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Main article: Cannabis legalization in Canada

A federal Permit is required for medicinal use. Otherwise possession smaller than 30g is classified as Schedule VIII, more than 30g but less than 3kg is Schedule VII, and exceeding 3kg is schedule II. Though the federal penalties for possession of small amounts is purposely unenforced by many cities and other localities throughout much of Canada.^{citation needed}

In 2003 an Ontario court ruled simple possession laws banning cannabis unconstitutional,⁵ and in 2007 a Toronto judge ruled that Canada's pot possession laws are unconstitutional and that the country's medicinal marijuana regulations are flawed.⁶

Trafficking is illegal and heavily enforced.^{citation needed}

Main article: Mexican Drug War

Main article: Drug policy of the Netherlands

The Dutch politics reasoned that soft drugs do not have physically addictive qualities, and are not more harmful than, say, alcohol. Therefore, the Netherlands allows limited forms of possession and trade in soft-drugs (legalized in 1976).⁹

One is allowed to purchase and possess up to five grams of cannabis or hashish. Possessing more is interpreted as intent to trade the larger quantities, which is illegal. Only specially permitted “coffee shops” are allowed to sell soft drugs, and never more than five grams per person, per day. One needs to be 18 or over to access a coffee shop.

Smoking in public is technically allowed, however in many places prohibited by local regulation, limiting consumption to coffee shops, one's home, or a remote corner of a park.

Coffee shops are allowed to sell cannabis and hashish (and pay taxes on it), but can not legally buy stock. Also referred to as the ‘backdoor problem.’ Coffee shops have very strict rules to live by and are regularly checked by local authorities. Two strikes is out.²²

Other types of sales are illegal; maximum punishment for large scale trade is 4 years in prison.

Main article: Cannabis reclassification in the United Kingdom

Cannabis is an illegal, Class C drug in the UK. However the status may be changed to a Class B as of February 2009 if the motion is passed.

• Possession: First time offenders - minors are likely to be arrested for even small amounts of cannabis, but are usually discharged following a reprimand. They may receive a final warning or a charge, depending on the seriousness of the offence. A subsequent offence following a warning will usually result in a charge, after which the offender will be referred to the Youth Offending Team for a rehabilitation programme. It is unlikely that first time adult offenders will be arrested for possession, but smoking in public, repeat offenses and possession in the proximity of premises used by children (e.g. schools) are likely to be charged. Can affect passport status. The maximum penalty for possession is two years in prison plus an unlimited fine.³⁹

• Supply: Dealing is considered a very serious offense in the UK. In the eyes of the law, this includes giving drugs to friends. People who grow cannabis in their homes or carry large amounts on them also risk being charged with intent to supply. The maximum penalty for supply is 14 years in prison plus an unlimited fine.⁴⁰

However, law enforcement agencies devote little resources into tackling marijuana use, and small-scale consumption is generally tolerated.

Main article: Legal history of marijuana in the United States

Laws vary by state, although federal law classifies cannabis as a Schedule I substance, the same classification as heroin and LSD. Many people advocate a reclassifying of the drug to Schedule II or III to allow medicinal use^{citation needed}. For instance, though marijuana is legal for medicinal use under the state-level laws of certain states, due to the nature of the United States' federalist system, federal laws making cannabis illegal remain in effect in these states. As a result, the federal government can prosecute violators under federal law. This is true regardless of whether state law has decriminalized use or possession. Although medical marijuana dispensaries are routinely targeted for raids by the FBI and DEA in states where its use is decriminalized, prosecution under federal law for possession of small quantities is virtually unknown. Tolerance, laws and enforcement vary widely among individual states and regions - For example, cannabis is believed to be the single largest cash crop in California, and the economies of large areas of northern California (where it is, at worst, tolerated) are dominated by cannabis cultivation.^{41citation needed}