Is Marijuana Legal in Antigua? 15-Gram Rule and Penalties

Marijuana is not fully legal in Antigua and Barbuda, but it has been decriminalized for small personal amounts and legalized for medical and religious use under license. Adults 18 and over can hold up to 15 grams without facing criminal charges, and households can grow up to four plants, but selling cannabis without a license, smoking it in public, driving under its influence, and carrying it across the border all remain offenses.¹²

The 15-Gram Personal Possession Rule

Section 6A of the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Act, 2018 states that a person holding 15 grams or less of cannabis or cannabis resin “is not guilty of an offence,” and no penalty under the Act applies at or below that threshold.¹ That means no arrest, no fine, no criminal record for that quantity. The rule applies to citizens and visitors alike, provided you are 18 or older.²

Decriminalization is narrow. It does not let you buy cannabis from an unlicensed seller, sell it yourself, or carry more than 15 grams. Anything above the limit falls back under the principal Misuse of Drugs Act, which carries fines and possible imprisonment.

Where You Can Actually Smoke It

How much you hold is one question; where you light it up is another. The Cannabis Act bans smoking cannabis in public places, including bars, restaurants, and government buildings.² Consumption is generally restricted to private residences or designated open areas within certain tourist establishments.

Breaking the public-use rule can cost up to EC$2,000, roughly US$740.³ Enforcement does happen, especially in tourist areas. Confirm with your hotel or villa whether their property allows it before you assume a balcony or beach is fair game.

Growing Cannabis at Home

Each household can grow up to four cannabis plants for personal use.² The cap is per household, not per adult. Two adults living together still share the four-plant limit. Growing more than that without a commercial or religious license is unlicensed cultivation and carries penalties under the Act.

Medical Cannabis for Patients and Visitors

Qualified medical patients can possess substantially more than the recreational limit: up to two ounces (about 56 grams) of dried flower or 14 grams of extract.² Patients must be at least 18, though a physician can authorize treatment for a younger patient on a case-by-case basis. Medical cannabis is dispensed through licensed dispensaries, including Grow Antigua and Pineapple Road Antigua, which also issue cannabis cards.⁴

Visitors can apply too. The Medicinal Cannabis Authority issues a “Meds Card” to tourists through an online evaluation form, a recommendation from a medical professional licensed in Antigua and Barbuda, a photo, and the applicable fee; you then pick up the card from a dispensary or the MCA office.⁵ You need your passport bio-page, your address on the island (or cruise ship name and port of entry), and the length of your stay.

One point that catches U.S. visitors: a medical card from your home state has no legal effect in Antigua and Barbuda. If you want the higher patient allowance, you need the local card.

Religious Use

The law recognizes the sacramental traditions of the Rastafari and Hindu faiths. Members of registered religious organizations from those communities can apply for a license that allows cultivation in a private dwelling, worship use at home or at an approved place of worship, and transport between those locations.⁶ The government began granting these licenses to the Rastafarian community in 2023. The religious license does not cover selling cannabis.

Driving and Operating Vehicles

Decriminalization does not cover impaired driving. The Cannabis Act prohibits being in actual physical control of a motor vehicle, aircraft, or boat while under the influence of cannabis, and it bans consuming cannabis inside any motor vehicle entirely.⁷ The statute does not set a specific blood-THC level; the standard is simply impairment. The same section covers performing any task while impaired where doing so would amount to negligence or professional misconduct, which gives employers and licensing boards their own grounds to act.

Bringing Cannabis In or Taking It Out

This is where visitors most often run into real trouble. Decriminalization applies to possession inside Antigua and Barbuda. It does not apply at the border. Importing cannabis without a license is illegal, and attempting to leave the country with it can result in criminal charges. In one reported case, a U.S. visitor was fined $1,000 after cannabis was found in his luggage at V.C. Bird International Airport, with a 30-day prison term as the alternative if the fine went unpaid.

Going the other way is no better. U.S. Customs and Border Protection enforces a blanket prohibition on cannabis imports regardless of what was legal where you boarded. Returning to the United States with any amount gets the product and paraphernalia seized, and you face federal civil penalties of up to $1,000.⁸ Officers can also refer the case for state or local prosecution. Declaring the item before inspection usually lets you surrender it without further consequences; undeclared cannabis found during a search creates a much bigger problem. The safe move is to buy only what you plan to consume on the island, and bring nothing to the airport.

Penalties at a Glance

Possession of 15 grams or less: not a criminal offense. No arrest, fine, or record.¹
Possession over 15 grams without a medical card or license: prosecuted under the principal Misuse of Drugs Act, with possible fines and imprisonment.
Public consumption: fines up to EC$2,000.³
Unlicensed sale or trafficking: a serious criminal offense carrying fines and imprisonment.
Import or export without a license: criminal charges apply regardless of the quantity, and unlicensed export is specifically prohibited.³
Driving under the influence: prohibited, with added liability if impairment leads to an accident or professional misconduct.⁷

The pattern is consistent: small personal amounts in private are left alone, licensed medical and religious use is protected, and anything involving sales, borders, public spaces, or vehicles still carries real legal risk.

1
Laws.gov.ag. Misuse of Drugs Amendment Act 2018
2
Government of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Barbuda Code The Cannabis Act 2018
3
Government of Antigua and Barbuda. Cannabis Regulations 2019
4
Antigua and Barbuda Medicinal Cannabis Authority. Our Mandate
5
Antigua and Barbuda Medicinal Cannabis Authority. Patient Access Steps
6
United States Department of State. 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom: Antigua and Barbuda
7
Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs. The Cannabis Bill 2018
8
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. CBP Reminds Public That All Marijuana Imports Are Prohibited