Cannabis and drugs in Montenegro 2026: a fine of 100 to 2,000 euros for possession, prison for selling, a ban on advertising and industrial hemp

Cannabis is not legal in Montenegro. The Law on Preventing Drug Abuse prohibits the use, production, trade and possession of drugs for personal use, and possession is a misdemeanour with a fine of 100 to 2,000 euros. Selling, offering for sale and buying for resale are a criminal offence for which the Criminal Code sets two to ten years in prison, and bringing drugs into Montenegro to sell them two to twelve years. Since 7 August 2026 every form of drug advertising and promotion has been banned, while industrial hemp with no more than 0.2% THC is not a drug under the legal definition.

This guide explains what the law treats as a drug, the penalties for possession, selling and importing, what the advertising ban means, what applies to hemp and new psychoactive substances, and how treatment is handled.

Is cannabis legal?

• No, a drug is any substance covered by the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs or the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances, as well as substances on the List of Drugs.
• Cannabis is covered by the 1961 Single Convention, so every prohibition in the law applies to it.
• The law prohibits the use, production, trade and possession of drugs for personal use, as well as growing plants from which drugs can be obtained, except under the conditions it sets.
• Industrial hemp with a total THC content of 0.2% or less is not on the List of Drugs, a definition introduced by the August 2026 amendment.
• Drugs found in someone's possession contrary to the law are seized and destroyed, and the authority that seizes them keeps a record of the quantity.

What are the penalties?

• Three to fifteen years in prison also apply to selling to a child or a person being treated for addiction, in or near a school, in a public venue or at a public event.
• Anyone who enables a child to use drugs, or does so in a school, a public venue or at a public event, faces two to ten years in prison.
• An offender who reveals who supplies them with drugs may be exempted from punishment for the selling and importing offences.
• Making, obtaining or possessing equipment or substances known to be intended for producing drugs carries six months to five years in prison.

What does the advertising ban mean?

• Since 7 August 2026 every form of promotion and advertising of drugs and new psychoactive substances has been banned, as has promoting their production, possession, use and trade.
• The ban also covers showing them in pictures, drawings or any other way, and displaying them at visible places and points of sale.
• Any advertising that directly or indirectly encourages the production, possession, use or trade of drugs is also banned.
• An individual pays 100 to 2,000 euros for this, a company 2,000 to 20,000 euros and a sole trader 600 to 6,000 euros.
• Ads offering or promoting drugs are therefore not allowed on classifieds sites either.

What are new psychoactive substances?

• These are substances not covered by the UN conventions that may still pose a similar risk to health.
• When such a substance appears, the Ministry of Health must without delay issue an order banning its use.
• The order applies until the substance is added to the List of Drugs, and for no more than 12 months.
• With the same amendment Montenegro introduced an Early Warning System and cooperation with the European Union Drugs Agency.

How is treatment handled?

• Health institutions report people treated for the use of illegal psychoactive substances to the Institute of Public Health.
• Data on drug use and treatment programmes go to the information network without the personal data of people with addiction.
• You may have medicines containing controlled drugs only in the quantity the doctor prescribed, and pharmacies do not dispense them to anyone under 18.

Carrying medicines across the border is explained in our guide to bringing medicines into Montenegro, and penalties for drink-driving in our guide to traffic fines. The smoking ban is described in our guide to cigarettes in Montenegro, and crime figures in our guide to safety in Montenegro.

Frequently asked questions

Is cannabis legal in Montenegro? No, cannabis is a drug under the law, and its use, possession, growing and trade are prohibited.

What is the fine for possessing cannabis for personal use? Possessing drugs for personal use is a misdemeanour with a fine of 100 to 2,000 euros, and the drugs are seized.

What is the penalty for selling drugs? Selling, offering for sale and buying for resale are punished with two to ten years in prison, and aggravated forms with up to fifteen years.

Is industrial hemp a drug? Hemp with a total THC content of 0.2% or less is not on the List of Drugs under the legal definition.

May drugs be advertised online? No, since 7 August 2026 every form of promotion and advertising of drugs has been banned, with fines of 100 to 20,000 euros.

Can someone who reveals their supplier avoid punishment? Yes, the court may exempt from punishment an offender who reveals who supplies them with drugs.

Sources

The prohibitions, the penalties for possession and growing and the advertising ban are set by the Law on Preventing Drug Abuse (Official Gazette 28/2011 and 35/2013, Articles 45, 48, 51 and 52) with its 2026 amendments (Official Gazette 117/2026, Articles 2, 4, 7, 19, 21, 22 and 23), and the criminal offences by the Criminal Code of Montenegro (Articles 300 and 301, with no change to the penalties up to September 2026). The information was checked on 27 September 2026. Fijaka is a classifieds platform; this text is not legal advice.