Present Day Legal Areas For Cannabis Consumption

At the time of writing, the current list of countries where cannabis is legal for recreational use, legal for medical use, and ‘grey areas‘ (including locations where cannabis has been decriminalised, where there is doubt about the legalities of cannabis, where special circumstances are in-place, and/ or where law enforcement is not widely enforced) are as follows:

Areas Where Cannabis Is Legal For Recreational Use:

Canada
Georgia (Legal for possession and consumption but not for sale, per a July 2018 ruling by the Constitutional Court of Georgia)
South Africa (Legal for possession and cultivation but not for sale.)
Uraguay (Legal, but buying prohibited for foreigners. Cultivation allowed up to six plants.)

Areas Where Cannabis Is Legal For Medical Use:

Argentina
Australia (Legal at federal level and in all states.[16] Qualifying conditions and other details vary by state.)
Bremuda
Canada
Colombia
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark (4-year pilot program beginning in January 2018)
Finland (Legal under licence)
Georgia (Use is legal, but no system for the dispensing of cannabis exists.)
Germany
Greece
Ireland (Legal as part of 5-year pilot program enacted in June 2019)
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
New Zealand
North Macedonia
Norway
Peru
Poland
Portugal
San Marino
South Africa (Use is legal, but no system for the dispensing of medicinal cannabis exists.)
Sri Lanka (Legalized by amendment made in colonial law by 1980s and through the Ayurveda Act.)
Switzerland
Thailand
United Kingdom (Legal for cases of severe epilepsy, vomiting or nausea caused by chemotherapy, or multiple sclerosis when prescribed by a registered specialist doctor.)
Uruguay (Legal for all uses.)
Vanuatu
Zimbabwe

Grey Areas For Recreational Cannabis Use:

Antigua and Barbuda (Decriminalized)
Argentina (Decriminalized)
Australia (Decriminalized for personal use in the Northern Territory, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory)
Austria (Possession for personal use decriminalized as of January 2016.)
Bangladesh (Illegal but often unenforced)
Belgium (Decriminalized up to 3 g or cultivation of one plant)
Belize (Decriminalized up to 10g),
Bermuda (Decriminalized up to 7g)
Bolivia (Decriminalized up to 50g)
Brazil (Illegal (educational measures for small amounts and private use))
Cambodia (Illegal but often unenforced)
Chile (Decriminalized for possession and cultivation)
Colombia (Decriminalized up to 22 g or cultivation of 20 plants for personal use)
Costa Rica (Decriminalized)
Croatia (Decriminalized)
Czech Republic (Decriminalized up to 10g or cultivation of 5 plants)
Ecuador (Decriminalized up to 10g), Egypt (Illegal but often unenforced) Estonia (Decriminalized)
Finland (Illegal but sometimes not enforced)
Germany (Illegal, but occasionally tolerated. Under federal law, prosecution is optional for possession of “small amounts”.)
India (Illegal, but exception is made for the use of bhang, Iran (Illegal, but not strictly enforced).
Israel (Decriminalized)
Italy (Decriminalized; allowed for religious usage, legal below 0.6% THC)
Jamaica (Decriminalized up to 2 oz or cultivation of 5 plants. Legal for Rastafari.)
Laos (Illegal but often unenforced)
Lesotho (Illegal but tolerated)
Luxembourg (Decriminalized)
Malta (Decriminalized up to 3.5g)
Mexico (De facto legal for personal use, regarding both possession and cultivation.)
Moldova (Decriminalized)
Morocco (Illegal but often unenforced)
Nepal (Illegal (legal during Maha Shivaratri))
Netherlands (Illegal – but use and sale is tolerated in licensed coffee-shops. Possession of up to 5g is decriminalized. Cultivation of up to 5 plants is unenforced for non-commercial use (unless grown in a professional setup).)
Pakistan (Illegal, but often unenforced (particularly in some tribal regions))
Paraguay (Decriminalized up to 10g)
Peru (Decriminalized)
Poland (Illegal, but sometimes not enforced for small amounts, legal below 0.2% THC)
Portugal (Decriminalized up to 25 g of herb or 5 g of hashish)
Slovenia (Decriminalized)
Spain (Use and possession in private areas allowed. Public consumption can result in a fine from 601 to 30000 €. Cultivation for personal use allowed in private areas including Cannabis Social Clubs.)
Switzerland (Decriminalized), Thailand (Illegal but often unenforced)
United States (Legalized in 11 states, 2 territories, and the District of Columbia – but illegal at federal level. Decriminalized in another 15 states and 1 territory.)
Vietnam (Illegal but often unenforced)

Grey Areas For Medical Cannabis Use:

Austria (Cannabis-derived drugs)
Belgium (Cannabis-derived drugs)
Brazil (Sativex)
Estonia (With special permit)
France (Some cannabis-derived drugs)
South Korea (Legal, but access limited to Epidiolex, Marinol and Sativex as of now due to the policy implemented by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety)
Mexico (Legal for medical use, THC content below 1%)
Philippines (Illegal but may be allowed with special permit)
Romania (Cannabis-derived drugs less than 0.2% THC can be prescribed)
Slovenia (Cannabis-based drugs)
Spain (Limited cannabis-derived pharmaceuticals)
Turkey (Cannabis-derived pharmaceuticals)
United States (Legalized in 33 states, 4 territories, and the District of Columbia – but illegal at federal level)