Prohibition is ending

The world, country by country

National-level milestones only: medical programs, decriminalization, adult-use legalization, and the occasional reversal. Sub-national changes (like individual U.S. states) live on the map above. Not every country appears; this is the reform story, not a full legal atlas.

• Medical legalization
• Decriminalization
• Adult-use legalization
• Reversal / tightening

1. 1999 Medical legalization

   🇮🇱Israel

   Launched a national medical cannabis program, now one of the world’s largest. source

2. 2001 Decriminalization

   🇵🇹Portugal

   Decriminalized personal possession of all drugs, including cannabis. source

3. 2003 Medical legalization

   🇳🇱Netherlands

   Began pharmacy-dispensed prescription cannabis. Recreational use stays tolerated, not legalized. source

4. 2003 Decriminalization

   🇧🇪Belgium

   Made adult possession of up to 3 grams the lowest law-enforcement priority. source

5. 2007 Medical legalization

   🇮🇹Italy

   Recognized therapeutic cannabis; a 2013 decree added it to the national medicines table. source

6. 2008 Medical legalization

   🇦🇹Austria

   Authorized cannabis cultivation for medical and scientific use (cannabinoid medicines, not flower). source

7. 2008 Medical legalization

   🇫🇮Finland

   Permitted medicinal cannabis by case-by-case special permit after other therapies fail. source

8. 2010 Decriminalization

   🇨🇿Czechia

   Decriminalized personal possession and small-scale cultivation. source

9. 2013 Adult-use legalization

   🇺🇾Uruguay

   First country in the modern world to legalize adult use (pharmacy sales began 2017). source

10. 2015 Medical legalization

    🇨🇱Chile

    Authorized pharmacy sale of registered cannabis medicines; personal use stays decriminalized. source

11. 2015 Medical legalization

    🇭🇷Croatia

    Legalized cannabis-based medicines, the first Balkan country to do so. source

12. 2015 Decriminalization

    🇪🇸Spain

    Private use and cultivation are non-criminal; public possession is an administrative fine. source

13. 2015 Decriminalization

    🇯🇲Jamaica

    Decriminalized up to 2 ounces, allowed five home plants, and recognized Rastafari sacramental use. source

14. 2016 Medical legalization

    🇦🇺Australia

    Legalized medical cannabis under a national licensing scheme. source

15. 2016 Medical legalization

    🇲🇰North Macedonia

    Legalized medical cannabis through amendments to its narcotics law. source

16. 2016 Medical legalization

    🇸🇲San Marino

    Approved medical cannabis, providing cannabis-based medicine to patients free of charge. source

17. 2016 Medical legalization

    🇨🇴Colombia

    Law 1787 created a national framework for medical and scientific cannabis use. source

18. 2017 Medical legalization

    🇩🇪Germany

    Legalized prescription medical cannabis in pharmacies. source

19. 2017 Medical legalization

    🇵🇱Poland

    Allowed herbal cannabis to be compounded into prescription preparations by pharmacies. source

20. 2017 Medical legalization

    🇬🇷Greece

    Rescheduled cannabis for prescription use, then authorized domestic cultivation in 2018. source

21. 2017 Medical legalization

    🇦🇷Argentina

    Law 27.350 legalized medical use; a 2020 registry lets patients self-cultivate. source

22. 2017 Medical legalization

    🇵🇪Peru

    Law 30681 legalized medical use and production; a 2021 amendment added patient self-cultivation. source

23. 2017 Medical legalization

    🇵🇾Paraguay

    Created a national program for medical cannabis and authorized controlled cultivation. source

24. 2017 Decriminalization

    🇧🇿Belize

    Decriminalized possession of 10 grams or less and use on private premises. source

25. 2017 Medical legalization

    🇱🇸Lesotho

    First African country to license cannabis cultivation for medical and scientific use. source

26. 2017 Medical legalization

    🇱🇰Sri Lanka

    Permitted state-controlled cultivation to supply cannabis for licensed Ayurvedic medicine. source

27. 2018 Adult-use legalization

    🇨🇦Canada

    First G7 nation to legalize adult use nationwide. source

28. 2018 Adult-use legalization

    🇿🇦South Africa

    Constitutional Court legalized private adult use (statute followed in 2024). source

29. 2018 Medical legalization

    🇬🇧United Kingdom

    Let specialist doctors prescribe cannabis-based medicines, after high-profile epilepsy cases. source

30. 2018 Medical legalization

    🇩🇰Denmark

    Launched a medical cannabis pilot letting doctors prescribe whole-plant products. source

31. 2018 Decriminalization

    🇬🇪Georgia (country)

    Constitutional Court ruled that punishing personal cannabis consumption was unconstitutional. source

32. 2018 Medical legalization

    🇰🇷South Korea

    Amended its narcotics law to permit tightly restricted medical cannabis, a first in East Asia. source

33. 2018 Medical legalization

    🇿🇼Zimbabwe

    Legalized cannabis cultivation for medicinal and scientific use. source

34. 2018 Medical legalization

    🇻🇨St. Vincent & the Grenadines

    Passed the Medicinal Cannabis Industry Act, building a licensed medical sector. source

35. 2018 Decriminalization

    🇦🇬Antigua & Barbuda

    Decriminalized up to 15 grams and let households grow a few plants. source

36. 2019 Medical legalization

    🇨🇾Cyprus

    Legalized medical cannabis cultivation, import, export, and prescription. source

37. 2019 Medical legalization

    🇮🇪Ireland

    Created a five-year medical cannabis access program. source

38. 2019 Decriminalization

    🇮🇱Israel

    Decriminalized personal cannabis use, replacing criminal penalties with fines. source

39. 2019 Medical legalization

    🇪🇨Ecuador

    Voted to legalize medical cannabis and later regulated low-THC products. source

40. 2019 Medical legalization

    🇧🇧Barbados

    Established a licensed medical cannabis industry, including sacramental use. source

41. 2019 Medical legalization

    🇿🇲Zambia

    Approved cannabis cultivation for medicinal and export purposes. source

42. 2020 Medical legalization

    🇳🇿New Zealand

    Its Medicinal Cannabis Scheme took effect; a 2020 recreational referendum narrowly failed. source

43. 2020 Medical legalization

    🇲🇼Malawi

    Legalized cannabis cultivation for medicinal and industrial use. source

44. 2020 Medical legalization

    🇱🇧Lebanon

    First Arab country to legalize cannabis cultivation for medical and industrial use. source

45. 2021 Adult-use legalization

    🇲🇽Mexico

    Supreme Court declared recreational prohibition unconstitutional (commercial framework still pending). source

46. 2021 Adult-use legalization

    🇲🇹Malta

    First EU country to legalize personal adult use. source

47. 2021 Medical legalization

    🇲🇦Morocco

    Passed Law 13-21, legalizing cannabis cultivation and production for medical, cosmetic, and industrial use in three northern Rif provinces (Al Hoceima, Chefchaouen, Taounate); recreational use stays illegal. The first legal harvest came in 2023. source

48. 2021 Medical legalization

    🇫🇷France

    Launched a national medical cannabis trial for enrolled patients. source

49. 2021 Medical legalization

    🇷🇼Rwanda

    Permitted licensed cultivation and processing of cannabis for medical export. source

50. 2021 Medical legalization

    🇵🇦Panama

    Law 242 legalized the medicinal and therapeutic use of cannabis. source

51. 2021 Medical legalization

    🇻🇺Vanuatu

    Established a licensed medical cannabis and industrial hemp framework. source

52. 2022 Decriminalization

    🇹🇭Thailand

    First Asian country to decriminalize cannabis. source

53. 2022 Medical legalization

    🇨🇷Costa Rica

    Legalized cannabis for medicinal use and authorized hemp production. source

54. 2023 Adult-use legalization

    🇱🇺Luxembourg

    Legalized home cultivation and private adult use. source

55. 2023 Adult-use legalization

    🇨🇭Switzerland

    Launched regulated adult-use pilot trials in major cities. source

56. 2023 Medical legalization

    🇬🇭Ghana

    Authorized licensed cultivation of low-THC cannabis (no more than 0.3%). source

57. 2023 Reversal / tightening

    🇪🇨Ecuador

    Removed its 10-gram possession tolerance, re-criminalizing small amounts. source

58. 2024 Adult-use legalization

    🇩🇪Germany

    Legalized adult use, becoming the largest EU economy to do so. source

59. 2024 Medical legalization

    🇺🇦Ukraine

    Legalized medical cannabis, including for PTSD and chronic pain. source

60. 2024 Decriminalization

    🇧🇷Brazil

    Supreme Court ruled personal possession of up to 40 grams is not a crime. source

61. 2024 Medical legalization

    🇯🇵Japan

    Amended its Cannabis Control Act to permit cannabis-derived medicines. source

62. 2025 Reversal / tightening

    🇹🇭Thailand

    Reversed course: recreational sales banned, cannabis restricted to medical prescription. source

63. 2026 Medical legalization

    🇺🇸United States

    Partial federal rescheduling under way. FDA-approved and state-licensed medical cannabis moved to Schedule III. source

None of this happened on its own. See the organizations moving reform forward, and the two-minute way to add your voice.