Cannabis in Jamaica: What the Law Says

Ganja is everywhere in Jamaica’s image, and a lot of visitors arrive thinking it’s simply legal here. It isn’t. Since 2015, Jamaica has decriminalized small amounts and allowed medical, scientific and Rastafarian sacramental use, but buying and smoking it as a tourist, out in the open, can still get you a ticket, and carrying more than a small amount is still a crime. Here’s what the law actually says, from the Ministry of Justice’s own fact sheet on the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 2015.

What the 2015 law changed

The Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 2015 came into operation on April 15, 2015. It changed how the Dangerous Drugs Act treats ganja in four main ways, according to the Ministry of Justice fact sheet published with the Jamaica Information Service:

• Small amounts are decriminalized. Possession of 2 ounces or less is no longer an arrestable offense and doesn’t lead to a criminal record, but police can still issue a ticket.
• Smoking in public is banned, in a similar way to cigarettes.
• Medical, therapeutic and scientific use is allowed through licences, permits and authorizations, and the Act created the Cannabis Licensing Authority to regulate a legal industry.
• Rastafarian sacramental use is recognized.

What the law did not do is make recreational ganja legal. The UK government’s travel advice for Jamaica puts it plainly: it’s illegal to smoke marijuana in Jamaica, and there are penalties for all drug offenses, including those involving marijuana.

How much you can have

The line is 2 ounces (about 56 grams).

• 2 ounces or less: police may issue a ticket, which the law calls a fixed penalty notice, like a traffic ticket. You have 30 days to pay J$500 at any Tax Office. You can’t be arrested, charged or tried in court for the possession itself.
• Don’t ignore the ticket. Failing to pay is an offense. It sends you to the Petty Sessions Court, where you can be ordered to do community service or, where that can’t be arranged, pay a J$2,000 fine, and that conviction does go on your criminal record.
• More than 2 ounces: still a criminal offense. You can be arrested, charged and tried, and a conviction can mean a fine, prison or both, plus a criminal record.
• Under 18: anyone under 18 found with any amount is also referred to the National Council on Drug Abuse for counseling, on top of the ticket.

Households can legally grow up to five ganja plants on their premises. That’s a rule for people who live here, not something that helps a visitor.

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Where you can’t smoke

Smoking ganja in a public place, or within five meters of one, is prohibited. Police can’t arrest or detain you for it, but they can give you a ticket with the same J$500 penalty and 30 days to pay.

The law’s definition of a public place is wide. It includes any workplace and any place used by or open to the public, and the fact sheet names sidewalks, bus stops, restaurants, offices, schools, pharmacies, hospitals, places used by children, supermarkets and parks. Beaches, bars and the Hip Strip are open to the public too, so don’t treat them as a free zone because you see other people smoking.

Smoking is not an offense at a private home that isn’t used for commercial purposes, though the possession limits still apply. It is also allowed at places licensed for medical or therapeutic use, and for Rastafarians at registered places of Rastafarian worship.

At your resort or villa

A resort is a commercial property and a workplace, and its restaurants, bars and pool decks are shared spaces. Whatever you think the law allows in your room, the resort’s own smoking policy is what applies on the property, and breaking it can mean cleaning fees or being asked to leave. If this matters to you, read the policy before you book, whether you’re choosing from the best all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica or a private villa.

Medical cannabis and licensed herb houses

The legal way to buy ganja in Jamaica is from a business licensed by the Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA). The CLA issues two types of retail licence, according to the Jamaica Information Service: one for selling cannabis products for medical, scientific and therapeutic purposes, and one that also allows a space for customers to use the product on site. These licensed shops are usually called herb houses. By September 2023, the CLA had granted 63 retail and herb house licences.

The CLA requires licensed herb houses to keep records of their patients, including government-issued photo ID and a prescription or recommendation from a registered medical practitioner. Expect to show your passport.

The visitor permit

The 2015 Act has a route specifically for people who don’t live in Jamaica, including tourists and Jamaicans visiting from overseas. According to the Ministry of Justice fact sheet:

• Visitors can apply for a permit to buy and possess up to 2 ounces of ganja at a time, for medical or therapeutic purposes.
• You need evidence that a licensed medical practitioner where you live has recommended or prescribed ganja for you, or you can sign a voluntary declaration confirming it.
• The permit is issued by Jamaica’s Ministry of Health, and a fee is payable.

How this is handled at the counter can vary, so ask the herb house what paperwork it needs from visitors before you go. A permit covers buying and possessing for medical use; it doesn’t make public smoking legal and it doesn’t let you take anything out of the country.

Street sales

You’ll be offered weed on the beach, outside bars and in town. Ask any Jamaican and they’ll tell you it’s common, but it’s still an unregulated sale. The CLA has warned the public about cannabis products sold outside the licensed system, including ganja cigarettes and edibles, because they haven’t been tested. Edibles in particular can be much stronger than they look.

Rastafari and ganja

For Rastafarians, ganja is a sacrament, part of worship and reasoning, and the 2015 law recognized that. Rastafarians aged 18 or over, and Rastafarian organizations, can apply to the Ministry of Justice for authorization to cultivate ganja for sacramental use. That ganja can be smoked at registered places of Rastafarian worship, but it can’t be sold, dealt with commercially or exported. Rastafarian groups can also apply for an event that celebrates or observes the faith to be declared exempt, so people attending aren’t liable for smoking or possession there, within the conditions set for that event.

My advice: if you visit a Rastafarian community, go with respect. It’s a faith with a history in this country, not a photo stop for a smoke. The guide to understanding the Rastafari movement explains where it came from.

Don’t take it home

This is the rule that gets visitors into the most trouble. Severe penalties apply in Jamaica for attempting to export drugs, and the UK government warns that prison sentences are served in full here and conditions are harsh. The 2015 Act also raised the fines for exporting, trafficking and other drug offenses.

Your home country’s law applies when you land, too. US Customs and Border Protection says federal law prohibits importing marijuana, whether for medical or recreational use, and that arriving with it can mean seizure, fines or arrest, and can affect a foreign national’s right to enter. That holds even if marijuana is legal where you live.

• Finish or leave behind anything you bought before you head to the airport.
• Leave edibles, oils and vape cartridges behind too; they count.
• Pack your own bags, and never carry anything through the airport for someone else.

For the rest of the rules visitors should know, from scams to driving, see Is Jamaica safe to visit? If it’s your first trip, Jamaica for first-timers covers the basics.