How to read a cannabis law page

Start with the source

A cannabis law page is only as good as the document behind it. The best pages link directly to the statute, regulation or regulator notice they describe, and say when the link was last checked. If a page gives a rule but no source, treat it as a lead, not an answer.

The six things to look for

1. Status: whether adult use, medical use, both or neither is allowed.
2. Minimum age: it can differ between adult-use and medical routes.
3. Possession and home rules: what you may hold, grow or give away, and the unit the law uses.
4. Where use is allowed: private homes, licensed venues, never in public, never while driving.
5. Medical pathway: who can recommend or prescribe, and how a patient registers.
6. Last checked: a date, and who checked it.

Warning signs

• No date, or a date years old.
• Summaries of "the law in Europe" or "in the US" as if one rule applied.
• Claims about what police "usually" do instead of what the law says.
• A page that mixes rules for cannabis flower, CBD products and hemp without saying which is which.

Local rules sit under national ones

In many countries a region, state, province or city adds its own rules on top of national law: where shops may open, where use is allowed, how much can be grown. Always check the most local level you will be in.

This site's approach

ganja.global explains how to read the law and points you to the primary source. It does not replace it, and it is not legal advice.