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No, weed is not legal in Iran. Cannabis, marijuana and hashish are illegal for every purpose, and using them is a criminal offence in its own right.
Penalties for use include fines, prison and flogging, and serious drug trafficking can still carry the death penalty. This guide explains Iran’s cannabis laws, how the penalties work, the medical and CBD position, and why visitors face serious risk.
Is weed legal in Iran for recreational use?
Recreational weed is illegal in Iran. Cannabis is controlled under Iran’s Anti-Narcotics Law, adopted in the late 1980s and amended several times since, most significantly in 2017. There is no legal market, no tolerated quantity and no private-use exception.
Iran’s approach differs from many countries in one important respect. The law punishes drug use itself, not just possession or supply, and Amnesty International has documented that it made addiction a crime.
Marijuana and hashish are both prohibited under Iranian law. Whatever form the cannabis takes, it is treated as a narcotic.
Enforcement is active. Iran shares a long border with Afghanistan and sits on a major drug trafficking route, and penalties for importing and possessing drugs are both severe and enforced.
What are the penalties under Iran weed laws?
Penalties under Iran weed laws rise with the conduct and the quantity, from fines and flogging for use up to the death penalty for the most serious trafficking. Iran is one of the few countries where drug trafficking can still end in execution.
For users, the law provides fines, imprisonment and flogging. The UN has recorded flogging sentences being imposed for drug use and petty dealing, some of which were reportedly carried out. Addicts who are registered with recognised treatment centres have some protection from prosecution, but that route is for dependence, not casual use.
The 2017 amendment narrowed the death penalty but did not abolish it. It raised the quantity thresholds for a capital sentence, replaced many death sentences with prison terms of up to 30 years, and applied retroactively.
Death remains available above those thresholds, and regardless of quantity for armed trafficking, leading a trafficking network, involving children, or reoffending after a previous long sentence.
Executions for drug offences remain at a very high level. Amnesty International recorded at least 2,159 executions in Iran in 2025, of which 998 were for drug-related offences. Iran does not publish official figures, so these counts come from human rights monitors.
Penalties at a glance
| Conduct | Governing law | General penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Use of cannabis or hashish | Anti-Narcotics Law, as amended | Fines, prison and flogging |
| Possession and small-scale dealing | Anti-Narcotics Law, as amended | Prison, fines and flogging |
| Trafficking in large quantities | Anti-Narcotics Law, as amended 2017 | Long prison terms of up to 30 years; death above statutory thresholds for some drugs |
| Armed trafficking, leading a network, involving children | Anti-Narcotics Law, as amended 2017 | Death penalty available regardless of quantity |
The 2017 thresholds are published for opium and heroin. The equivalent thresholds for hashish and herbal cannabis could not be verified from the statute, so they are not printed here.
Is medical marijuana legal in Iran?
Medical marijuana is not legal in Iran. No medical cannabis programme, licensing route or approved cannabis medicine could be identified from any official or reputable source.
This is worth stating clearly because some English-language pages, including earlier versions of this one, have claimed Iran runs a legal medical cannabis programme through licensed pharmacies. No government source or reputable report supports that claim.
There has been academic and religious debate in Iran about the medical use of cannabis, but debate is not law. A foreign prescription for a cannabis medicine has no standing in Iran.
Is CBD legal in Iran?
No Iranian authority has published a position on CBD, and there is no THC threshold that separates hemp products from cannabis. The honest answer is that CBD has no recognised legal status in Iran.
Given how strictly Iran treats cannabis, the only sensible assumption is that CBD products fall under the general ban. Carrying a CBD oil or vape into Iran risks it being treated as a narcotic.
Can you smoke weed in Iran as a tourist?
No, and the consequences for visitors can be severe. Foreign nationals are prosecuted under the same Anti-Narcotics Law as Iranians. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office states that many people convicted of drug offences, including foreign nationals, have been executed.
The FCDO’s Iran travel advice also warns that for British-Iranian dual nationals, the UK government will not be notified of a detention or given permission to visit.
The US State Department rates Iran at its highest warning level, Do Not Travel. It states that Iran executes many people each year on drug-related charges, and that offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines for possession, use or trafficking.
Consular help in Iran is extremely limited, and some governments have no in-person consular presence there at all. A visitor arrested on a drug charge may have very little outside support while the case is decided.
The bottom line on cannabis in Iran
Weed is illegal in Iran for every purpose under the Anti-Narcotics Law, and using it is a crime punishable by fines, prison and flogging.
The 2017 amendment narrowed the death penalty, but serious drug trafficking can still lead to execution, and drug executions remain very high. There is no medical programme and no recognised CBD status. For anyone travelling to Iran, carrying or using any cannabis product is a risk not worth taking.
Last reviewed: September 30, 2026. Cannabis laws change frequently, always verify current rules with official sources before you travel.
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