing/processing licenses. The amendment authorizes usage for therapeutic, research, and medical purposes.
As the first country to officially allow marijuana for religious use, Jamaicans who follow the Rastafarian religion are permitted to consume the drug for sacramental rituals. For personal use, Jamaicans are allowed to grow up to five plants.
Public marijuana smoking is illegal and penalized. Marijuana smoking is permitted in private residences and licensed establishments.
Jamaica enables anyone over 18 to contact a licensed doctor to get a referral for medicinal marijuana. This law covers visitors and patients who have obtained a medicinal marijuana license from internal and external sources.
8. South Africa
Marijuana use by adults in private has been legalized in South Africa by the country’s Constitutional Court. However, there are still laws against using it elsewhere and prohibiting buying and selling the drug.
The Medicines Act governs the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Following the constitutional judge’s order in Minister of Justice v. Prince, cannabis usage for recreational purposes became legal in 2018. A South African court also determined that adults may consume, possess, and grow marijuana privately for their purposes.
In August 2020, the government passed the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill in Congress. Following the receipt of public comments, the National Assembly is continuing to debate the Bill at this time. The Bill aims to include suitable provisions in the relevant laws to ensure clarity regarding, among other things, what is defined in private usage and the amount that qualifies.
9. Ecuador
Possessing up to 10 grams of marijuana in Ecuador is legal. Selling marijuana is prohibited. Article 364 of Ecuador’s 2008 Constitution states that the country does not consider drug use a crime, merely a medical problem. In September 2019, Ecuador’s National Assembly authorized cannabis for medicinal use.
In Ecuador, it is illegal to produce and distribute cannabis, but the law is frequently more forgiving when it comes to personal use. Despite this, people can smoke in certain parts of the country’s streets without fear of being caught. They are permitted to smoke one or two marijuana cigarettes because they are unlikely to be arrested.
10. Czech Republic
Although it is illegal to consume marijuana recreationally in the Czech Republic, it has been allowed to possess it for personal use since January 2010 and medicinal use since April 2013. Laws passed in 2010 designated the production of up to five plants or possession of up to 10 grams of dry marijuana for personal use as civil crimes.
The Czech Chamber of Deputies approved a measure on December 7, 2012, authorizing marijuana to be legally sold as a medication with a prescription in pharmacies. Tourists and dealers must import marijuana with a Ministry of Health import authorization. A three-month maximum is the duration of the permission. Marijuana is not legal for recreational use in the Czech Republic. Hence, each import requires a separate authorization.
Frequently asked questions
1. Which countries legalize weed?
The countries that have legalized weed include Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Netherlands, Spain, Uruguay, Jamaica, South Africa, Ecuador, and the Czech Republic.
2. What are marijuana plants?
Marijuana plants, scientifically called cannabis, are dried to become consumed as drugs. It can bring relaxation, calmness, and increased senses. However, it also causes delayed coordination, anxiety, and paranoia.
3. Why is marijuana illegal in most countries?
One of the reasons why marijuana is illegal in most countries is the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. In this international agreement signed in 1961, states must strictly ban marijuana. Therefore, governments can decriminalize the drug but not legalize or endorse it.
References
Condé Nest Traveller. (2022, June 14). These are the countries where marijuana is legal. Retrieved from https://www.cntraveller.in/story/these-are-the-countries-where-marijuana-is-legal/
Medrano, Kastalia. (2022, February 18). The best countries around the world to smoke weed. Retrieved from https://www.thrillist.com/vice/30-places-where-weed-is-legal-cities-and-countries-with-decriminalized-marijuana
Pal, S. (2021, January 6). 10 countries where weed is legal, and you can freely light up a joint. Retrieved from https://curlytales.com/countries-where-weed-is-legal-you-can-freely-light-up-a-joint/