Is Cannabis / THC legal in Tanzania?

Also known as: weed, marijuana

Legal status

Controlled by name. The First Schedule of the Drug Control and Enforcement Act Cap 95 R.E. 2023 carries the entry «Cannabis and cannabis resin and extracts and tinctures of cannabis», so the plant, its resin and its extracts and tinctures are scheduled under that Act.

Consequences if caught

Capital exposure: none. The dossier records that no death penalty is stated in Cap 95. Under section 15 life imprisonment is mandatory for trafficking more than 100 kg of cannabis or khat, and section 16 sets at least 30 years below that threshold, as the dossier's penalty summary records. The previous cell, sourced to the Drug Control and Enforcement Act No. 5 of 2015 as amended by Act No. 15 of 2017, also recorded the Act's cultivation offence under section 11 at not less than 30 years, and small-quantity possession under section 17 and use as carrying imprisonment. Those two points are carried forward from the previous cell, not re-read in this pass against the 2023 Revised Edition. The record this cell rests on states no separate band for import, export, sale or manufacture, and none is given here. The previous cell also recorded that Tanzania has no legal recreational regime for cannabis, and nothing in the dossier row contradicts that.

If prescribed or medical

The source this cell rests on, the Cap 95 First Schedule as quoted in the dossier, does not state a prescription route for cannabis.

Documentation

The dossier row was checked on 20 September 2026 against the official 2023 Revised Edition at the Office of the Solicitor General eLibrary, quoting the entry «Cannabis and cannabis resin and extracts and tinctures of cannabis» and citing sections 14 to 16. Section 14(2) lets the Minister amend the First Schedule by notice in the Gazette, and the dossier records that the 2023 Revised Edition does not certify that no later Gazette notice exists. The record does not state a traveller permit or import document rule for cannabis.

Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Tanzania’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.