Here’s a look at the legal status of cannabis around the world based on 4 main parameters: Possession, Cultivation, Sale and Transport. The maps were created on CartoDB. The data was compiled from Wikipedia and scraped using Kimono Labs.
Cannabis Legality by Possession
The map above is quite self-explanatory. Clicking on the coloured areas will reveal the possession status of that country. Shades of red, moving towards orange imply illegal possession to being illegal (decriminalised) in some countries and also denote the possession quantity. Shades of green indicate legal possession or possibly legal. Netherlands is an exception since large quantities of upto 500gms are allowed in shops.
Depending upon where you are in the world, you may be subject to laws that impose restrictions on how much cannabis you can or cannot possess, whether for personal use or if you’re operating commercially. (Also Read:Where in the world can you legally smoke cannabis?)
As far as UK is concerned, possession of cannabis is illegal attracting a maximum penalty of upto 5 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both. According to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, Cannabis is classified as a Class B drug alongside others – barbiturates, ketamine, codeine, amphetamine and all cathinone derivatives. It is also a Schedule 1 drug, which implies that it is not authorised for medical use and possession and supply are allowed only in exceptional circumstances with prior approval from the Home Office.
If found in possession of cannabis, the police can issue a warning or an on-the-spot fine of £90.
Cannabis Legality by Cultivation
This map for Cultivation follows a similar colour legend. While red depicts illegal sale status, there are more shades of green indicative of illegal sale but decriminalised. The colour green has more variety since sale quantities vary across countries. For instance, in Ukraine cultivation of up to 10 plants is decriminalised, in Canada small amount of plants are tolerated and in the U.S., though it still remains illegal at the Federal level, medicinal growing is legal in several states and commercial growing is legal in Washington state.
Earlier in July this year, the Durham and Derbyshire police publicly acknowledged that they won’t be targeting small scale cannabis growers and prioritise more serious crime instead. Durham’s Police and Crime commissioner, Ron Hogg told The Guardian that “the move was an effort to cut costs and keep users out of the criminal justice system, while focusing scarce resources on gangs and organised crime.”
Cannabis Legality by Sale
Red is dominant in this map for legality status by sale and it’s quite evident that selling cannabis still remains illegal in most parts of the world. Exceptions include Uruguay, which is the first country legalise marijuana trade; the Netherlands, where it’s legal to sell marijuana in coffee shops; India where it’s tolerated in some states (although it is still illegal to sell cannabis anywhere) and North Korea. The status here isn’t very clear and could possibly be legal.
In the UK, the laws for sale are very clear. Supply and production of Class B drugs, which includes cannabis attracts a more severe penalty. Sharing drugs is also considered as supplying. One can be jailed for up to 14 years in prison, attract an unlimited fine or both.
Decriminalisation. Regulation. Legalisation. These are the words that are currently resonating the sentiments of many patients who have given up on prescription drugs and are now relying on medical cannabis. Patients across the world, suffering from a wide range of diseases and medical conditions are now turning to this plant, as what they believe is life altering and in some cases, life saving.
Countries like Spain and Israel have decriminalised cannabis and are now conducting research on the plant by isolating its compounds and to understand their effects on the human body. 23 States and the District of Columbia in the U.S. have legalised the drug for medicinal use, though at the federal level it still remains illegal. In countries like Jamaica, Peru and Columbia possession of up to a certain quantity for personal use is tolerated. The quantity of possession differs depending on the country’s laws. (The map below shows the legality status of cannabis across the world based on possession. Click Here to view more maps).
Other U.S. States are now following suit and recognising the need for medical patients to access the plant to treat not just chronic pains and spasms, but also make it accessible to cancer patients. Recent mediareports highlighted that The National Cancer Institute of the US Department of Health admitted that cannabis can kill cancer cells.
Even though it is debatable whether or not children should be given the drug, a breakthrough has been achieved in the U.S. state of Colorado in that regard. Charlotte Figi became a well-known case from the state. She suffers from Dravet’s Syndrome that brings on seizures multiple times a day. 8-year old Charlotte (then 5-Years old) was seizing 300 times a week. Her parents finally decided to get a cannabis prescription from their doctors and started giving her drops of cannabis oil in her food. Charlotte was recovering unexpectedly.
The Stanley Brothers from Denver, Colorado now grow a strain called Charlotte’s Web, which is given to many children in the state with similar conditions. CNN covered Charlotte’s story in a documentary called Weed, which tries to explore the benefits and the harms associated with cannabis.
Whether or not the drug should be given to children remains highly debatable, especially due to the effects it can have owing to prolonged use. Closer to home, here in the UK, campaigners are fighting to legalise medical cannabis for many patients who have resorted to the drug as an alternate form of medicine.
The United Patients Alliance is one such group formed of patients, by patients and for patients. Jonathan Liebling, Political Director of the UPA advocates medicinal use, even for children. He strongly feels:
Many argue that while other countries across the world are considering decriminalisation and legalising the drug for medicinal use, the UK is still far behind. People have now urged MPs to debate cannabis legalisation in Parliament on October 12, 2015, which will be led by left-wing Labour MP Paul Flynn. This comes after a UK petition started by James Richard Owen, an economics student at Aberystwyth University, received over 200,000 signatures at the time of writing.
The petition which, urged the government to “make the production, sale and use of cannabis legal” received a damning response from the government. Part of the response read:
A more recent petition doing the rounds comes from Jacob Lawrence Barrow. It “demands the British Government to Reschedule Cannabis” and decriminalise the drug for medicinal use. At 10,000 signatures, petitions will receive an official response from the government. Those that receive over 100,000 signatures are liable to be debated in Parliament. This one currently stands at over 3,200 signatures..
Prof. John Middleton has spent his professional career in public health. He outlines key points on cannabis legalisation from a public health perspective. He states that studies on cannabis suggest the drug does have negative effects. He also points out that multiple clinical studies are being undertaken to fully understand the effects of the drug. Prof. Middleton argues that decriminalisation would be a fairer approach for cannabis users.
Recreational Vs. Medicinal Use Of Cannabis
Prof. Middleton points out that public health experts are more likely to favour regulation over decriminalisation. However, for medicinal use, more studies need to be conducted to determine its full effects, especially in comparison with placebos.
Cannabis Harms
Prof. Middleton highlights that “heavy and regular use” can lead to mental disorders and can aggravate symptoms for those with respiratory problems or women who are pregnant. However, he counter argues that effects from addiction to tobacco or alcohol, for instance, would be no different . He advises caution over making it accessible to everyone as a “free for all” and hence the regulation debate.