Cannabis is not fully legal in Panama. Recreational use, possession, and sale remain criminal offenses, while medical cannabis has been legal since 2021 under Law 242, with access tightly controlled through Panamanian prescriptions and licensed pharmacies. Foreign medical cannabis cards and prescriptions carry no weight at the border.
Recreational Use Is a Crime
Panama treats cannabis as a controlled substance under the United Nations’ 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. Growing it, selling it, buying it, or carrying it for recreational purposes is a criminal offense. There is no gram threshold that decriminalizes small amounts for personal use, and no bill in the legislature to change that. The Chambers and Partners legal guide notes there is “no current legal action or legislative appetite to decriminalise cannabis in Panama, much less promote its recreational use.”1Chambers and Partners. Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoid Regulation 2025 – Panama
Judges have some discretion when the amount is clearly for personal consumption. In those cases, fines or community service may replace prison. But “small amount” has no fixed definition in the statute, so the outcome depends entirely on how the court reads your situation.
What You Face If You’re Caught
Panama’s drug penalties are serious, and they scale with the apparent purpose of the possession.
- Importing, exporting, or moving drugs through Panamanian territory: 8 to 15 years in prison, increased by one-third to one-half if destined for sale or consumption inside Panama.2Organization of American States. Panama Drug Legislation – Law No 23 of 1986 and Law 13 of 1994
- Possession in quantities a court finds were intended for sale: 5 to 10 years.2Organization of American States. Panama Drug Legislation – Law No 23 of 1986 and Law 13 of 1994
- Growing cannabis plants, extracting or manufacturing cannabis products, or possessing chemical precursors: 5 to 10 years.2Organization of American States. Panama Drug Legislation – Law No 23 of 1986 and Law 13 of 1994
- Associating with others to commit drug crimes: 5 to 8 years, with leaders facing sentences increased by one-third to one-half.2Organization of American States. Panama Drug Legislation – Law No 23 of 1986 and Law 13 of 1994
Dispensing medical cannabis to someone who doesn’t have a prescription is both a regulatory violation that draws fines from the Ministry of Health (MINSA) and a criminal offense that can send the dispenser to prison.
Medical Cannabis Under Law 242
Panama legalized medical cannabis on October 13, 2021, through Law 242, which authorizes the regulated import, export, cultivation, production, and sale of cannabis products for therapeutic use. MINSA runs the system, from licensing producers to approving patient access.1Chambers and Partners. Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoid Regulation 2025 – Panama
Executive Decree 121 in September 2022 first put Law 242 into practice. Decree 6, published in April 2025, then rewrote key pieces of the framework. The old list of 23 qualifying medical conditions was eliminated, so any licensed physician or veterinarian can now prescribe cannabis for any condition they judge appropriate, without going through a medical board. The ban on using medical cannabis as a food ingredient was also lifted, which opened the door to edibles and beverages registered as food products.
How Patients Get a Prescription
You need a prescription from a licensed Panamanian physician. Before Decree 6, only specially certified doctors could prescribe, and only from the approved condition list. The current rules work the way Panama handles opioid prescriptions: any licensed doctor can write one, valid for up to 90 days.1Chambers and Partners. Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoid Regulation 2025 – Panama
Patients must register in the National Medical Cannabis Registry, now part of a program called PNEUCAM, and renew every two years. The registry is not yet fully operational. MINSA is still working out enrollment criteria, including how non-citizens apply and what identification patients will need when filling prescriptions.
Where to Fill It
As of February 2026, MINSA has granted seven retail licenses for medical cannabis. The first pharmacy dedicated entirely to cannabis products opened that month; other licensees plan to distribute through existing pharmacies that already hold the required permits. MINSA maintains a page listing which pharmacies carry authorized products. Nothing is sold over the counter — a prescription is required, including for CBD products.
Products That Are and Aren’t Allowed
Fabrication licensees can produce flowers, edibles, pills, beverages, and topicals containing 1% or more THC for medicinal use.1Chambers and Partners. Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoid Regulation 2025 – Panama Decree 6 bans vaporizers containing medical cannabis. Beverages that mix cannabis with alcohol are prohibited, except where alcohol is used only as a solvent in manufacturing. Products shaped like animals, people, or fruits — anything that could appeal to minors — are banned. All advertising and marketing is prohibited; only non-brand educational material is allowed.
CBD and Hemp
CBD products sit in a separate legal category. Products containing cannabidiol with THC below 1% are not controlled substances in Panama.1Chambers and Partners. Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoid Regulation 2025 – Panama Before Decree 6, CBD was the only cannabinoid the regulations treated as non-controlled, and it could appear in edibles as long as the final product stayed under 1% THC. Decree 6 broadened that by lifting the general prohibition on cannabis as a food ingredient.
Hemp is governed separately by Law 464, passed on March 24, 2025. The law covers the production, sale, and export of hemp, defined as cannabis with a THC concentration no higher than 1% by dry weight. The Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MICI) handles production and processing authorizations, while MINSA supervises any hemp products meant for human consumption. Implementing regulations have not been issued yet, so there is still uncertainty about how hemp businesses will be licensed day to day.1Chambers and Partners. Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoid Regulation 2025 – Panama
Can Travelers Bring Cannabis In?
No. Panama does not recognize foreign medical cannabis cards or prescriptions. Carrying any cannabis product through customs, even in small quantities and even with documentation from your home country, risks confiscation and criminal charges for drug importation. Ordering cannabis products for mail delivery into Panama counts as illegal importation too.
The only legal way cannabis crosses the border is business-to-business between licensed companies, with every shipment declared and approved by Panamanian authorities before it moves. Fabrication licensees that want to export have to be based in a tax-free commercial zone and hold a separate distribution agency license.1Chambers and Partners. Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoid Regulation 2025 – Panama
Where Patients Still Can’t Use It
A valid prescription doesn’t let you use cannabis anywhere. Decree 6 bans use in public places and in workplaces unless the employer specifically allows it. People in high-risk professions are barred from medical cannabis entirely. Patients also can’t combine cannabis with alcohol or other substances.