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No, weed is not legal in Bolivia, for recreational or medical use. Cannabis and its resin are listed as controlled substances under Law 1008 of 1988, and Bolivian drug laws treat possession above a minimal personal amount as trafficking.
That brings a prison sentence of ten to twenty-five years. This guide explains how Bolivia’s cannabis laws work, the penalties, where medical cannabis and CBD stand, and the risks for visitors.
Is weed legal in Bolivia for recreational use?
Recreational weed is illegal in Bolivia. Law 1008, the Law on the Regime of Coca and Controlled Substances, lists cannabis and cannabis resin as controlled substances. Its penal articles are still the ones Bolivian courts apply.
Law 913 of 2017 rebuilt the institutions that fight drug trafficking, and a 2021 law made further institutional changes. Neither opened any legal space for cannabis. There is no recreational market and no licensed seller.
Coca often causes confusion here. Coca leaf has its own legal regime in Bolivia and is chewed and brewed as tea openly. That status says nothing about cannabis, which remains fully prohibited.
What are the penalties under Bolivia weed laws?
Penalties under Bolivia weed laws turn on one question: whether the amount counts as a minimal quantity for your own immediate use. Above that line, possession is treated as trafficking.
Article 48 of Law 1008 punishes trafficking with ten to twenty-five years in prison. Article 49 deals with users. A dependent or occasional user found with a minimal amount for immediate personal use is sent for compulsory treatment in a drug dependency institute.
There is no fixed gram figure for that minimal quantity. The law leaves it to the opinion of two specialists, decided case by case. Anything found to exceed it falls straight into the trafficking article.
For foreigners without permanent residence, Article 49 also applies Bolivia’s residence law.
Penalties at a glance
| Conduct | Governing law | General outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Minimal amount for immediate personal use | Law 1008, Art. 49 | Compulsory treatment in a drug dependency institute |
| Any amount above the minimal quantity | Law 1008, Arts. 48-49 | Treated as trafficking |
| Trafficking | Law 1008, Art. 48 | Ten to twenty-five years in prison |
| Foreign national without permanent residence | Law 1008, Art. 49 | Residence law applied |
Is medical marijuana legal in Bolivia?
No. Medical marijuana is not legal in Bolivia, and there is no programme, patient registry or prescribing route. Law 913 allows the health ministry to authorise limited use of controlled substances for scientific and medicinal research by institutions, not access for patients.
Change has been proposed but not passed. In April 2026 a deputy filed a bill to guarantee access to medical cannabis. An earlier Senate bill on medicinal cannabis also stalled. Until a law is enacted, patients have no legal route.
Is CBD legal in Bolivia?
There is no legal framework for CBD in Bolivia. No official position or THC threshold for CBD has been identified.
Spanish-language searches for CBD oil in Bolivia are common, but products sold that way sit outside any legal framework. Treat CBD as covered by the general cannabis ban, and do not bring it into the country.
Can you smoke weed in Bolivia as a tourist?
No. Visitors face exactly the same law as residents, and official travel advice is blunt. The UK Foreign Office warns in its Bolivia travel advice that carrying any amount of illegal drugs is considered trafficking under Bolivian law, and that prison conditions are very poor.
The US State Department says the same about any amount and describes Bolivian drug penalties as severe. Both lines simplify a law that allows treatment for minimal amounts, but the warning is the one to follow.
The Foreign Office also notes that the police narcotics division searches the bags of all departing international passengers. Coca leaves and tea are legal in Bolivia, but the US State Department warns that importing coca products into the United States is illegal.
The bottom line on cannabis in Bolivia
Weed is illegal in Bolivia for recreational and medical use, and CBD has no legal framework. A minimal amount for personal use leads to compulsory treatment, while anything above it is prosecuted as trafficking with a sentence of ten years or more.
Medical cannabis bills exist but none has passed. For visitors, cannabis in any amount is a serious risk best avoided entirely.
Last reviewed: October 1, 2026. Cannabis laws change frequently, always verify current rules with official sources before you travel.
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