Cannabis — Panama

Cannabis is illegal in Panama for any use other than an official medical prescription, and possessing even a small amount for your own use is a criminal offence. There is no published gram limit you can rely on — Panama's forensic institute decides case by case, after you have been arrested, whether the amount counts as "small". Bringing cannabis into Panama is a separate and much more serious offence, and it applies even if you are only changing planes.

Penal Code article 320: unlawfully buying or possessing drugs for personal consumption in small quantity — 50 to 250 day-fines, or weekend arrest, or community service; where the person is physically or psychologically dependent and the small quantity is shown to be for personal use, a security measure is imposed instead. Article 321: unlawful possession in circumstances objectively showing it is not for consumption — 8 to 12 years' imprisonment. Article 313: introducing drugs into the national territory, even in transit — 10 to 15 years' imprisonment, reduced to 2 to 4 years or the equivalent in day-fines or curative measures where the small quantity and other circumstances unequivocally establish personal consumption. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office states that you can receive a prison sentence for possessing even a small quantity, and that sentencing may take up to 2 years, during which you are likely to be detained.