Cannabis — Maldives

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.