Cannabis in Iceland : All the news

History of Cannabis in Iceland

Cannabis was first banned in Iceland on October 14, 1969, through a regulation that added it to existing legislation against opium, in response to concerns about its growing popularity among young people. The ban was subsequently enshrined in law in 1974 with Act No. 65/1974 on Addictive Drugs and Narcotics, which remains in effect today.

Iceland’s official policy has long sought to reduce the use and sale of illicit drugs through prevention, punishment, and treatment, rather than through harm reduction, which was introduced later. The country has also made significant efforts to keep young people away from cannabis. Several police reports indicate that domestic production increased after the 2008 banking crisis, with cultivation sites becoming more widespread in rural areas, to the point where the market is reportedly close to self-sufficiency. Sales largely take place through closed groups on social media.

Iceland suffers from an exaggerated reputation. In 2015, an article in the Daily Mail claimed that Icelanders smoked more cannabis than anyone else, based on a misinterpretation of UN figures. According to a 2012 survey by the Icelandic Directorate of Health, 35.9 % of people aged 18 to 67 had tried cannabis at some point, but only 6.6 % had smoked it in the past year, placing the country 29th in the world—not at the top.

Cannabis Legislation in Iceland

Recreational cannabis: prohibited; fines for possession

Cannabis is illegal in Iceland. Use itself is not a criminal offense, but the possession of small amounts is prohibited by the 1974 law, and the most common penalty is a fine. This offense is handled by the police commissioner under a simplified procedure, which entails a fine not exceeding 500,000 Icelandic kronur. The fine follows a progressive scale: a base amount for possession, plus an additional amount per gram. The police must always determine whether the possession is for personal use or for sale, as sale always results in prosecution in court. In a 1996 version of the guidelines, 10 grams was the threshold above which sale was presumed.

More serious offenses (import, export, sale, purchase, exchange, distribution, production, and preparation) are prohibited under Section 2 of the law and carry a prison sentence. In practice, only the sale of marijuana results in prison sentences for possession. In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that the cultivation and production of 169 marijuana plants (including possession and processing) warranted an 18-month prison sentence; the three-year sentence handed down at the trial court level was reduced, in part due to the length of the proceedings.

Medical cannabis: Sativex, the only exception

As in Sweden, Norway, and Finland, medical cannabis is very strictly regulated in Iceland. The only cannabis-based medication that can be legally prescribed is the Sativex, used to treat spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis, and only by certified neurologists.

In 2023, following a debate in the Alþingi, a four-year pilot program—inspired by the Danish model—was proposed to authorize the medical use of cannabis, as well as the cultivation, production, and distribution of products for medical purposes. It was scheduled to begin on January 1, 2024, but, according to available sources, it had not been adopted by 2025.

CBD

CBD products are legal in Iceland as long as they do not contain any traces of THC.

News and Outlook

The debate in Iceland has broadened somewhat in recent years. The government has proposed decriminalizing the possession of drugs, including cannabis, for personal use, based on the premise that users are patients rather than offenders. The bill was intended to set a maximum amount that an adult could possess. However, the proposals for decriminalization and legalization put forward over the years have never secured a majority in Parliament. Key issues to watch include the fate of the decriminalization bill, the medical cannabis pilot program, and developments in the domestic market. Follow our News about cannabis in Iceland See below for updates to the law.