Weed In Brazil: A Guide To Cannabis’ Legal Status In The South American Country
This article was originally published on 2Fast4Buds and appears here with permission.
Keeping a low profile and enjoying your hobby in secret is the best advice we can give cannabis lovers visiting Brazil.
Despite the fact that Brazil was introduced to cannabis long ago, in colonial times, and that weed is widely consumed in the country, current cannabis laws in Brazil remain mostly prohibitive, and only a few attempts at reform have been made so far. Read on for a comprehensive guide as to the legal situation with cannabis in Brazil.
Use And Personal Possesion Decriminalized
In 2006, Brazil adopted important changes to its anti-drug laws by decriminalizing personal drug use, as well as possession, buying, transporting of small amounts of drugs if they were meant for personal consumption. In strict legal terms, the country de-penalized these actions, as now they aren’t punishable by either jail time or fine. Instead, the police would warn the user of the harmful effects of drugs, request that the user attend an educational program or perform some community service.
We cannot say how much cannabis the court will consider a small, personal amount. These things are at the discretion of the judge who looks at the circumstances of the offense and the background of the offender. All this differs from case to case.
If the user is required to perform some community service, it usually happens at a facility – either medical or educational – that has something to do with the prevention of drug use or the recovery of addicts. The period of time for community service cannot be greater than 5 months for first-time offenders or 10 months for repeat offenders. If the offender refuses to comply, the judge can demand a fine.
In case the drug user needs treatment (which probably isn’t often the case with cannabis), it’s provided free of charge, but mostly in an outpatient manner. As for the fines mentioned earlier, they can be between 40 and 100 day fines. A day fine is calculated based on minimum monthly wages divided by 30.
Driving Under The Influence
In Brazil, driving while intoxicated by marijuana is considered a safety risk and a source of potential harm to others. The punishment would be a jail sentence from 6 months to 3 years. The vehicle in question will be taken into custody, and the driver’s license will be revoked. The punishment is much more severe for someone driving a public transportation vehicle – from 4 to 6 years in prison.
Large-Scale Drug Offenses
Things get much worse for cannabis enthusiasts when it comes to commercial quantities of the substance. If the court …