Is Marijuana Legal in Armenia?

Marijuana is illegal for all uses in Armenia.

Possession, cultivation, and sales can lead to criminal charges and penalties. Additionally, Armenia’s conservative culture broadly condemns cannabis use from a moral standpoint. Despite the laws and social criticism, marijuana use remains popular amongst the progressive population. In fact, Armenian citizens reportedly cultivate cannabis plants and process them into hashish for local consumption. Still, people who cultivate or smoke weed in Armenia do so at the risk of severe penalties.

Medical Marijuana Laws in Armenia

Armenia has a long history of cannabis cultivation, which makes sense considering weed grows naturally in the country’s mountainous regions. However, the current government still denounces the plant and thus has no legislation governing medical marijuana use.

Rather, Armenia has strict laws against all drugs, including marijuana. People who travel to Armenia and break these laws can be detained while investigations proceed and receive severe prison sentences if found guilty. The country also prohibits receiving packages of marijuana, even in small amounts.

Harsh laws don’t necessarily mean strict enforcement in all cases. “The Definitive Guide” to Cannabis in Yerevan, Armenia, claims that people often smoke weed publicly without an issue (although we would not recommend testing this out). According to the article, cops might confiscate the stash but likely won’t arrest the smoker unless the individual has more than 60 grams in possession.

Some sources also suggest that Armenia has softened its stance on cannabis, preferring heavy fines and lower prison terms (an average of two months) for possession of low amounts intended for personal use. However, this does not necessarily reflect in official policy, and those caught using cannabis may still face harsh penalties and prison sentences.

What to Know About About Medical Cannabis in Armenia

Unlike the United States, Armenian leaders have made no attempts to legalize medical cannabis in the country. Producing, selling, and possessing medicinal marijuana products are banned nationwide.

The Political Landscape

In 2019, Armenian people began discussing the possibility of decriminalizing marijuana in the country. However, the Minister of Healthcare, Arsen Torosyan, quickly denied these rumors, stating in a Facebook post,

“There isn’t, and there cannot be any initiative on free sale, circulation and use of narcotics….I will personally veto any such kind of initiative as long as I am a Cabinet member if something like this will cross anyone’s mind.”

Armenia’s current Minister of Healthcare, Anahit Avanesyan, has not made any further statements on the matter. For the time being, Armenian politicians show no signs of changing the country’s official policy on marijuana use of any kind.

Still, the growing rumor and the need to address marijuana policy on a popular social media channel indicates that the country could gradually move towards a more open stance.

Armenia’s recent hemp rules and psychotropic drug licensing program could also signal a shift toward a more relaxed society.

Industrial Hemp Laws and CBD Oil Access

Hemp was one of Armenia’s primary crops for textile production during the Soviet era, yet Armenians couldn’t cultivate the crop until recently.

In 2021, Armenia finally legalized industrial hemp production, manufacturing, sale, and export. As part of its Economic Response program, the Ministry of the Economy determined industrial hemp cultivation, primarily for thread, textiles, paper, paints, cosmetics, and other products, could create jobs and generate high income through local demand and European exports.

Bill G-963 states that hemp crops can contain no more than 0.3% THC, similar to the U.S. Farm Bill. Each licensed company can produce no more than 20,000 tons of hemp flower and no more than 20,000 tons of CBD oil annually. Additionally, the legislation requires growers to report expected CBD levels before production.

Bill G-963 doesn’t explicitly legalize CBD oil for consumption. However, Armenian Reddit users claim that CBD oil is easy to find through Russian marketplace delivery services like Wildberries or local stores like Go Green.

Psychotropic Drug Laws

The Republic of Armenia has strict drug laws regarding possession, use, and recreational marijuana sales. Still, the Republic of Armenia Law On Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances creates a framework for organizations to study these compounds for scientific research or medical purposes:

“The cultivation of the new narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances shall be undertaken only according to the state orders and shall be delegated to the scientific research organizations under the availability of a license for the specified activity. If such cultivated narcotic drug or psychotropic substance is assumed to be used for medical purposes, then its clinical trial shall be undertaken in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Armenia.”

Legal entities that want to engage in licensed activities must have at least 20 million Armenian drams as charter capital and employ people who have not committed drug offenses. Applicants must submit a business plan and meet particular conditions.

This law does not legalize medical marijuana. However, theoretically, an organization could attain a license to study cannabinoids and create government-approved drugs similar to Dronabinol or Epidiolex in the U.S.

Is it Legal to Grow Cannabis in Armenia?

Armenian citizens cannot grow cannabis for personal medical or recreational use. Only organizations with significant capital can potentially receive a license to grow cannabis for research purposes or hemp for industrial use.

The Bottom Line

Marijuana remains banned in all forms in Armenia, with possession, cultivation, and sales leading to criminal charges and penalties. Although a growing progressive population in Armenia supports cannabis use, they do so at their own peril.

Medical marijuana is also banned, and there are no significant attempts to legalize it in the country. However, the recent legalization of industrial hemp production and the licensing program for psychotropic drugs could indicate a shift towards a more open society in the future. In the meantime, it is best to think of cannabis in Armenia as being “very illegal.”