Cannabis — Saudi Arabia
What travelers need to know about cannabis in Saudi Arabia. What is legal at home can be a serious crime here — each rule links to its official source.
Cannabis in Saudi Arabia: prohibited — what is legal at home can be a serious crime here.
Cannabis is illegal in Saudi Arabia and there is no medical or CBD exception. Possessing or using it for yourself carries a prison sentence of six months to two years, and six months is the minimum, not the maximum. A non-Saudi convicted of any drug offence is deported after serving the sentence and permanently barred from returning, apart from Hajj and Umrah. Smuggling is a separate and far graver offence that carries the death penalty on the face of the law, with no quantity threshold at all.
Possession or use for personal use: six months to two years in prison. Deportation of a convicted non-Saudi is mandatory and the re-entry ban is permanent, apart from Hajj and Umrah. Smuggling carries the death penalty. Possession or transport with intent to traffic or promote carries five to fifteen years with lashes and a fine.
§ Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) — Law of Combating Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Royal Decree M/39, 1426 AH) and its Executive Regulation, official Arabic-English textVerified Aug 21, 2026