Cannabis Legalization in Africa

Is Cannabis Legal in Algeria?

Cannabis is prohibited in Algeria, but consumption remains common despite its illegal status.

• Medical Use: Illegal
• Recreational Use: Illegal
• Notes:
  • Consumption is widespread across the country.
  • Authorities often adopt a prevention-over-punishment approach.

Is Cannabis Legal in Angola?

Cannabis is illegal in Angola for both medical and recreational use.

• Medical Use: Illegal
• Recreational Use: Illegal
• Notes:
  • Cannabis is commonly referred to as “Liamba” in Angola.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: It is illegal to possess, grow, or sell cannabis. The law does not differentiate between recreational and medical cannabis.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: Cannabis is known as “Motokwane” in Botswana. Possession can lead to 10 years imprisonment, though if it’s less than 60 grams, the penalty is one to five years.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: Cannabis was legal between 1975 and 1978.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: No additional information.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: Cannabis is widely cultivated as a cash crop, including in remote indigenous communities.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: The country doesn’t have a widespread cannabis culture and the stimulant khat is more popular.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: Despite the illegality, the country has a widespread culture of cannabis consumption, specifically of hashish. In 2018, the deputy governor of Cairo proposed a law to decriminalize cannabis, but it did not result in any changes. Cannabis was used medically in ancient Egypt.
•  

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: Marijuana is known as the ‘sacred weed of the people’ and was used in traditional ceremonies.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: Possession of cannabis is considered a class 1 petty offense, punishable with imprisonment of six months to one year.
•  

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: Despite being the spiritual home of Rastafarianism, cannabis is illegal. The country could potentially have a cannabis cultivation industry worth around US \$9.8 billion.
•  

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: No additional information.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: In 2019, the Interior Minister and the head of the country’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency voiced opposition to cannabis reform.
•  

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: Cannabis use is widespread. In 2020, Ghana’s Parliament decriminalized the use of cannabis for health and industrial purposes. Sale and use of recreational cannabis is still illegal.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: No additional information.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: No additional information.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: Despite being illegal, cannabis is widely used. There have been ongoing debates about legalizing medical cannabis.

• Medical: Legal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: Lesotho was the first African country to legalize the cultivation of cannabis for medicinal purposes.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: No additional information.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: Cannabis is commonly grown and used despite its illegality.

• Medical: Decriminalized
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: Malawi is known for the cultivation of “Malawi Gold,” a renowned cannabis strain. In 2020, Malawi legalized the cultivation of cannabis for medicinal and industrial purposes, but recreational use remains illegal.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: No additional information.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: No additional information.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: Cannabis is known as ‘gandia’ and is widely used despite being illegal.

• Medical: Decriminalized
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: Morocco is one of the world’s largest producers of cannabis and its by-products such as hashish. In 2021, the country passed a law legalizing the cultivation of marijuana for medicinal and industrial uses, but recreational use remains illegal.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: No additional information.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: Cannabis is widely used and grown. The Namibian Cannabis Social Club has been advocating for the decriminalization and regulation of cannabis.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: No additional information.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: Cannabis is widely used and grown in the country. In 2020, a bill was introduced in the Nigerian House of Representatives to legalize the use of medical marijuana and to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, but it has not been passed.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: No additional information.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: Senegal has harsh penalties for cannabis use and trafficking, but it is widely used and grown in the country.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: Cannabis is widely used despite being illegal. There have been public discussions about decriminalization.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: Cannabis is widely used and grown in the country. It’s often used in a mixture with tobacco.

• Medical: Legal
• Recreational: Legal for personal use
• Category: South Africa decriminalized the use and cultivation of cannabis in private spaces by adults for personal consumption in 2018. Medical use of cannabis has been legal since 2017. Commercial sale of cannabis is still illegal.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: Cannabis is widely used and grown in the country, especially in the Equatoria region.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: No additional information.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: Cannabis is widely used and grown in the country despite being illegal. Tanzania is one of Africa’s largest producers of cannabis

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: No additional information.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: Cannabis is illegal in Tunisia, but it is widely used in the country. There have been calls for decriminalization.

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: Cannabis is widely used and grown in the country despite being illegal. There have been calls for legalization, especially for medical and industrial uses

• Medical: Illegal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: Cannabis is widely used and grown in the country despite being illegal. There have been calls for decriminalization and legalization, especially for medical and industrial uses.

• Medical: Legal
• Recreational: Illegal
• Category: Zimbabwe legalized the cultivation of cannabis for medicinal and scientific uses in 2018. However, recreational use remains illegal.