Drugs: the rules for travellers in 148 countries (2026 list)

⚖️ How a charge is decided

• Almost every country separates use, possession and trafficking — and the line between them is a weight, not an intention.
• Being caught with several bags, a scale or cash next to the drug will usually reclassify "use" into "dealing".
• Carrying for a friend counts as your possession. There is no shared-responsibility defence.
• Buying is an offence in most countries even where using is not — including where consumption is decriminalised.

🚫 The mistakes that cost the most

• Crossing a border with anything, even from a country where it was legal to buy. Airports are the number one arrest point.
• Trusting a taxi driver, a beach seller or a club dealer — setups and police tip-offs are a business in tourist areas.
• Assuming a legal high sold in a shop is legal in the next country. HHC, kratom and nitrous change status constantly.
• Posting it. Mail and parcels are systematically scanned and lead straight back to the sender and the recipient.

🛃 At the border

• Several countries can test you on arrival and prosecute a positive result even if you consumed abroad.
• Residue in a grinder, a pipe or a pocket is enough for a possession charge in strict countries.
• Sniffer dogs work luggage carousels and arrival halls, not just security lines.
• Prescriptions for medical cannabis from your country are almost never recognised abroad.

🧭 If you are stopped

• Ask for your consulate immediately, and keep asking. It is a right under the Vienna Convention.
• Do not sign anything written in a language you do not read. Ask for an interpreter.
• Say as little as possible until a lawyer arrives — confessions given "to sort it out quickly" are used at trial.
• Note the time, place and the officers involved as soon as you can.

Which countries are strict on drugs?

120 countries rate drugs as banned or a serious risk for travellers: Albania, Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, China, Colombia, Cuba, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia (Bali), Ireland, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Macao, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Republic of Congo, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Somalia, South Korea, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE (Dubai), Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Which countries set limits on drugs?

28 countries allow it under conditions (age, place, quantity, permit): Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czechia, Ecuador, Estonia, Georgia, Germany, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Latvia, Lesotho, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland….

How do I check the rules for my destination before I fly?

Open LawsTravels: pick your destination, the topic “Drugs” shows the level, the thresholds and the penalties, offline. 3 topics are free on every country.