Cannabis is illegal in Mayotte. As a French overseas department and EU outermost region in the Mozambique Channel, Mayotte applies metropolitan French cannabis law: the 2020 amende forfaitaire framework with €200 on-the-spot fines for personal possession under 50 grams, escalating to €3,750 and 1 year for refused or repeat offenses, and up to €150,000 and 10 years for trafficking.
Local context matters: cannabis use is associated regionally with imported product from Comoros and East Africa, and customs at Dzaoudzi-Pamandzi International Airport applies the full Public Health Code framework to anything brought into the territory.
Is Cannabis Legal in Mayotte?
No. Recreational cannabis is illegal under French national law, which applies fully to Mayotte as a French overseas department. According to the 2026 France cannabis law overview, personal-use enforcement runs through the amende forfaitaire on-the-spot fine framework rather than full criminal court for first-time small-amount offenses.
Mayotte is part of France and the EU, so EU rules on hemp-derived CBD also apply. For broader regional context, see our guide to where cannabis is legal in Africa. Mayotte sits within East African geographic context but legally remains European.
Medical Cannabis in Mayotte
Medical cannabis access is limited to France’s national pilot program. The pilot covers a narrow set of conditions including refractory neuropathic pain, certain forms of severe epilepsy, palliative care symptoms, painful spasticity in multiple sclerosis or other neurological conditions, and chemotherapy-related side effects. The Minister of Health extended the program through March 31, 2026 to continue clinical and dispensing data collection.
Foreign medical cards are not recognized as a substitute for the French pilot enrollment. Patients in Mayotte access cannabis through hospital pharmacy dispensing channels under the same rules as patients in metropolitan France. Mayotte’s healthcare infrastructure is more limited than the metropolitan or other French overseas departments, which can affect practical access.
Recreational Cannabis in Mayotte
Recreational cannabis is illegal in any amount, but personal-use enforcement runs through the amende forfaitaire system rather than full criminal court. According to Marijuana.net’s France cannabis laws guide, first-time offenders with under 50 grams typically face a €200 fine paid on the spot. Refusing to pay or repeat offenses move the case into criminal prosecution.
Cannabis trafficking through the Mozambique Channel is a chronic regional enforcement issue. Police and gendarmerie focus on supply-tier activity from Comoros and other East African origins. Public consumption, supply, and trafficking remain criminal offenses with the full Public Health Code penalty range.
Cannabis Penalties in Mayotte
The penalty structure mirrors metropolitan France. Personal possession of small amounts under 50 grams is typically resolved with the €200 amende forfaitaire. Refusal to pay or repeat offenses can lead to criminal prosecution with fines up to €3,750 and prison sentences up to 1 year.
Trafficking, supply, and large-quantity offenses can carry up to 10 years in prison and €150,000 in fines under the French Public Health Code. Maritime importation through the Mozambique Channel is the highest-volume enforcement category, with prosecutors charging at the trafficking tier when cannabis is intercepted in transit.
Cannabis Cultivation Laws in Mayotte
Home cultivation is illegal regardless of patient status or quantity. France has not authorized any patient or adult-use cultivation framework, and the medical pilot program runs through hospital pharmacy dispensing only. Patients cannot grow their own supply under any patient-grow exception.
Commercial hemp cultivation is permitted under French and EU rules for industrial fiber and certified low-THC seed varieties. Cannabis cultivation outside the hemp framework remains a Public Health Code offense, with penalties scaled by quantity to the trafficking tier.
CBD Laws in Mayotte
Hemp-derived CBD with less than 0.3 percent THC is legal in Mayotte under French and EU rules. CBD oils, tinctures, cosmetics, and food products that meet the EU threshold are legal to sell, although the local retail market is more limited than in metropolitan France. The federal 2018 U.S. Farm Bill hemp framework is closely aligned with the EU position.
Travelers should keep manufacturer testing certificates with any CBD product they bring in. Smokable hemp flower has had a contested status in France in recent years, with court decisions and ministerial regulations going back and forth. Documentation showing the product’s THC content and EU certification helps at customs.
Cannabis Enforcement and Real-World Risk
Dzaoudzi-Pamandzi International Airport (DZA) and the maritime ports at Mamoudzou and Dzaoudzi are the primary enforcement points. Customs applies French national drug law and EU customs rules to anything brought into the territory.
Travelers connecting through Comoros, Madagascar, or Réunion should not assume cannabis purchased or possessed elsewhere is legal in Mayotte. Comoros applies its own strict drug laws, and the maritime traffic between Mayotte and the Comorian islands is a known enforcement focus. Hotels and short-term rentals are not authorized consumption venues.
Future of Cannabis Laws in Mayotte
Cannabis policy in Mayotte is set in Paris. Reform discussion in the French National Assembly periodically surfaces decriminalization or legalization proposals, but no national law has moved past the amende forfaitaire framework. The medical pilot program’s extension through March 2026 indicates the government is gathering more data before designing a permanent program.
French overseas departments tend to follow metropolitan timing rather than lead reform locally. Mayotte’s complex security and migration context means cannabis policy is rarely the territory’s primary political concern. For 2026, Mayotte sits within the French national framework: prohibition with on-the-spot fines for personal use, a narrow medical pilot program, and EU-compliant CBD market access.
No. As a French overseas department, Mayotte applies French national law. Recreational possession under 50 grams is typically resolved with a €200 amende forfaitaire on-the-spot fine. Trafficking carries up to 10 years and €150,000.
No. Cross-border cannabis movement through the Mozambique Channel is treated as importation under the French Public Health Code at the trafficking tier. Maritime traffic between Mayotte and the Comorian islands is a known enforcement focus.
Only through France’s national pilot program, which the Minister of Health extended through March 31, 2026. The pilot covers refractory neuropathic pain, severe epilepsy, palliative care symptoms, painful spasticity, and chemotherapy side effects.
Yes. Hemp-derived CBD with less than 0.3 percent THC is legal under French and EU rules. CBD oils, tinctures, cosmetics, and food products are legal to sell, although the local retail market is more limited than in metropolitan France.
Yes. Mayotte is a French overseas department and an EU outermost region. There is no separate Mayotte cannabis statute. French national law and EU rules on hemp and CBD apply identically across the island.
