Romania Illegal
Possession of any amount is a criminal offense (2–5 years), though very small personal amounts sometimes receive administrative rather than criminal treatment in practice. Medical cannabis access is narrow and not documented as tourist-accessible.
Legal Framework
Cannabis is illegal in Romania for recreational use, and the country maintains one of the stricter cannabis regimes in the European Union. Romanian law classifies the cannabis plant as a "risk drug" and THC as a "high-risk drug." Possession of any amount is formally a criminal offense, with the Criminal Code providing for imprisonment of roughly 2 to 5 years; cultivation, production, transport, or distribution carry higher penalties. Sources: Blimburn Seeds, LegalClarity.
In practice, the picture is more layered than the statute alone suggests. In 2018, Romania's High Court of Cassation and Justice decriminalized the purchase of small quantities of drugs, including cannabis, for personal use — but this ruling did not extend to possession itself, which remains prosecutable. Reporting on enforcement suggests that in some cases involving very small personal-use quantities, prosecutors and courts have applied administrative penalties or reduced sentences rather than pursuing the full custodial range, particularly where there is no evidence of intent to sell (no scales, packaging, cash, or multiple units). However, Romanian law sets no fixed gram threshold separating "personal use" from trafficking, so this outcome is discretionary, not guaranteed, and does not remove the underlying criminal liability.
Medical Cannabis Program
Romania has a narrow legal framework, Law 339/2005, that in principle allows import and prescription of specific approved cannabinoid medicines, such as Sativex, for defined indications. This framework does not amount to a general medical cannabis program comparable to Germany, the Netherlands, or increasingly Croatia and Slovenia — there is no documented prescribing infrastructure that tourists or short-term visitors could access, and cannabis itself (flower or extracts) is not part of any legal medical pathway. A broader 2019 medical cannabis bill that would have expanded access was rejected by the Romanian Parliament's Health Committee in May 2025, leaving Law 339/2005 as the only, very limited, legal basis for cannabinoid medicine access. Source: LegalClarity.
Traveling with Medical Cannabis
No Romania-specific official guidance for foreign medical cannabis patients crossing the border was found during this research. Romania is a Schengen member as of 2024/2025, meaning that in principle Article 75 of the Schengen Convention could allow a patient with a valid prescription and the correct certificate from their home health authority to carry a limited, correctly labeled supply of prescribed medication across the border. However, no confirmation was found that Romanian authorities apply this in practice to cannabis-based medicines specifically, and given that possession of any amount remains a criminal offense on paper, this is a real legal exposure. Do not bring cannabis into Romania without direct written confirmation from Romanian authorities in advance — the discretionary leniency sometimes applied to small personal quantities is not a reliable protection for a traveler at a border crossing, where officials are unlikely to apply the same discretion as a prosecutor might.
Recent Developments
- May 2025: Parliament's Health Committee rejected a 2019 bill that would have broadened medical cannabis access, leaving the narrow 2005 framework in place.
- Enforcement of the 2018 decriminalization-of-purchase ruling remains inconsistently applied and does not cover possession itself.
- No major recreational reform proposal has advanced in the Romanian Parliament in 2025 or 2026 based on available sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is cannabis decriminalized in Romania?
No — possession of any amount remains a criminal offense in law. A 2018 court ruling decriminalized only the act of purchasing small quantities for personal use, and in practice some small-quantity possession cases receive administrative rather than criminal treatment, but this is not guaranteed.
Can I get a medical cannabis prescription in Romania?
Only a very narrow legal pathway exists (Law 339/2005) for specific approved cannabinoid medicines; there is no documented general medical cannabis program.
Can I bring my prescription cannabis into Romania as a tourist?
This has not been officially confirmed. Given that possession is a criminal offense in Romanian law, do not attempt this without direct advance confirmation from Romanian authorities.
Has Romania announced any 2025/2026 reform plans?
A 2025 attempt to expand medical cannabis access was rejected by Parliament's Health Committee; no broader recreational reform is documented as advancing.