Where in the world can you get legally high?

It is estimated that around half a billion people across countries, states, and cities in every corner of the world now have access to legal, adult-use cannabis. From Basel to Bangkok and Canada to Czechia, lovers of the herb can enjoy a smoke, vape, munch on an edible, or whatever without the fear of arrest, and with all the benefits that legalised weed can bring. But how did we get here? Which was the first country to do so, and how many have followed suit?

A brief history of cannabis reform across the world

In 2013, the government of Uruguay had the temerity to become the first country in the world to defy international drug law by legalising the sale, production, and possession of cannabis. The UN’s drug body warned the move would put teenagers and young adults at risk, and would “contribute to the earlier onset of addiction”. Ignoring this, and shouts from the world’s media that he was breaking international law, the socialist president at the time, José ‘Pepe’ Mujica, pressed on and legal cannabis sales began on the 19th of July 2017.

By this time, the people living in the first state in the USA to allow recreational cannabis sales, Colorado, had been getting legally high for three and a half years. By September 2025, twenty-four states in America had legal adult-use cannabis, and 15 had medical-only laws.

Canada became a fully legal country in 2018, Mexico in 2021, and smokers and patients in many other Central and South American countries, such as Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil and Chile, enjoy lax enforcement of cannabis laws, decriminalisation, or access to medical.

Also in 2018, South Africa decriminalised the possession and personal cultivation of cannabis, or dagga as it is commonly referred to there. The government solidified this decision when it passed the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill in 2024, making them the first country in Africa to have adult-use cannabis.

Australia has a reputation for being tough on drugs, but it has a rich history of cannabis use. A survey in 2022 found that nearly half (41%) of adults had tried cannabis at least once in their lives, and it is the most used illicit drug there. It is still illegal at the government level, despite a booming medical industry, although the Australian Capital Territory decriminalised the possession and cultivation for personal use in 2019.

In a move that surprised most, Malta became the first country in Europe to fully legalise cannabis. The Maltese don’t allow dispensaries like those in America, so adults must join one of the non-profit cannabis associations that produce communally and distribute the crop amongst members. Malta, like Germany, which became legal in 2024, allows for the cultivation of three plants at home. Luxembourg is the only other country in Europe to have a legal framework for medical and adult use. Czechia changed its laws this week to allow the possession of up to one hundred grams at home and the cultivation of up to three plants; the changes go into effect on the 1st of January 2026.

Although there are only four countries in Europe with a legal adult-use cannabis market, the news isn’t all bad for people living in the rest of the continent. The Netherlands, with its many coffeeshops and its capital Amsterdam, have long been synonymous with weed even though it has never been legal there. Despite the law, consumers can still buy and use cannabis without fear of persecution through their system of tolerance called Gedogen. The Netherlands is also conducting a trial where legal cannabis is produced and sold through coffeeshops, which has, so far, been a success according to consumers and retailers. Switzerland is running the same sort of trial at city level, and there are hopes legalisation will happen soon. Portugal decriminalised the possession of all drugs in 2001 in response to an epidemic in which approximately 1 in 100 Lisbonians lived with heroin addiction. Spain has a thriving cannabis scene, especially in tourist locations such as Barcelona, despite frequent attacks from the local and national government.

In an explosive decision that sent shockwaves around the cannabis world, Thailand became in 2022 the first country in Asia to permit the production, sale and possession of cannabis since 1976, when Nepal – famous for its hashish and for being a stop on the Hippie Trail – finally bowed to international pressure to outlaw weed. Since 2022, Thailand has tightened up rules, and people wishing to buy cannabis in the Southeast Asian country will now need a medical certificate, but cannabis dispensaries are still abundant in the kingdom of smiles.

As well as the countries and states mentioned above that have legalised cannabis for adults to use freely, many others have legalised the use of cannabis for medical purposes when prescribed by a doctor, such as the UK, Austria, Italy, Brazil, Lebanon, and states including Alabama and Florida. Legal medical cannabis is seen by many as a great first step towards a fully legal adult-use market, and can have incredibly positive effects on patients and the community.

Which countries could legalise cannabis next?

The global map of cannabis reform is being redrawn constantly, but some places are closer to change than others.

In Europe, Switzerland, Poland and the Netherlands are in the running to be the next legal country in Europe, and we hope that UK adult use legislation isn’t too far away.

Things are changing in Africa, with nine countries, including Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Morocco, allowing the cultivation of cannabis for medical and industrial purposes, but only South Africa so far has given the green light to adult-use.

Many people were hoping the current Trump administration would legalise cannabis for all Americans. After a recent announcement that cannabis would be reclassified as less dangerous drug, little action has taken place.

The attitude in Asian countries that aren’t Thailand seems to be the same as it has always been, with no talk of legalisation. For example, there were murmurs at the time of Thailand’s law change that South Korea may follow suit; however, the government announced last year sentences of up to five years in prison for citizens who return to the country with cannabis in their systems! Malaysia and Japan also mooted the idea in 2022/2023, but nothing has changed since then, and these countries still have some of the strictest laws in the world.

Australia’s vote on the subject failed to pass in December of 2024, but it will be a country to keep an eye on, as may Ukraine, which has also discussed the idea.

While Ghana doesn’t arrest those caught with small amounts of weed, it is still prohibited in all African countries apart from South Africa, although there has been talk of reform in Mozambique and Eswatini.

No South American countries are currently planning to take the plunge, but there are a few places, such as Brazil and Colombia, that allow the personal possession and cultivation, although the legal sale of cannabis is still illegal.

If you live in one of the countries or places where you can get high without fear of reprisals from the law, rejoice, and spare a thought for the majority of us who can’t, yet. Though as the winds of change continue to blow through legislatures worldwide, that “yet” feels increasingly hopeful.