Cannabis is illegal in French Polynesia for both recreational and medical use. The Assembly of French Polynesia approved a medical cannabis law on January 5, 2023, but later repealed it citing implementation complexities. Possession penalties under the current framework can reach 5 years and €75,000, with cultivation and sale carrying up to 20 years.
Like New Caledonia, French Polynesia is a French overseas collectivity outside the European Union for cannabis policy purposes. Local Polynesian culture uses the term pakalolo for cannabis, but cultural use does not affect the legal framework.
Is Cannabis Legal in French Polynesia?
No. Recreational and medical cannabis are both illegal as of 2026. The Assembly’s January 2023 vote to legalize medical cannabis was reversed by a subsequent vote to repeal the law. According to Business of Cannabis reporting on the repeal, the Assembly cited implementation complexities as the reason for reversing the medical cannabis framework before it became operational.
French Polynesia is a French overseas collectivity. As an EU Overseas Country and Territory, it is not part of the EU outermost region framework. For broader regional context, see our guide to cannabis legalization in the South Pacific.
Medical Cannabis in French Polynesia
There is no operational medical cannabis program in French Polynesia. The January 5, 2023 medical cannabis law passed by the Assembly was repealed before it could be implemented, according to Veriheal’s coverage of the original approval and the subsequent reversal. Patient registration, qualifying conditions, and dispensing channels were never set up.
Foreign medical cards from Australia, New Zealand, the United States, or other jurisdictions provide no defense against possession charges. France’s national medical pilot does not automatically extend to French Polynesia because of the collectivity’s autonomous status.
Recreational Cannabis in French Polynesia
Recreational cannabis is illegal. There are no licensed dispensaries, no decriminalization framework, and no public-use authorization. According to a complete guide to French Polynesia’s drug laws for travelers, possession of small amounts may sometimes be treated as a minor offense with a fine or warning, but this discretionary leniency is not legal protection.
Public consumption, hotel use, and cruise-ship use are all prohibited. Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea, and the other Society Islands all apply the same legal framework, with no inter-island variation.
Cannabis Penalties in French Polynesia
Penalties for drug possession in French Polynesia can reach a maximum of 5 years of imprisonment and a fine of up to €75,000. Cultivation and sale carry steeper penalties, with sentences up to 20 years. Foreigners convicted of drug offenses can face deportation in addition to imprisonment and fines.
While small-amount possession is sometimes resolved with a fine or warning, prosecutors have full statutory discretion to charge at the higher penalty tier. Tourists carrying gummies, vape cartridges, or oils into French Polynesia face importation charges that scale to the trafficking tier regardless of personal-use intent.
Cannabis Cultivation Laws in French Polynesia
Home cultivation is illegal regardless of patient status or quantity. There is no licensed commercial cultivation framework. The repealed 2023 medical cannabis law would have authorized regulated cultivation for medical supply, but no licenses were ever issued before the repeal.
Unlicensed cultivation is treated as a supply-tier offense with sentencing scaled by plant counts and yield estimates. The mountainous and forested interior of Tahiti and the larger islands has been used for illicit pakalolo cultivation, and gendarmerie operations periodically destroy grow sites.
CBD Laws in French Polynesia
CBD legal status in French Polynesia is less clearly defined than in France’s overseas departments because the territory is not part of the EU outermost region framework. EU hemp and CBD rules do not automatically apply, so the legal status of hemp-derived CBD products depends on local regulation and customs interpretation.
Travelers should not assume hemp CBD oils, gummies, vape cartridges, or topicals are uncontroversial at the border. The federal 2018 U.S. Farm Bill hemp distinction does not apply locally, and customs has discretion to treat CBD products as cannabis under the territorial framework.
Cannabis Enforcement and Real-World Risk
Faa’a International Airport (PPT) on Tahiti is the primary entry point for travelers. Customs applies French Polynesian and French national drug law to anything brought into the territory. The maritime ports at Papeete, Bora Bora, Moorea, and other islands also apply the same import controls.
Travelers connecting through the Cook Islands, New Zealand, Hawaii, or other Pacific neighbors should not assume cannabis purchased or possessed elsewhere remains legal in French Polynesia. Hawaii’s medical and recreational cannabis frameworks both lose any protective effect at the French Polynesian border. Hotels, overwater bungalows, and cruise ships are not authorized consumption venues.
Future of Cannabis Laws in French Polynesia
The 2023 medical cannabis law’s passage and subsequent repeal demonstrates that French Polynesia’s Assembly is willing to engage on cannabis reform but cautious about implementation. Future legalization or decriminalization would need to address the operational complexities that triggered the repeal.
French Polynesia’s autonomous legislative status gives the Assembly the authority to revisit cannabis policy without requiring metropolitan French legislation. Whether the Assembly returns to the topic depends on political composition and public health priorities. For 2026, French Polynesia is a strict prohibition jurisdiction with a recently failed reform effort and active enforcement at airports and maritime entry points.
No. Recreational and medical cannabis are both illegal. A medical cannabis law passed January 5, 2023 was later repealed by the Assembly citing implementation complexities. Possession penalties can reach 5 years and €75,000.
The Assembly voted to legalize medical cannabis on January 5, 2023, but later voted to repeal the law before it could be implemented. The repeal was attributed to implementation complexities. No patient registration, qualifying conditions, or dispensing channels were ever operational.
Possession can carry up to 5 years and €75,000. Cultivation and sale can carry up to 20 years. Foreigners can also face deportation. Small-amount possession is sometimes resolved with a fine or warning, but prosecutors retain full statutory discretion.
CBD legal status is less clearly defined than in France’s overseas departments. EU hemp rules do not automatically apply because French Polynesia is an EU Overseas Country and Territory. Travelers should not assume hemp CBD products are uncontroversial at the border.
Pakalolo is the local Polynesian term for cannabis, derived from the same root as the Hawaiian word. Cultural familiarity with cannabis does not affect the legal status. Cultivation, possession, and sale all remain criminal offenses.
