Cannabis Legalization World Map: March 2026 Updated

As of 2026, nearly 50 countries have legalized cannabis to some degree – for medical, adult-use, or both – with regulated commercial adult-use markets serving approximately 230 million people, primarily in the United States (where more than half the population resides in states with established legal adult-use markets), Canada (nationwide since 2018), and Uruguay (the first to fully legalize in 2013); in Europe, regulatory innovation continues through non-profit distribution models in Germany and Malta, limited home cultivation allowances in Czechia and Luxembourg, and government-led pilot programs for regulated adult-use production in Switzerland and the Netherlands; South Africa permits adult-use cannabis cultivation, possession, and consumption within private residences.

Our Interactive Cannabis Legalization World Map covers all countries and territories and is updated regularly.

Cannabis Legalization World Map

Countries that have legalized recreational use of cannabis are Canada, Chile, Georgia, Germany, Czechia,  Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, South Africa, Uruguay and 24 states, 3 territories, and the District of Columbia in the United States and the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. Commercial sales of recreational cannabis is legalized nationwide in two countries (Canada, Uruguay) and in all subnational U.S. jurisdictions that have legalized possession except Washington, D.C. 

Countries that have legalized medical use of cannabis include Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, Uganda, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Others have more restrictive laws that allow only the use of certain cannabis-derived pharmaceuticals. In the United States, 42 states, 4 territories, and the District of Columbia have legalized the medical use of cannabis, but at the federal level its use remains prohibited.

Global Cannabis Market

Spending on legal cannabis worldwide is expected to exceed $50 billion by 2028 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12% from 2020 and hit $57 billion by 2030. The cannabis market in the United States and Canada is estimated to be about $46.5 billion while the remaining $10.5 billion would go to other markets. The largest growth rate is predicted within the rest-of-world markets with a projected $2 billion in 2030.

Key Trends:

• The initial decision by many U.S. states and Canada to create medical-only cannabis regulations prompted many other countries to act similarly while legalization of adult recreational use in Canada and in nearly 50% of U.S. states triggered a second wave of legalizing laws internationally to increase access to cannabis products.
• Reports prepared by the London-based advisory group Prohibition Partners valued European legal cannabis sales at €516 million in 2023, and by 2025, sales had nearly tripled to €1.5 billion. Total legal cannabis sales in Europe are forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 50% to reach €2.5 billion by 2027.
• Oceania’s legal cannabis market is forecast to grow from about $100 million in 2021 to $1.2 billion in 2027, the 4th largest in the world. Australians spent around $234 million in 2022, and cannabis sales almost doubled in 2023, while 2025 sales exceeded AUD$1 billion.
• The size of the Latin America and the Caribbean (excl U.S. territories) cannabis market had an estimated market value of around $500 million in 2025 and is projected to be driven by Brazil, Mexico and Argentina with a CAGR of 20%. Those countries are expected to account for 12% of legal cannabis spending outside the U.S. and Canada.