Key points
- Recreational cannabis is illegal in Nepal under the Narcotic Drugs (Control) Act, 2033 (1976).
- Medical and industrial cannabis (hemp) can operate only under licence from the relevant authority.
- Industrial hemp is defined by THC content below 0.3%, verified by certified laboratory testing.
- There is no legal recreational market in Nepal — offers to sell recreational cannabis are unlawful.
The general prohibition
Cannabis (गाँजा) has been controlled in Nepal since the Narcotic Drugs (Control) Act, 2033 (1976 A.D.). Under the Act, unlicensed cultivation, production, sale, purchase, and consumption of cannabis are criminal offences. This ended an earlier era in which government-licensed hashish shops operated openly in Kathmandu.
Anyone offering to sell recreational cannabis in Nepal today is operating outside the law. Himalaya Cannabis does not engage in any recreational transaction — our Articles of Association expressly prohibit it.
The medical and industrial pathway
The same legal framework that prohibits recreational use contemplates licensed activity for legitimate purposes. In recent years, momentum has grown to formalise medical and industrial cannabis: bills have been tabled in Nepal's federal parliament, and provincial frameworks — notably in Gandaki Province — have been developed for medical and industrial cannabis.
Under these frameworks, industrial cannabis (hemp) is defined by its THC content — below 0.3% for industrial purposes — and every regulated activity (cultivation, processing, storage, sale, distribution) requires a licence from the relevant authority, along with mandatory laboratory testing.
What this means in practice
For consumers: there is no legal recreational market in Nepal. Claims to the contrary should be treated as scams or illegal offers.
For farmers and businesses: legal participation is possible only through the licensing pathway — which is exactly the pathway Himalaya Cannabis Pvt. Ltd. is built on. Our founding documents commit us to operating only after obtaining the licences required under prevailing law, with certified lab testing of every product.
This article is general information, not legal advice. The Nepali-language statutes and regulations in force govern.
Common questions
- Is weed legal in Nepal?
- No. Recreational cannabis (weed/marijuana/ganja) is illegal in Nepal under the Narcotic Drugs (Control) Act, 2033 (1976). Only licensed medical and industrial cannabis activity is contemplated by law.
- Can tourists buy cannabis in Nepal?
- No. There is no legal recreational market in Nepal for anyone, including tourists. Street offers are illegal and often scams.
- Is hemp legal in Nepal?
- Industrial hemp (cannabis below 0.3% THC) can be cultivated and processed only under licence from the relevant authority, with mandatory certified laboratory testing.