Legal status of cocaine

The legal status of cocaine varies worldwide. Even though many countries have banned the sale of cocaine for recreational use, some have legalized it for possession, personal use, transportation, and cultivation, while some have decriminalized it for certain uses. It is necessary to distinguish cocaine from coca leaves or the plant itself.

List by country

Country	Possession	Sale	Transport	Cultivation	Notes
Afghanistan	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	All use, sale, possession, transportation, and cultivation of cocaine is illegal. [ citation needed ]
Argentina	Decriminalized for private use	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	All use, sale possession, transportation, and cultivation of cocaine was made illegal in Argentina's Law 23.737. [1] However, in 2009 a judge ruled that banning the possession of drugs when it posed no threat to others violates the constitutional right to personal liberty. [2] While cocaine hasn't been officially decriminalized some extend the 2009 ruling to cocaine possession.
Armenia	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	All use, sale, possession, transportation, and cultivation of cocaine is illegal. [3]
Albania	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Possession and cultivation of cocaine are illegal [ citation needed ]. Transportation and sale is illegal under Law No 8874 and Law No 7975. [4]
Australia	Decriminalized in certain territories under certain quantities	Illegal	Illegal	Legal Illegal	Australia includes cocaine as a drug of dependence and it is thus illegal to use, sell, possess, transport, and cultivate. [5] Recently the Australian Capital Territory has decriminalized possession under 1.5 grams to encourage users to seek treatment. [6]
Bahamas	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	All use, sale, possession, transportation, and cultivation of cocaine is illegal. [7]
Bangladesh	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	All use, sale, possession, transportation and cultivation of cocaine is illegal. [8]
Bolivia	Legal up to 50 grams	Illegal	Illegal	Legal	Limited private cultivation of coca is legal in Bolivia, where chewing the leaves and drinking coca tea are considered cultural practices, in particular in the mountainous regions, processed cocaine is forbidden. [9]
Brazil	Decriminalized for private use	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Public consumption and selling of cocaine are considered crimes. Punishments for public consumption include a warning about the drug's effects, community service (5 to 10 months), and educational courses or programs. Punishment for the selling of cocaine is 5 to 15 years of jail, a R$500–1,500 fine and course or program attendance. The decision on which purpose the apprehended drug had is based on judge decision. [10]
Canada	Illegal, decriminalized in the Province of British Columbia	Legal Medically	Legal Medically	Legal Medically	Possession and use is illegal. [11] Consumption, possession, purchasing and trading of cocaine is outlawed, cocaine remains as a Schedule I controlled substance. Effective January 31, 2023 possession up to 2.5 grams of cocaine, opioids, methamphetamine and MDMA by adults (age 18 and over, excluding members of the Canadian Armed Forces unless otherwise authorized [12] ) is decriminalized in the Province of British Columbia due to Health Canada mandate [13] [14]
Colombia	Legal (up to 1 gram)	Illegal	Illegal	Legal	Since 1994, possession of 1 gram of cocaine has been legal for personal use. [15] [16] Sale remains illegal, but personal production or gifts of cocaine are permitted.
Czech Republic	Decriminalized (up to 1 gram)	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Possession of up to 1 gram for personal use is punishable by fine of up to 15000 CZK according to act 167/1998 §39, possession of higher amount is illegal according to Criminal code with up to 2-year sentence. Trafficking is punishable by 2–18 years in prison, depending on the scale and other circumstances. [17] [ citation needed ]
China	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	All use, sale, possession, transportation, and cultivation of cocaine is illegal. [18]
Chile	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	All use, sale, possession, transportation, and cultivation of cocaine is illegal. [19]
Denmark	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	All use, sale, possession, transportation, and cultivation of cocaine is illegal. [20]
Finland	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	All use, sale, possession, transportation, and cultivation of cocaine is illegal. [21]
Germany	Legal Medically, Decriminalized	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Possession of cocaine without a medical prescription is illegal. Small amounts for personal consumption may go unpunished for first-time or non-regular offenders, however this varies by state. Usually revocation of a driving license will follow from confiscation of any drug except marijuana, since drug users are considered a road hazard. [22]
Greece	Decriminalized for private use	Legal only for medical reasons and with license by government	Illegal	Illegal	Use, possession and cultivation of class B drugs is illegal in Greece except for medical reasons. Personal use might be decriminalized. Use in public is also illegal. [23]
India	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	All use, sale, possession, transportation, and cultivation of cocaine is illegal. [24]
Ireland	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	All use, sale, possession, transportation, and cultivation of cocaine is illegal. [25]
Israel	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	All use, sale, possession, transportation, and cultivation of cocaine is illegal. [26]
Italy	Decriminalized	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Cocaine possession and consumption in special and overall in small and tiny amounts is decrimalized but the sale, the trade, the deal,the growing, the production and the transportation of cocaine are considered felonies in Italy.
Japan	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Penalty for cocaine consumption: maximum of 7 years in jail. [27]
Jordan	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	All uses, possession, sale, cultivation, and production is fully illegal and forbidden even for medical or scientific reasons, drug trafficking and drug sales are punishable by death penalty
Luxembourg	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Use and possession of cocaine is illegal.[ citation needed ]
Malaysia	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Use and possession of cocaine is illegal and is punishable by death [28]
Mexico	Legal (up to 1/2 Gram)	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	There is no penalty for carrying up to 1/2 gram, [29] however any amount over that is illegal and can be punished by the law. The death penalty was abolished in Mexico for all crimes on 15 March 2005.
Netherlands	Unenforced (small amounts)	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Cocaine is considered an illegal hard-drug. Possession, production and trade are not allowed as stated in the Opium Law of 1928. Although technically illegal, possession of less than half a gram usually goes unpunished. [30] [31]
New Zealand	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Cocaine is a Class A drug. The coca leaf and preparations of cocaine containing no more than 0.1% cocaine base, in such a way that the cocaine cannot be recovered, are both classified as Class C, and are punishable with three months imprisonment or a fine of $500. [32] [33]
Nigeria	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	It is illegal to import, manufacture, process, plant or grow, export, transport, traffic, sell, buy, expose for sale, smoke, inhale, inject, possess or deal with cocaine. [34]
Norway	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	All kind of uses, selling, cultivation and transportation is illegal. [35]
North Korea	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Use and possession of cocaine is illegal. [ citation needed ]
Pakistan	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Use and possession of cocaine is illegal. [36]
Palestine	Unenforced	Unenforced	Unenforced	Unenforced	in the West Bank, which is ruled by the Palestinian authority, cocaine is fully illegal.[ citation needed ] In the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by Hamas an internationally recognized terrorist organization cocaine is not legal but is neither illegal. It is rather unenforced, as all recreational drugs, this is due that both Terrorism and Drug Trafficking as too Drugs are criminal activities and are illegal worldwide.
Philippines	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Use and possession of cocaine is illegal. Possession of cocaine is explicitly named as an illegal substance under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. The possession 10 grams or more of cocaine or cocaine hydrochloride is punishable by up to life imprisonment. [37]
Peru	Legal (up to 2 grams of cocaine or 5 grams of cocaine-freebase)	Illegal	Illegal	Legal (Coca Plants)	Cultivation of coca plants is legal, and coca leaves are sold openly on markets. Similarly to Bolivia, chewing leaves and drinking coca tea are cultural practices. Possession of up to 2 grams of cocaine or up to 5 grams of coca paste is legal for personal use in Peru per Article 299 of the Peruvian Penal Code. If a person possess two or more kinds of drugs at the same time, it is considered criminal offense. [38]
Portugal	Decriminalized up to 2 grams	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Personal use of cocaine is decriminalized. Drug abuse is dealt with by administrative and medical intervention. Trafficking is illegal. [39]
Romania	Legal Medically	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	All activities associated with cocaine (with the exception of possession for medicinal purposes [40] ) are illegal in Romania, per Law 143/2000. [41]
Saudi Arabia	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Drug Trafficking is punishable by death, with drug consumption including alcohol punishable with sentences of 2–4 years in prison. narcotics users are jailed for two years and punished according to the judge's decision. If the offender is a foreigner, he is deported from the Kingdom. A narcotics user who enrolls in a treatment Programme is not questioned, but admitted into a specialised hospital. Saudi law in accordance with United Nation recommendations treats narcotic addicts as patients who need treatment. [42]
Singapore	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Trafficking of over 3 grams is punishable by death. [43]
South Africa	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	It is a criminal offense to have cocaine in your possession. [44]
Syria	Illegal but unenforced due the Syrian civil war	Illegal but unenforced	Illegal but unenforced	Illegal but unenforced	Cocaine is illegal in Syria, however due to the Syrian civil war is rarely controlled, and its sale, production, possession, and consumption is rarely punished. The Assad regime was known for being heavily funded by Syrian drug cartels.
Spain	Decriminalized with a fine	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Cocaine sales are strictly illegal, but private use and personal cocaine consumption is decriminalized with a spot fine and is not a crime nor a felony.
Switzerland	Possession of small amounts decriminalized	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Traffickers of cocaine are sentenced with jail. Personal use is punished with a fine, contrary to common belief possession of up to 18 grams is not legal. According to a recent study, 5 Swiss cities (St Gallen, Bern, Zurich, Basel and Geneva) were listed among top 10 European cities for cocaine use. [45] [46] Personal consumption and possession of small amounts, or sharing with adults free of charge is not liable to prosecution based on the Swiss federal law. [47]
Sweden	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Sweden is known and infamous for having a zero tolerance policy regarding drug trafficking and drug abuse.
Thailand	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Thailand is very strict on drugs and it is very common to be stopped, searched and asked to give urine samples on the street, especially in Bangkok. Being caught with intent to sell is punishable by 10 years to life in prison. Consumption for personal use is 1 – 10 years in prison or a fine, or both. [48]
Ukraine	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Public drug consumption is outlawed and punishable by prison time or with jail punishment but private consumption of drugs is not enforced and is not a crime.
United Arab Emirates	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Cocaine trafficking is punishable by the capital punishment and drug consumption is punishable with four years in prison in the UAE.
United Kingdom	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Cocaine was first made illegal by the Dangerous Drugs Act 1920 (10 & 11 Geo. 5. c. 46). It is now classed as a Class A drug, controlled by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (c. 38). Possession carries a punishment of up to 7 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both. Supply and production carries a punishment of up to life in prison, an unlimited fine or both. [49] It is legal for medical use under schedule 2 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 (SI 2001/3998). [50]
United States	Legal Medically	Legal Medically	Legal Medically	Legal Medically	Cocaine is a Schedule II drug under the Controlled Substances Act. It remains legal for medical use however the recreational use of cocaine and the drug possession is a severe felony at federal level and the sales and dispensaries of cocaine are still illegal but could be legalized in a future.
Venezuela	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Cocaine is fully illegal in Venezuela and is punished by extrajudicial executions, and all activities associated with cocaine are illegal including the sale, the bought, the possession, the growing and the consumption, the Venezuelan government of Nicolás Maduro has an state-sponsored drug cartel known as the Cartel de los Soles which operates with absolute impunity due that the government has state immunity.
Country	Possession	Sale	Transport	Cultivation	Notes

References

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Further reading

• "Booming cocaine production suggests the war on drugs has failed. Now some politicians in Latin America and Europe are saying so publicly". The Economist . Appeared in the international print edition under the headline "The war on drugs don’t work.". Oct 13, 2022.