Is Cannabis / THC legal in Sint Maarten (Netherlands)?
- Legal status
- Recreational cannabis is illegal under Sint Maarten's Opium National Ordinance of 1960 — a 2019 medical-cannabis authorization was announced but has not been brought into force, and that position is left to confirmation against the current ordinance; personal-use enforcement is relatively tolerant, but possession, sale and cultivation remain offences and the maximum penalty is imprisonment
- Consequences if caught
- Recreational cannabis is illegal in Sint Maarten under Sint Maarten's Opium National Ordinance of 1960; a 2019 medical-cannabis authorization was announced but has not been brought into force. Personal-use enforcement is relatively tolerant, but supply and cultivation remain offences. In Sint Maarten, drugs fall under the Opium National Ordinance of 1960, covering both hard and soft drugs. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise provision and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current ordinance. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal.
- If prescribed or medical
- There is no confirmed in-force medical-cannabis programme; carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
- Documentation
- In Sint Maarten, drugs fall under the Opium National Ordinance of 1960, covering both hard and soft drugs. Trafficking carries imprisonment together with a fine; the precise provision and penalty terms are left to confirmation against the current ordinance. The maximum penalty for a drug offence is imprisonment. This cell is sourced via the Library of Congress and the UNODC legal database (unodc.org/cld) pending a clean territory-primary statute portal. Cannabis is treated differently from other controlled drugs: recreational use is illegal, and a 2019 medical-cannabis authorization was announced but has not been brought into force (left to confirmation against the current ordinance). Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Sint Maarten (Netherlands)’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
Verify current rules with the destination country’s official drug authority and your own country’s embassy before traveling. Find the destination’s U.S. embassy & official country guidance →
Non-U.S. travelers: check your own government’s travel advisory and embassy.
If you’re detained or arrested abroad
Contact your own country’s embassy or consulate in the destination immediately — not the destination’s authorities. U.S. citizens: contact the nearest U.S. embassy/consulate and the U.S. State Department at +1-202-501-4444 (from abroad). If a U.S. citizen is arrested or detained abroad →