Cannabis — Maldives

El cannabis es ilegal en Maldivas, y una cantidad pequeña no recibe un trato indulgente. Consumir cannabis se castiga con tres años de prisión y, como la ley presume que quien no es una persona drogodependiente posee incluso 5 gramos o menos para comerciar, un visitante sorprendido con una cantidad pequeña se enfrenta a un cargo de comercio de 15 años en lugar de un simple cargo por posesión. La rehabilitación en lugar de la cárcel la decide el Tribunal de Drogas después de que le detengan y le acusen, así que no es algo con lo que un viajero pueda contar.

Original (EN): Cannabis is illegal in the Maldives, and a small amount is not treated leniently. Using cannabis carries three years in prison, and because the law presumes that a person who is not drug-dependent holds even 5 grams or less for trade, a visitor caught with a small amount faces a trading charge carrying 15 years rather than a simple possession charge. Rehabilitation instead of prison is decided by the Drug Court after you are arrested and charged, so it is not something a traveller can rely on.

Under the Drugs Act (Law No. 17/2011): using cannabis is punishable by 3 years' imprisonment (s.113); trading in cannabis by 15 years plus a fine of MVR 25,000 to MVR 500,000 (s.108); peddling cannabis by 5 to 10 years plus a fine of MVR 15,000 to MVR 250,000 (s.107); and trafficking cannabis by life imprisonment, which the Act defines as 25 years, plus a fine of MVR 100,000 to MVR 10,000,000 (s.106). As amended by Law No. 28/2025, importing or exporting drugs carries 20 years plus a fine of MVR 75,000 to MVR 7,500,000, and the death penalty may be imposed where a person brings more than 350 grams of cannabis into the country at the time of entry. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office states that the Maldivian authorities have a zero-tolerance policy and that possessing drugs even in very small quantities can lead to arrest and detention, long prison sentences, and corporal punishment in some cases.