Is CBD legal in Angola?
- Legal status
- Controlled through what it contains rather than under its own name. Cannabidiol is not named in the tables and it is not one of the tetrahydrocannabinol isomers enumerated in table II-B. The cannabis plant itself is in table I-C, so plant material remains a table I-C substance whatever cannabinoid is extracted from it, and Lei n.º 3/99 sets no threshold that makes low tetrahydrocannabinol material lawful..
- Consequences if caught
- Cannabidiol is not named in the tables and it is not one of the tetrahydrocannabinol isomers enumerated in table II-B. The cannabis plant itself is in table I-C, so plant material remains a table I-C substance whatever cannabinoid is extracted from it, and Lei n.º 3/99 sets no threshold that makes low tetrahydrocannabinol material lawful. Trafficking is article 4.º of Lei n.º 3/99. Article 4(1) covers cultivating, producing, manufacturing, offering, selling, distributing, buying, transporting, importing, exporting or unlawfully holding a substance in tables I to III, and reads 'é punido com pena de prisão maior de 8 a 12 anos', in translation that it is punished with major imprisonment of 8 to 12 years. The Supreme Court states the same range in its own words: in Proc. n.º 4790/20 of 14 September 2023 it wrote 'O crime de estupefaciente e outras actividades ilícitas é punido com a pena abstrata de 8 (oito) a 12 (doze) anos de prisão'. Acting against an authorisation actually granted raises that to 12 to 16 years under article 4(2). Where the unlawfulness of the act is considerably diminished, article 8 gives 2 to 8 years instead. Where the sole purpose of that conduct is to obtain the substance for personal use, article 9(1) reduces the sentence to up to 2 years and a corresponding fine, but article 9(3) withdraws that relief once the quantity exceeds what is needed for five days of average individual consumption. Personal use is a separate crime and it has not been decriminalised. Article 23(1) reads 'Aquele que ilicitamente consumir ou, para o seu consumo, cultivar, adquirir ou detiver plantas, substâncias ou preparações compreendidas nas tabelas I a IV, é punido com pena de prisão até três meses', in translation that consuming, or growing, buying or holding for one's own consumption a substance in tables I to IV is punished with imprisonment of up to three months. Article 23(2) raises that to up to 1 year where the quantity exceeds what is needed for three days of average individual consumption. Angola has no administrative commission and no possession threshold that makes the conduct lawful. Angola is a Portuguese model jurisdiction that has not followed Portugal's decriminalisation. No death penalty.
- If prescribed or medical
- No recognised medical use in Angola through the ordinary prescription channel. Lei n.º 3/99 punishes a doctor or pharmacist who supplies a listed substance for a non therapeutic purpose under article 10.
- Documentation
- Carry any prescribed medicine in its original packaging with the prescription. Angola is outside the Schengen certificate scheme, so confirm import conditions for a controlled medicine with the Angolan authorities before travel.
- Lei n.º 3/99, de 6 de Agosto, arts. 4.º, 8.º, 9.º, 10.º and 23.º and the annexed tables (Diário da República de Angola, I Série, n.º 32, 6 de Agosto de 1999)
- Acórdão do Tribunal Supremo, 3.ª Secção da Câmara Criminal, Proc. n.º 4790/20, 14 de Setembro de 2023
- files.lex.ao
- tribunalsupremo.ao
Court records
We have not yet assessed whether court records are publicly available for this jurisdiction.
Other substances confirmed in Angola
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Angola’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 →
