Recreational marijuana is not legal in Egypt. In 2026, Egypt replaced and later amended the schedules attached to its Anti-Narcotics Law after a Supreme Constitutional Court ruling. This guide explains cannabis possession, penalties, weed in Cairo, hashish and bango, THC and CBD, medical marijuana, travel rules and the difference between personal use and trafficking.
The Court held that Decision No. 600 of 2023 by the head of the Egyptian Drug Authority, and related EDA decisions amending the schedules attached to Law No. 182 of 1960, were unconstitutional because the statutory delegation to amend those schedules belonged to the Minister of Health.
The ministerial decree replaced the schedules attached to the Anti-Narcotics Law one day after the Court ruling.
The Egyptian Drug Authority lists Decree No. 242 of 2026 as a later amendment to the schedules that had been replaced by Decree No. 44. Egypt's schedule-based drug-control framework therefore remains active.
Cairo does not have its own cannabis legalization or decriminalization regime. The national Anti-Narcotics Law applies in the capital just as it does elsewhere in Egypt.
Hashish has a long cultural and historical association with Egypt, but that does not create legal tolerance. Recreational marijuana remains illegal, and the existence of an illicit market does not change the law.
Egyptian law does not establish a general number of grams of recreational cannabis that a person may legally possess for personal use. A small amount should not be treated as a legal allowance.
The English text of Law No. 122 of 1989 published by UNODC covers possession, acquisition, purchase, production and cultivation of narcotic substances with the intention of personal use or processing when not authorized by law.
The UNODC English text states that Article 37 is punishable by a term of hard labour and a fine of 10,000 to 50,000 Egyptian pounds. The exact modern charge and sentence depend on the applicable provision and the facts of the case.
Hashish generally means cannabis resin. Its long-standing presence in Egyptian culture does not create a legal exception.
Bango is a regional term commonly used for herbal cannabis. The legal status turns on the controlled substance itself, not the street or cultural name.
Egyptian law regulates the cannabis plant and related forms, including cultivation, possession and trade depending on intent and circumstances.
Weed, marijuana, hashish and bango are not separate legal categories for recreational use.
Do not import low-THC rules from other countries into Egypt. A low THC percentage does not automatically make a cannabis-derived product legal under Egyptian law.
Egypt does not provide a broad consumer rule under which cannabis becomes legal simply because THC is below 0.2%, 0.3% or another foreign threshold. THC and cannabis products are governed by Egypt's controlled-substance schedules.
CBD oil and other cannabidiol products should not be assumed legal because they are non-intoxicating or low in THC. Official travel guidance reports arrests and convictions involving CBD products brought into Egypt even with a prescription.
In Egypt, the acronym CBD also commonly refers to the Central Business District of the New Administrative Capital. Cannabis-related searches are clearer with terms such as CBD oil Egypt, cannabidiol Egypt and CBD cannabis Egypt.
The U.S. State Department states that U.S. citizens have been arrested and convicted when entering Egypt with CBD products. A foreign low-THC standard does not guarantee that CBD oil or other cannabidiol products are lawful in Egypt.
The same U.S. travel guidance reports arrests and convictions involving medical marijuana even when the traveler had a prescription. This makes airport and border entry a particularly important legal-risk issue.
UK FCDO guidance says some prescription and over-the-counter medicines are controlled substances in Egypt and may require prior permission from the Egyptian authorities before arrival.
Egypt's core anti-narcotics framework is Decree-Law No. 182 of 1960, substantially amended by Law No. 122 of 1989. The law distinguishes personal use, trafficking intent and other unauthorized forms of possession, cultivation and transport.
Covers, among other conduct, unauthorized import or export of narcotic substances, production with intent to traffic, and specified cultivation or dealing involving controlled plants for commercial purposes. The amended statute provides exceptionally severe penalties, including the death penalty for listed offenses.
Covers possession, acquisition, purchase, sale, delivery or transport of narcotic substances with intent to trade. The UNODC English text provides for the death penalty or life imprisonment with hard labour plus a fine for specified offenses.
Separately covers possession, acquisition, purchase, production and cultivation with the intention of personal use or processing. In other words, saying cannabis is 'for personal use' does not make possession legal.
Separately covers specified possession, acquisition, purchase, delivery, transport, production, extraction, manufacture or cultivation when neither trafficking intent nor personal-use intent is established. Available consolidated texts list hard labour and a fine of 50,000 to 200,000 Egyptian pounds for this category.
The official sources reviewed for this guide do not show a broad public medical-cannabis program built around patient registration, cannabis dispensaries or routine access to marijuana flower. Describing Egypt as having a general medical marijuana program would therefore be misleading.
The Egyptian Drug Authority separately regulates narcotic medicines and pharmaceutical products. A controlled medicine framework is not the same thing as a public medical-cannabis system and does not imply open access to cannabis flower or CBD products.
Not legal.
No broad dispensary-style medical cannabis program was identified in the official sources reviewed for this guide.
High legal risk; a foreign prescription does not guarantee permission to bring CBD or medical marijuana into Egypt.
No legal recreational cannabis market, adult-use dispensary system or licensed weed-shop network exists in Egypt for the open purchase of marijuana, hashish or bango.
Reports of illicit availability in travel blogs or forums do not change the legal status. This guide does not identify sellers, locations or methods for obtaining illegal cannabis.
As of September 2026, recreational cannabis has not been legalized and Egypt has no general decriminalization regime for personal possession. The law continues to distinguish personal-use offenses from the much more serious categories of trafficking, cultivation and import or export with the relevant intent.
The most important 2026 development was not cannabis liberalization. It was a constitutional dispute over which authority could amend the controlled-substance schedules, followed by a new Health Ministry decree replacing those schedules.
Quick answers to common English-language searches about cannabis in Egypt, including Cairo, possession, Articles 37 and 38, THC, CBD, medical marijuana, travel rules and the 2026 law update.
No. Recreational cannabis is not legal in Egypt. Egypt's Anti-Narcotics Law prohibits unauthorized possession, cultivation, sale and other forms of handling controlled cannabis substances.
No. Cairo follows Egypt's national cannabis laws and does not have a separate recreational marijuana legalization regime.
No. Egypt has no legal adult-use dispensary system or regulated recreational cannabis market for tourists or residents.
Egyptian law does not establish a universal legal gram limit for recreational cannabis possession. A small personal amount should not be treated as a legal allowance.
Article 37 of the English text published by UNODC provides for a term of hard labour and a fine of 10,000 to 50,000 Egyptian pounds for specified personal-use conduct. The exact charge and sentence depend on the applicable law and facts.
Article 37 covers possession, acquisition, purchase, production and cultivation of narcotic substances with the intention of personal use or processing when not authorized by law.
Article 38 separately covers specified possession, purchase, transport, production and cultivation when neither trafficking intent nor personal-use intent is established. Available consolidated texts list hard labour and a fine of 50,000 to 200,000 Egyptian pounds.
Egypt does not provide a general consumer THC threshold that makes recreational cannabis products legal. THC and cannabis-derived products are governed by Egypt's controlled-substance schedules.
CBD products should not be assumed legal in Egypt. Official U.S. travel guidance reports arrests and convictions involving CBD products brought into Egypt even when the traveler had a prescription.
This carries serious legal risk. The U.S. State Department states that U.S. citizens have been arrested and convicted when entering Egypt with CBD products even with a prescription.
A foreign prescription does not guarantee permission. U.S. travel guidance reports arrests and convictions involving medical marijuana brought into Egypt even with a prescription.
Hashish is cannabis resin. It has a long cultural association with Egypt, but that history does not make recreational hashish legal.
Bango is a regional term commonly used for herbal cannabis. The name does not create a separate legal status from other controlled cannabis forms.
The official sources reviewed for this guide do not show a broad public medical marijuana program with patient registration or dispensary access. Controlled medicines are regulated separately.
There is no general legal right to cultivate recreational cannabis. Egypt's anti-narcotics law contains strict rules and severe penalties for unauthorized cultivation of controlled plants.
Egyptian law provides exceptionally severe penalties for specified trafficking, commercial cultivation and import or export offenses, including life imprisonment and, for some offenses, the death penalty.
The Supreme Constitutional Court struck down the prior mechanism used by the Egyptian Drug Authority to amend narcotics schedules. The Health Minister then issued Decree No. 44 of 2026 replacing the schedules, followed later by Decree No. 242. These changes did not legalize cannabis.
No. Egypt has no general decriminalization regime for recreational cannabis possession. Personal-use possession remains punishable under the anti-narcotics framework.
As of September 2026, recreational cannabis has not been legalized. The major 2026 legal changes concerned the controlled-substance schedules, not the creation of a legal cannabis market.
This is an informational legal overview, not legal advice. Core statutes and the 2026 updates were reviewed against Egyptian Drug Authority, State Information Service, UNODC and official government travel guidance.
