Is marijuana legal in Trinidad and Tobago, and how much can I have?

The limits, amount by amount

Cannabis is still a "dangerous drug" under the Dangerous Drugs Act (Chapter 11:25). Penalties on this page are maximums, and where a fine and prison are joined by "and", a court may impose either or both (Interpretation Act (Chapter 3:01), s 68(1), (3)).

• Up to 30 grammes of cannabis, or up to 5 grammes of resin: no offence (s 5(2)(f)).
• More than 30 and up to 60 grammes (resin: more than 5 and up to 10 grammes): an offence dealt with by a ticket. Fine up to TT$50,000 in court, with no prison term; if you cannot pay, the court may order 30 hours' community service (s 5(2A), (2C)).
• More than 60 and up to 100 grammes (resin: more than 10 and up to 14 grammes): an offence tried in the magistrates' court, with no ticket. Fine up to $75,000, with no prison term; if you cannot pay, the court may order 50 hours' community service (s 5(2B), (2D)).
• More than 100 grammes (resin: more than 14 grammes): up to $250,000 and 5 years in the magistrates' court, or $1,000,000 and 15 years on indictment (s 5(1)).
• More than 1 kilogramme (resin: more than 165 grammes): you are presumed to have it for trafficking unless you prove otherwise (s 5(9)(e)).

In edibles and other products, only the cannabis content counts (s 3(1)).

If the police give you a ticket

For the 30-to-60-gramme offence (resin: more than 5 and up to 10 grammes) and for smoking or using it in public, the police must issue a fixed penalty notice (a ticket) for $2,000 (s 5B(2), (16)). Pay within 14 days of the notice and you cannot be convicted (s 5B(12), (14)). If you do not pay, the notice becomes a summons to the magistrates' court (s 5B(5)).

Growing it at home

A person may cultivate or possess "not more than four growing plants" (s 5(2)(g), and s 5(3A) as inserted by the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 2019, s 6(e)). The allowance covers the plants while they are growing. Once harvested, the cannabis counts towards the possession limits above, so holding more than 30 grammes of the harvest is an offence (ss 3(1), 5(2)(f), (2A)). Growing more than four plants carries up to $750,000 and 10 years in the magistrates' court or, on indictment, a fine of $2,000,000 (or ten times the street value, if greater) or life imprisonment (s 5(3)). Whoever occupies or controls a house, room or vehicle where cannabis is found is deemed to possess it unless they prove it was there without their knowledge and consent (s 21). That matters in a shared home.

Where and how you use it

• In public. Smoking or using any amount in a public place is an offence: a $2,000 ticket, or up to $50,000 in court (s 5A(1)). The Minister may, by Order approved by Parliament, list public places where smoking is allowed, but none is known to have been made (s 5A(4)). The owner or manager of a public place must make you stop, and may remove you (s 5A(3)). A "public place" includes privately owned places open to the public, such as bars. A home not used for business is not one. Vaping counts as smoking (s 3(1)).
• Around children. Having any amount on a school bus, or on premises where children are present for education, sport or cultural activities, carries up to $250,000 and 5 years (s 5C(b)). Above the 30-gramme or 5-gramme allowance, having cannabis on or within 500 metres of "school premises" (which include nurseries, day-care centres, Children's Homes, colleges and universities, and their grounds) raises a presumption of trafficking, which carries up to life imprisonment (s 5(7)–(8)). Exposing a child to a dangerous drug, or giving one to a child other than on a doctor's order, is a separate offence (Children Act (Chapter 46:01), ss 35, 36).
• Under-18s. If the police reasonably believe a child has or is using cannabis, they must warn the child, take the child's and a parent's details and notify the Children's Authority at once (Children Act, s 38(1)(d)).
• Driving and work. Operating, or being in actual physical control of, a motor vehicle, aircraft or ship while under the influence of cannabis carries up to $250,000 and 5 years. So does negligence or professional misconduct while under its influence (s 5C(a), (c)). Driving under the influence of a drug is also an offence (Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act (Chapter 48:50), s 70). Unlike alcohol, cannabis has no fixed legal driving limit.

Selling, sharing and buying

Selling, giving or delivering cannabis to anyone, or offering to supply it, in any amount, is "trafficking" (s 3). So is importing it, including seeds that can germinate. It carries up to life imprisonment and a fine of up to $3,000,000, or ten times the street value if greater (s 5(4)–(5)).

The Cannabis Control Act 2022 would set up a licensing authority for medical, research and religious (sacramental) cannabis, including dispensaries (ss 4, 29). It was passed in 2022 but is not in force as at 22 September 2026: it needs a Proclamation (s 2). So no dispensary is licensed under that Act.