A small number of countries continue to authorize the death penalty for nonviolent cannabis-related crimes.
In these nations, anti-narcotics laws prescribe capital punishment for cannabis possession with intent to traffic or smuggling above certain quantities. Below is a country-by-country deep dive, distinguishing between jurisdictions that actively enforce these laws (having carried out executions or regularly sentenced offenders to death) and those that retain the laws on the books but have not enforced them in recent years. We also note recent reforms, debates, or moratoriums that affect the status of these harsh penalties.
Actively Enforcing the Death Penalty for Cannabis Offenses
China:
China imposes some of the world’s harshest drug laws, and cannabis trafficking is punishable by death under broad provisions for “especially serious” narcotics offenses. Chinese criminal law mandates 15 years to life or execution for smuggling or trafficking large quantities of drugs. While exact thresholds for cannabis are not publicly detailed, 50 grams of heroin or methamphetamine is enough to trigger a capital charge, and “large quantities” of other narcotics (a category that includes cannabis) likewise qualify. China regularly carries out executions for drug crimes (often timed around the U.N. anti-drug day), but official figures are secret. Hundreds of drug offenders are believed to be executed annually – including for cannabis trafficking. These executions, often by firing squad or lethal injection, have included foreign nationals and are typically for major smuggling operations.
Iran:
Iran long ranked second in the world for drug-related executions, with cannabis explicitly included in its capital drug laws. Until recently, possession of more than 5 kg of opium or 30 g of heroin could yield a death sentence. In 2017, Iran’s parliament amended the Anti-Narcotics Law to raise the thresholds and restrict capital punishment. Now, only trafficking over 50 kg of opium or cannabis (or 2 kg of heroin, 3 kg of methamphetamine, etc.) is eligible for execution. This reform spared thousands on death row and was meant to curb executions for minor drug crimes. Nonetheless, Iran still actively enforces the death penalty against high-volume drug traffickers. Repeat offenders or those armed in commission of drug crimes also remain death-eligible under the amended law. Iran continues to execute many people for narcotics – over 250 drug offenders were executed in 2022 and more than 450 in 2023. These are largely cases involving heroin or meth, but cannabis smuggling on a sufficient scale (50+ kg) could still result in execution.
Saudi Arabia:
Saudi Arabia’s interpretation of Sharia law classifies drug trafficking – including cannabis or hashish smuggling – as a capital offense, usually dealt with at the judge’s discretion. The kingdom’s anti-drug laws provide for the death penalty for smugglers. In practice, Saudi courts frequently hand down death sentences for drug trafficking, and executions are typically carried out by public beheading. After a brief unofficial moratorium, Saudi Arabia resumed drug-related executions in late 2022, leading to a sharp surge. In 2023 the kingdom executed dozens of people for narcotics offenses, although most cases involved stimulants or heroin. Cannabis is not exempt: even relatively small amounts of hashish or marijuana have led to death sentences.
Singapore:
Singapore enforces some of the world’s strictest anti-drug laws, with a mandatory death penalty for certain thresholds of cannabis trafficking. Anyone convicted of trafficking more than 500 grams of cannabis faces a sentence of death by hanging. Lesser amounts incur long prison terms or caning. In practice, Singapore has been actively executing cannabis traffickers. In 2023, Singapore carried out multiple executions for cannabis: one man was hanged for involvement in trafficking just over 1 kg of marijuana, and another for 1.5 kg. These cases drew international outcry. The law permits judicial discretion if the accused is a mere courier who cooperates with authorities, but in most cannabis cases cooperation is not certified, so the death penalty remains mandatory. Dozens of prisoners are on Singapore’s death row for drug offenses, including cannabis.
Malaysia:
Until recently, Malaysia prescribed mandatory death by hanging for anyone trafficking 200 grams of cannabis or more. In the 1980s–2010s, Malaysian courts regularly imposed death sentences on cannabis couriers. However, Malaysia has not actually carried out an execution since 2017, due to a government moratorium. In a major reform, Malaysia’s Parliament passed a law in 2023 ending the automatic death sentence for drug trafficking. Judges now have discretion to impose either the death penalty or an alternative sentence of 30-40 years imprisonment. The death penalty remains legally authorized for cannabis trafficking, but it is no longer mandatory. Dozens of inmates on death row for drug crimes are expected to have their sentences reviewed.
Indonesia:
Indonesia has extremely strict narcotics laws, under which nonviolent drug traffickers – including cannabis offenders – can be sentenced to death. Law allows the death penalty for trafficking, importing, or exporting over 1 kilogram of cannabis or more than 5 cannabis plants. Indonesia has handed down death sentences to cannabis smugglers, though executions have focused more on other drugs like heroin. The country has paused executions since 2016, but death sentences for drugs continue to be imposed. An American caught receiving THC candy in 2025 was warned he could face a firing squad under Indonesian law. The legal risk remains very real for anyone caught with large cannabis quantities.
Vietnam:
Vietnam allows the death penalty for cannabis trafficking at higher thresholds than for opiates. Trafficking or transporting 5 kilograms or more of cannabis is punishable by death. While Vietnam has sentenced people to death primarily for heroin and synthetic drug cases, cannabis trafficking at high volumes can legally result in execution. Vietnam keeps execution data secret, but drug trafficking is the most common reason for capital punishment in the country.
Kuwait:
Kuwait authorizes capital punishment for drug trafficking. In April 2023, Kuwait carried out a drug-related execution for the first time in over a decade. Since then, authorities have stepped up enforcement, and at least 12 drug dealers were sentenced to death in 2023. Several cases involved large-scale hashish trafficking. The law allows for life imprisonment or death at the court’s discretion. Recent enforcement suggests a hardening stance.
State of Palestine (Gaza):
In the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, drug trafficking (including cannabis) is a capital offense under military orders. Hamas authorities have executed people for drug crimes in recent years. In 2022, Gaza’s courts sentenced four people to death for drug trafficking. Executions have been carried out by firing squad or hanging. The death penalty remains actively enforced in Gaza’s anti-drug efforts.
North Korea:
North Korea treats drug trafficking as a grave crime that can incur the death penalty. Cannabis is officially illegal, despite rumors of tolerated personal use. Defector reports indicate the regime has executed individuals for smuggling drugs, and cannabis could be treated the same. While details are scarce, the death penalty is believed to apply to cannabis trafficking in significant amounts.
Iraq:
Iraq permits capital punishment for nonviolent drug trafficking. Courts have imposed many death sentences for drug smugglers, including cannabis-related cases. In 2020, nine traffickers were sentenced to death for smuggling and distributing illicit substances. Enforcement varies by province, but drug cases do contribute to Iraq’s death-row population.
Legally Retained but Not Recently Enforced
United Arab Emirates (UAE):
The UAE’s law permits the death penalty for drug trafficking. Courts have issued death sentences for cannabis in the past, including for amounts under 200 grams. However, the UAE has not carried out an execution for a drug offense and usually commutes such sentences. The death penalty remains on the books but is not actively enforced.
Qatar:
Qatar’s law allows the death penalty for drug trafficking, including hashish. Courts have occasionally handed down death sentences but have not carried out any executions for drugs. Most severe drug cases result in life imprisonment. The law is symbolic in practice.
Oman:
Oman’s drug laws allow for the death penalty, but it has not been used for cannabis or other drugs in recent years. Courts typically impose long prison terms. The Sultan often commutes severe sentences. The legal authority exists, but enforcement is not active.
Bahrain:
Bahrain’s anti-drug law permits the death penalty for trafficking, but actual executions have not occurred. Courts have sentenced drug offenders to death, but most are commuted. The law remains, but enforcement is low.
Egypt:
Since 1992, Egypt has allowed the death penalty for possession of over 200 grams of cannabis. Courts occasionally sentence traffickers to death, but executions for cannabis have not been documented. Most drug offenders receive prison terms. The law is strict, but actual use of execution is rare.
Sri Lanka:
Sri Lanka’s law allows for the death penalty for drug trafficking. Death sentences are handed down, but the country has had a moratorium on executions since 1976. Attempts to resume executions in 2019 failed. The law exists, but enforcement is paused.
Bangladesh:
Bangladesh provides for the death penalty for drug trafficking, but not clearly for cannabis unless in massive amounts. No executions for drug offenses have occurred. Death sentences are handed down, but not implemented.
India:
India permits the death penalty for repeat drug trafficking offenses, including cannabis in large commercial quantities. However, the courts rarely impose it, and no executions have occurred for drug crimes. The law remains, but it is not enforced.
Myanmar (Burma):
Myanmar’s law allows the death penalty for high-level drug crimes, including cannabis. The country had a moratorium until 2022, and even now executions for drug crimes have not resumed. Most traffickers receive life imprisonment.
Brunei:
Brunei mandates the death penalty for trafficking over 600 grams of cannabis. However, no one has been executed for drugs since 1957. A moratorium is in place, and all drug death sentences have been commuted. The law is among the strictest but not enforced.
Sudan and South Sudan:
Both countries retain drug death penalty laws. While courts can impose such sentences, no executions for cannabis trafficking have been reported. Enforcement is symbolic.
Jordan:
Jordan allows for the death penalty for repeat drug trafficking offenses. While courts discuss it, executions for drugs have not occurred. Enforcement remains theoretical.
Taiwan:
Taiwan’s law allows the death penalty for large-scale cannabis or other drug trafficking. However, executions have not occurred for drug crimes since the early 2000s. Courts commute such sentences to life imprisonment.
Cuba:
Cuba retains the death penalty for serious drug crimes, including cannabis smuggling. One execution for drug-related corruption occurred in the 1990s, but none since. A moratorium has been in place since 2003.
South Korea:
South Korea legally allows capital punishment for drug trafficking but has had a moratorium since 1998. No executions for drugs have occurred, and the death penalty is limited to heinous violent crimes.
Trends, Reforms, and Debates
In recent years, there has been growing debate and some reforms concerning the death penalty for drug offenses, including cannabis, signaling an evolving global perspective:
Declining Use and International Pressure:
The application of capital punishment for nonviolent drug crimes has come under severe criticism as a violation of international human rights law. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, for example, restricts the death penalty to “the most serious crimes” involving intentional killing. U.N. experts and human rights organizations have repeatedly stated that drug offenses do not meet this threshold. This external pressure has contributed to a reduction in executions in some countries between 2018–2020. However, a worrying uptick has been observed since 2021, with countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore resuming or increasing drug-related executions. Advocates argue that capital drug laws neither deter trafficking nor address the root causes of the drug trade, and they call the practice cruel and ineffective.
Reforms in National Laws:
A few countries have taken concrete steps to roll back the death penalty for drug crimes. Pakistan made history in 2023 by abolishing the death penalty for drug offenses entirely – the first country in over a decade to do so. In July 2023, Pakistan’s parliament quietly amended its laws to remove drug trafficking from the list of capital crimes, commuting existing death sentences for those offenses. This reform was driven by a court decision highlighting that executing drug couriers is disproportionate and by Pakistan’s desire to improve its human rights record. Similarly, Malaysia in 2023 ended the mandatory death penalty for drug trafficking and is currently considering proposals to abolish capital punishment outright in the future. Even Iran, while still executing many, did significantly raise thresholds in 2017 (from 5 kg to 50 kg for cannabis) to limit who can be sentenced to death – this led to a temporary drop in drug executions and the commutation of potentially thousands of death row inmates. These reforms suggest a recognition that previous laws were too draconian.
Moratoriums and Policy Shifts:
Several countries maintain official or de facto moratoriums on executions for all crimes, which encompass drug offenses. Notably, Thailand undertook a major policy shift regarding cannabis: in 2022, Thailand decriminalized cannabis (removing it from the list of banned narcotics) as part of a medical legalization initiative. This means Thailand no longer treats cannabis possession or sale as a criminal offense at all, let alone one punishable by death. Previously, Thai law did allow the death penalty for trafficking large quantities of cannabis, but it had not been used and is now moot. Other nations with moratoriums, like Brunei, the UAE, Qatar, and India, have not been actually executing drug offenders despite punitive laws – these moratoriums, while fragile, indicate a possible path toward future abolition or at least a continued low-enforcement equilibrium. Saudi Arabia briefly had a moratorium (2018–2021) on drug executions as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s legal reforms, but its abrupt reversal in late 2022 has become a point of contention and concern. Human rights groups are urging Riyadh to reinstate the moratorium amid what Amnesty International called a dramatic increase in drug executions in 2023.
Public and Diplomatic Outcry:
Each time a country enforces the death penalty for a cannabis offense, it tends to provoke international outrage and internal debate. For instance, Singapore’s executions of cannabis couriers in 2022–2023 drew sharp rebukes from the U.N., the EU, and even many of Singapore’s own citizens who protested the executions. This has kept the issue in the public eye. In Indonesia, the impending threat of execution for a U.S. citizen over cannabis gummies in 2025 made global headlines, likely adding pressure on Indonesian authorities to justify their laws. Such cases fuel ongoing domestic discussions: in some countries (e.g., Malaysia, Pakistan) they have spurred reform, whereas in others (e.g., Singapore, Indonesia) the government has doubled down on its hardline stance, insisting that the death penalty is an “essential component” of drug control. Diplomatic interventions are also common – for example, Canada has actively sought clemency for its citizens facing execution in China for cannabis or synthetic drug smuggling, straining relations and prompting dialogues about proportional punishment.
Abolitionist Momentum vs. Retrenchment:
Globally, the trend is toward abolition of capital punishment, and that extends to drug crimes. As of the end of 2024, only 34 countries still legally retained the death penalty for any drug offenses – down from 37 a decade earlier. Most of these states do not actually carry out executions (they are abolitionist in practice). However, a handful of countries have shown a retrenchment in the opposite direction, resuming executions or expanding laws. The Philippines, for example, flirted with reinstating the death penalty for drug traffickers at the height of its “drug war” (though it ultimately did not reinstate it). Bangladesh amended its law to add the death penalty for methamphetamine trafficking in 2018, reflecting a hardline approach even as others pull back. These counter-currents illustrate that the issue is far from settled. Nonetheless, executions for cannabis remain extremely rare relative to those for other drugs; many retentionist countries tacitly recognize cannabis as less severe by setting higher thresholds or prioritizing other cases. The direction of reform – exemplified by Thailand’s legalization and Pakistan’s abolition of drug death penalties – suggests an increasing discomfort with putting people to death for nonviolent drug offenses.
