Use of cannabis in Samoa
 Location of Samoa (red) | |
| Medicinal | Illegal |
|---|---|
| Recreational | Illegal |
| Part of a series on |
| Cannabis |
|---|
 |
Pharmacology |
Law |
| Location of Samoa (red) | |
| Medicinal | Illegal |
|---|---|
| Recreational | Illegal |
| Part of a series on |
| Cannabis |
|---|
| |
The possession, sale, disposition, cultivation, production, and prescribing of cannabis is regulated by the Narcotics Act 1967. Cannabis is a Class B narcotic under the Act. [1] The Act has only been amended twice since its creation in 1967, 2006 and 2009 respectively. [2]
It is illegal to cultivate cannabis or have a cannabis seed in your possession under Section 6 of the Act. [1] If found guilty, the maximum penalty is imprisonment of 14 years. [1]
It is illegal to possess or attempt to possess cannabis under Section 7 of the Act. [1] If found guilty, the maximum penalty is imprisonment of 14 years. [1]
In 2015 the Samoa Law Reform Commission was asked to review the Narcotics Act. It issued its final report in December 2017 recommending a regulated regime for medicinal cannabis. [3] [4] In January 2018 lawyer Unasa Iuni Sapolu called on the government to legalise cannabis for recreational and medicinal use. [5] The call was rejected by Prime Minister Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi, [6] while Minister of Health Tuitama Talalelei Tuitama responded that cannabis needed to remain illegal for Biblical reasons. [7] In April 2019 a proposal by Australian medicinal cannabis company Leaf Relief for cannabis to be cultivated for medicinal use was also rejected. [8] [9]
The legality of cannabis for medical and recreational use varies by country, in terms of its possession, distribution, and cultivation, and how it can be consumed and what medical conditions it can be used for. These policies in most countries are regulated by three United Nations treaties: the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and the 1988 Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. Cannabis was reclassified in 2020 to a Schedule I-only drug under the Single Convention treaty, with the schedules from strictest to least being IV, I, II, and III. As a Schedule I drug under the treaty, countries can allow the medical use of cannabis but it is considered to be an addictive drug with a serious risk of abuse.
Tapunuu Niko Lee Hang was a Samoan politician and Cabinet Minister. He was a member of the Human Rights Protection Party.
In the United States, increased restrictions and labeling of cannabis as a poison began in many states from 1906 onward, and outright prohibitions began in the 1920s. By the mid-1930s cannabis was regulated as a drug in every state, including 35 states that adopted the Uniform State Narcotic Drug Act. The first national regulation was the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937.
Drug liberalization is a drug policy process of decriminalizing, legalizing, or repealing laws that prohibit the production, possession, sale, or use of prohibited drugs. Variations of drug liberalization include drug legalization, drug relegalization, and drug decriminalization. Proponents of drug liberalization may favor a regulatory regime for the production, marketing, and distribution of some or all currently illegal drugs in a manner analogous to that for alcohol, caffeine and tobacco.
The use of cannabis in New Zealand is regulated by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, which makes unauthorised possession of any amount of cannabis a crime. Cannabis is the fourth-most widely used recreational drug in New Zealand, after caffeine, alcohol and tobacco, and the most widely used illicit drug. In 2001 a household survey revealed that 13.4% of New Zealanders aged 15–64 used cannabis. This ranked as the ninth-highest cannabis consumption level in the world.
Cannabis is a plant used in Australia for recreational, medicinal and industrial purposes. In 2019, 36% of Australians over the age of fourteen years had used cannabis in their lifetime and 11.6% had used cannabis in the last 12 months.
Cannabis in India has been known to be used at least as early as 2000 BCE. In Indian society, common terms for cannabis preparations include charas (resin), ganja (flower), and bhang, with Indian drinks such as bhang lassi and bhang thandai made from bhang being one of the most common legal uses.
Cannabis in Germany has been legal for recreational usage by adults in a limited capacity since 1 April 2024. As of February 2024, it has been assessed that 4.5 million Germans use cannabis.
Cannabis is currently illegal in Singapore for recreational purposes. Possession or consumption can result in a maximum of 10 years in prison, with a possible fine of $20,000, as well as caning, under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Trafficking, import or export of more than 500 grams may result in the death penalty. Medical cannabis is also not permitted, with very limited exceptions for cannabidiol (CBD) pharmaceuticals.
Cannabis in Finland is illegal. The 50th chapter of the Criminal Code criminalises all dealings with illegal narcotics, including the production, import, transport, sale, possession and use of cannabis.
In Thailand, cannabis, known by the name Ganja has recently had new laws passed through. Cannabis that has less than 0.2% THC, referred to as industrial hemp in USA, was legalised on 9 June 2022. Medicinal cannabis, with no THC restrictions, was made legal in 2018 but required patients to obtain a prescription from a medical practitioner. Recreational cannabis is still illegal according to Thai law.
The list includes and details significant events that occurred in the global history of national-level implementations of, or changes made to, laws surrounding the use, sale, or production of the psychoactive drug cannabis.
The 2020 New Zealand cannabis referendum was a non-binding referendum held on 17 October 2020 in conjunction with the 2020 general election and a euthanasia referendum, on the question of whether to legalise the sale, use, possession and production of recreational cannabis. It was rejected by New Zealand voters. The form of the referendum was a vote for or against the proposed "Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill". Official results were released by the Electoral Commission on 6 November 2020 with 50.7% of voters opposing the legalisation and 48.4% in support.
Cannabis in Bermuda is legal for medical use and decriminalized for recreational use.
Prostitution in Samoa is illegal but is commonly practised. In 2009, an investigation by the Samoan Observer newspaper identified that prostitution was taking place on the islands. A study carried out in 2016 by the United Nations Development Programme, UNICEF and the University of New South Wales indicated that there were approximately 400 female sex workers in Samoa, serving local and foreign clients. This equates to 1 in every 140 of the adult women on the island. The primary reason for women doing sex work was economic; some starting sex work as early as 13 years old. In February 2017, Samoa Police prepared to launch an investigation into a foreign-owned business alleged to be using local women in a prostitution operation. In the same year the Ministry of Health put forward plans to offer counselling and educational services to sex workers as part of the National HIV, AIDS, and STI Policy 2017-2022.
General elections were held in Samoa on 9 April 2021 to determine the composition of the 17th Parliament. The Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), which had been in government for most of the time since 1982, was led into the election by Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi, who had served as prime minister since 1998. The passage of the controversial Land and Titles bills by the HRPP led some party members to defect, establishing the Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party promising a repeal. FAST elected Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa, the daughter of Samoa's first prime minister, as leader shortly before the election; she left the ruling party and resigned as deputy prime minister in 2020, also in opposition to the amendments.
The Land and Titles Bill is one of three bills passed by the Legislative Assembly of Samoa to reform the legal framework around the Land and Titles Court of Samoa and Samoan customary law. The bills are viewed by some as undermining human rights and the rule of law, and are the subject of significant controversy in Samoa.
Vui Clarence Joseph Nelson is a Samoan judge. He sits on the Supreme Court of Samoa, and was the first Pacific Islands judge appointed to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child.
Fepulea'i Attila Ropati is a Samoan judge who served as President of the Land and Titles Court of Samoa from 2016 to 2022.
Ti'avea is a village on the island of Upolu in Samoa. It is situated inland in the north east of the island in the political district of Atua, and forms part of the Aleipata Itupa i lalo Electoral Constituency.
 | This Samoa-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This Cannabis-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
