Cannabis in Jamaica

Jamaica did not legalize ganja; it took small amounts out of the criminal courts and built a licensed medical industry beside them. The Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 2015 came into operation on 15 April 2015. Since then, having 2 ounces (about 57 g) or less is not an arrestable offense: police may issue a fixed-penalty ticket of J$500, payable at a tax office within 30 days, and it leaves no criminal record, according to the Ministry of Justice fact sheet on the Act. More than 2 ounces is still a crime. People under 18, or adults who appear dependent, are also referred to the National Council on Drug Abuse.

Smoking is treated like tobacco. It is banned in public places and within five meters of them, a category the ministry defines broadly (sidewalks, bus stops, restaurants, workplaces, parks). Smoking in a private home is not an offense. Each household may grow up to five plants. Rastafarians may use ganja as a sacrament at registered places of worship, and events held to observe the faith can be declared exempt.

The legal supply chain runs through the Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA), an agency of the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce. It licenses cultivators, processors, transporters, researchers and three kinds of retailer: herb houses with a consumption area, herb houses without one, and therapeutic-services (spa) outlets. The CLA's website showed 196 licences issued in September 2026, and its leadership told the Jamaica Observer in August 2026 that 110 retailers were registered. Sales are legally for medical, therapeutic or scientific purposes, so herb houses ask for a doctor's recommendation, a foreign medical card or a visitor permit.

Visitors who do not ordinarily live in Jamaica may apply for a Ministry of Health permit to buy and hold up to 2 ounces at a time, showing a recommendation from a doctor at home or signing a voluntary declaration; a fee applies. In April 2026 the government launched amendments that let licensed retailers deliver to customers and created fee-free special permits to bring traditional farmers into the licensed system. The same package standardized licence terms at three years and introduced ID cards for industry workers.

Hemp, defined as a plant with under 1% THC, sits outside the ganja rules but still needs a CLA licence to grow or trade. Taking ganja out of Jamaica is not allowed, and the destination country's law applies on arrival. This page is general information, not legal advice.