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	Cocaine is fully illegal in Afghanistan and drug trafficking and drug smuggling are sins and crimes that are punishable by death.
Argentina	Decriminalized for private use	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Cocaine is decriminalized for private and personal use or possession. The consumption and possession of fresh coca leaves for chewing and teas are legal.[1]
Armenia	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	All uses, sale, possession and use is fully illegal.
Albania	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Cocaine is effectively illegal and banned in Albania.
Australia	Legal Medically	Legal Medically	Legal Medically	Legal Medically	Cocaine is a Schedule 8 controlled substance in Australia, that which allows certain medical use of it, but otherwise it is outlawed (controlled).[2]
Bahamas	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Possession and use is illegal.[3]
Bangladesh	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	All kind of uses, selling, cultivation and transportation is illegal.
Bolivia	Illegal	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.[4]
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 drugs 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.[5]
Canada	Illegal, decriminalized in the Province of British Columbia	Legal Medically	Legal Medically	Legal Medically	Possession and use is illegal.[6] 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[7]) is decriminalized in the Province of British Columbia due to Health Canada mandate[8][9]
Colombia	Legal (up to 1 gram)	Illegal	Illegal	Legal	Since 1994, possession of 1 gram of cocaine has been legal for personal use.[10][11] Sale remains illegal, but personal production or gifts of cocaine are permitted.
China	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Use and possession of cocaine is illegal.[12]
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.[13]
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.[14]
India	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Use and possession of cocaine is illegal with a mandatory 10-year sentence. But its often upheld and wrongly assumed and no proof has been given that Freely Available in Local Shops in Cities.[15]
Israel	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Every kind of use, possession, sale, transport and cultivation of coca leaves and even the chewing of coca leaves and brewing coca tea is fully illegal in Israel.
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.[16]
Jordan	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	All uses, possession, sale, cultivation, and production is fully illegal and forbidden even for medical or scientific reasons.
Malaysia	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Use and possession of cocaine is illegal.[17]
Mexico	Legal (up to 1/2 Gram)	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	There is no penalty for carrying up to 1/2 a gram, however any amount over that is illegal.[18]
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.[19][20]
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 3 months imprisonment and/or a fine of $500.[21][22]
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.[23]
Norway	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	All kind of uses, selling, cultivation and transportation is illegal.[24]
Pakistan	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Use and possession of cocaine is illegal.[25]
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.[26]
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. It is important to note that if a person possess two or more kinds of drugs at the same time it is considered criminal offense.[27]
Singapore	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Trafficking of over 3 grams is punishable by death.[28]
South Africa	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	It is a criminal offense to have cocaine in your possession.[29]
Spain	Decriminalized with a fine	Illegal	Illegal	Illegal	Cocaine sales are strictly and fully outlawed, forbbiden, not allowed, controlled and 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.[30][31] 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. [32]
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.[33]
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 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. It is now classed as a Class A drug, controlled by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. 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.[34] It is legal for medical use under Schedule 2 of The Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001.[35]
United States	Legal Medically, decriminalized in the state of Oregon	Legal Medically	Legal Medically	Legal Medically	Cocaine is a Schedule II drug under the Controlled Substances Act. It remains legal for medical use. While personal use has been decriminalized in Oregon state, cocaine sales and dispensaries are still illegal.
Country	Possession	Sale	Transport	Cultivation	Notes

References

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. Oct 13, 2022. https://www.economist.com/international/2022/10/13/booming-cocaine-production-suggests-the-war-on-drugs-has-failed. 

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