Cannabis in the Caribbean: what 9 islands allow in 2026

Caribbean reforms mix three mechanisms, and you need to separate them to see what is allowed. Decriminalisation drops criminal prosecution for a small amount, with at most a ticket in its place. A medical industry means licences to grow, process and sell, supervised by a public authority. Sacramental use lets Rastafari communities, for whom cannabis has religious value, grow and use it under set rules.

The movement started at regional level. In 2018 the CARICOM Regional Commission on Marijuana published a report titled Waiting to Exhale. It unanimously recommended reclassifying cannabis as a "controlled substance" and replacing criminal penalties with a public health approach, while keeping the ban for minors and in public places. Most countries adopted some of these recommendations; few adopted them all.

Jamaica moved first with the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act, in force since 15 April 2015 according to the government's official fact sheet. Possession of 2 ounces or less, about 57 g, no longer leads to arrest or a criminal record. The police may issue a ticket of 500 Jamaican dollars, payable within 30 days. Above that amount, possession is still an offence.

Each household may grow 5 plants, however many people live in it. Rastafarians may smoke at their registered places of worship and can apply for permission to grow for sacramental use. The law also set up the Cannabis Licensing Authority, which licenses the medical industry.

For travellers, one point matters. Someone who does not live in Jamaica can obtain a permit to buy and hold up to 2 ounces at a time, for medical use. It requires a prescription or medical recommendation, or a signed voluntary declaration, and it has to be paid for. The scheme is a medical one and does not amount to open sale.

Three countries paired decriminalisation with personal cultivation. In Trinidad and Tobago, Act No. 24 of 2019, assented on 18 December 2019, makes it lawful to hold 30 g of cannabis or 5 g of resin. Fines rise steeply above that, reaching 50 000 Trinidad dollars between 30 and 60 g. Each person may grow 4 plants. A second law, the Cannabis Control Act 2022, provides for licences and sacramental dispensaries, though it only takes effect on a presidential proclamation.

In March 2018 Antigua and Barbuda set a threshold of 15 g and 4 plants per household and cleared past convictions for these amounts. The Cannabis Act 2018, assented in January 2019, set up a medical cannabis authority and dispensaries restricted to registered religious organisations.

Saint Kitts and Nevis went in two steps. The threshold was 15 g in 2019. An amendment in June 2023 raised it to 56 g and 5 plants per household, referring to a law of the same year that recognises Rastafari rights. A medical cannabis authority has existed there since the 2020 act.

Other islands began with the economy. On 11 December 2018 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines passed a law on the medical cannabis industry, together with an amnesty law that brings traditional growers into the licensed industry. Decriminalisation of 56 g came next, confirmed by the government in March 2021.

Barbados passed two separate texts on 27 November 2019: one on the medical industry, the other, the Sacramental Cannabis Act, on religious use. In 2021 it decriminalised 14 g, the lowest threshold in this overview. Dominica decriminalised 28 g in October 2020, and Saint Lucia 30 g in September 2021. In the Bahamas, a 2024 law set up a cannabis authority for medical and sacramental use; in early 2025 the fines planned for small-scale possession were not yet being applied.

Legally, nothing changes. Caribbean law ends at each island's border. In France, drug use is still an offence carrying one year in prison and a 3 750 € fine. Since 20 August 2026, the fixed fine that can replace prosecution has been 500 €, reduced to 400 € if paid within 15 days and raised to 1 000 € after 45 days.

Cannabis bought legally in Jamaica is still a narcotic once it reaches France. Bringing it back is importation of narcotics, which article 222-36 of the Penal Code punishes with 10 years in prison and a 7 500 000 € fine. Stopovers count as well, since you are subject to the law of every country you pass through. Border rules are detailed in our guide to flying with CBD.

In France, the only legal offer is still hemp whose finished product contains 0.30% Δ⁹-THC or less, as explained in our article on the legal THC level. Therapeutic cannabis has its own medical framework, set out in our overview of medical cannabis in France. To compare the Caribbean with other models, see our overview of cannabis and CBD around the world and our article on legal cannabis in Morocco.