Is Weed Legal in Latvia? Understanding Latvia Cannabis and Marijuana Laws (2026)

Recreational cannabis is illegal in Latvia. There is no licensed adult-use market or personal marijuana home-grow allowance. However, Latvian law distinguishes small personal-use offenses from more serious crimes, permits specified hemp cultivation, and treats authorized medicines separately from illicit cannabis.

These distinctions matter for residents and visitors. A small quantity is not a legal possession allowance, and an industrial-hemp THC threshold does not make CBD foods or cannabis flower lawful. Neighboring countries also have their own rules; see our guides to Estonia and Lithuania.

Is Cannabis Decriminalized in Latvia?

Latvia has a statutory administrative route for qualifying small personal-use offenses. This is written into law, rather than merely an informal police practice. Section 48 of the controlled-substances law provides a warning or 10–56 fine units for unauthorized small-quantity acquisition or storage, or unauthorized drug use. A fine unit is €5, making the fine €50–€280.

The administrative penalty includes a written warning about criminal liability if unauthorized use, or small-quantity acquisition or storage, is repeated within one year after that penalty. Calling this simply a “second offense within 12 months” misses the formal penalty-and-warning requirement. Cannabis remains prohibited despite this limited administrative treatment.

What Counts as a Small Amount?

The current statutory schedule sets different thresholds for different forms of cannabis. These are classification thresholds, not amounts that people may legally possess.

Mixtures have additional rules. Do not apply the dried-flower threshold to an extract or edible, or assume that an amount above the small threshold must also qualify as “large.”

Criminal Penalties for Possession and Supply

Under Criminal Law sections 253–253.2, repeat small personal-use conduct after the required warning can bring short-term detention, probation supervision, community service or a fine. Ordinary unlawful possession without supply intent carries up to three years or alternatives; large amounts or a group acting by prior agreement carry three to ten years.

Small-quantity supply has a specific provision carrying up to three years or alternatives. The general supply offense carries two to eight years; a group acting by prior agreement, three to ten; and an organized group, large quantities or other specified aggravating circumstances, five to fifteen. Thus, “dealing any quantity means two to eight years” is inaccurate. These are statutory ranges, not predictions of an individual sentence.

Is Medical Cannabis Legal in Latvia?

Latvia has no general medical-marijuana dispensary program or patient entitlement to cannabis flower. Nevertheless, saying that every cannabis-related medicine is prohibited is too broad. The controlled-substance schedules place dronabinol in Schedule II, which covers substances allowed for medical and scientific purposes under the applicable controls.

Separately, the cannabidiol medicine Epidyolex has EU authorization for specified seizure disorders. That does not establish local stock, reimbursement or suitability for another condition. Patients should ask their doctor and a Latvian pharmacy about the exact medicine and lawful supply route, rather than treating a foreign cannabis card as domestic authorization.

Is CBD Legal in Latvia?

CBD legality depends on the product and its intended use. Latvia’s Food and Veterinary Service explicitly states that cannabinoid-containing hemp extracts, including CBD, may not be marketed as food ingredients, including food supplements. An online listing, foreign manufacture or “low THC” label does not override that restriction.

Ordinary hemp-seed foods, CBD extracts, cosmetics and prescription medicines belong to different regulatory categories. Do not assume that a product sold as a cosmetic is authorized for ingestion or that an absence of medical claims makes a CBD supplement legal. Check the exact composition and category with the responsible Latvian authority.

Is Hemp Cultivation Legal?

Yes, within national conditions. The Agriculture Ministry’s hemp guidance explains the industrial cultivation route using certified seed from the EU common variety catalogue or officially tested conservation-variety seed. Section 6 of the controlled-substances law also allows specified hemp for horticultural purposes, while requiring open-field cultivation and prohibiting indoor or covered growing.

The European Commission’s 0.3% THC rule concerns eligibility of hemp areas for Common Agricultural Policy payments. It is not a uniform EU authorization for all cannabis products. A lawful crop does not automatically authorize cannabinoid extraction, food supplements or recreational flower sales.

Can You Grow Marijuana at Home?

There is no recreational marijuana plant allowance. The permitted hemp categories should not be confused with marijuana cultivation for personal use. Criminal Law section 256 provides up to two years or alternatives for unauthorized sowing or growing of narcotic-containing plants; large areas or organized-group conduct carry up to five years or alternatives.

What Should Visitors Know?

Visitors have no recreational purchase exemption. Bringing a product from a country where it is legal does not make it lawful in Latvia.

For prescribed medicines, consult the State Agency of Medicines’ travel requirements before departure. Controlled medicines have separate documentation and quantity rules: its non-Schengen guidance distinguishes a 14-day course for Schedule II medicines from 30 days for Schedule III medicines. Schengen travel uses the relevant certificate procedure. These rules are not blanket permission to bring cannabis flower or an unapproved oil.

Final Thoughts

Latvia’s rules combine prohibited recreational cannabis, administrative handling of qualifying small offenses, criminal penalties for other conduct, and limited lawful hemp and medicine pathways. The practical question is the exact substance, product, quantity and authorization involved. Political proposals should not be treated as enacted access rights.