Can I possess a small amount of cannabis for personal use?
No — possession of any amount remains unlawful. Unauthorised possession of drugs is a misdemeanour under the Act on Combating Drug Abuse, punishable by a fine of 5,000–20,000 kn or up to 90 days in jail. Note the trap: this act was never re-denominated in euro, so the figure still stands in kuna — at the fixed rate of 7.53450 that is 663.61–2,654.46 EUR. The myth "a small amount is decriminalised, so it is legal" is a false equivalence: since 1 January 2013 only the criminal offence of possession for personal use was abolished; the misdemeanour survived, with mandatory seizure of the drug and possible court-ordered treatment. Cultivation remains a crime: 6 months to 5 years in prison.
📋 The rules
- Art. 3(1) of the Zakon o suzbijanju zlouporabe droga bans unauthorised possession of drugs, of plants from which drugs can be obtained, and of new psychoactive substances; for a natural person the sanction is 5,000–20,000 kn (about 663.61–2,654.46 EUR) or up to 90 days in jail (art. 54(1)(1) with art. 54(3)) — the amounts are still written in kuna.
- Since 1 January 2013 (the new Criminal Code) possession for personal use is no longer a criminal offence — it was moved entirely into misdemeanour law (the former art. 173(1) of the Criminal Code was abolished).
- Cultivation is a criminal offence regardless of purpose: art. 190(1) of the Criminal Code (unauthorised production/processing of drugs), which settled case law reads as covering the growing of cannabis plants, carries 6 months to 5 years in prison; possession or production intended for sale (art. 190(2)) carries 1 to 12 years.
- Medical cannabis has been legal since 15 October 2015: THC-containing medicines are dispensed only in pharmacies on a non-repeatable prescription, for a maximum of 30 days of therapy and a maximum of 0.75 g of THC per prescription; the original indications include multiple sclerosis, cancer, epilepsy and AIDS.
- Zero tolerance behind the wheel: driving under the influence of drugs (any detectable THC) costs 1,320–2,650 EUR or up to 60 days in jail (art. 199 of the Road Safety Act, amounts per NN 114/2022); riding a bicycle or e-scooter under drugs costs 60 EUR.
🔓 Exceptions
- Patients using registered THC medicines or preparations on a valid prescription within the 0.75 g THC and 30-day limits — although driving with THC in the body remains an offence for them too.
- Industrial hemp may be grown only after prior entry in the register kept by the agriculture ministry (art. 13 of the drugs act); growing it unregistered is itself a misdemeanour (arts. 58(1)(5) and 59(6)).
- Court practice (not statute — as reported by practising lawyers): roughly 5–10 g of pure substance serves as an orientation line between "personal use" and suspicion of dealing; packaging into doses or the presence of scales pushes a case toward the criminal offence in art. 190(2). Treat this as guidance, not a legal threshold.
⚠️ Penalties & fines
A fine of roughly 663.61–2,654.46 EUR (in the statute: 5,000–20,000 kn) or up to 90 days in jail; the drug is always seized (art. 64(1)). The court may add compulsory addiction treatment (3 months to 1 year) or psychosocial treatment (1 month to 2 years), which for first-time offenders can replace the fine. The layer most people miss: a misdemeanour does not enter the criminal record — but cultivation does, as a criminal conviction, with all that means for jobs, visas and permits. And if police find THC while you are driving, a separate traffic offence of 1,320–2,650 EUR and negative licence points is stacked on top.
📎 Official sources
- Zakon.hr · consolidated texts of the Act on Combating Drug Abuse and the Criminal Code →
- Ministry of Justice, Administration and Digital Transformation · explainer that possession is a misdemeanour →
- Ministry of the Interior · information on drugs and drug-driving offences →
❓ Frequently asked
Does decriminalisation mean cannabis is legal?
No — decriminalisation in 2013 removed only the criminal offence of possession for personal use. Possession remains a misdemeanour, with a fine of up to about 2,654 EUR or up to 90 days in jail, plus mandatory seizure of the drug.
Why is the fine quoted in kuna?
Because the Act on Combating Drug Abuse was never adapted to the euro, so the range still reads 5,000–20,000 kn. At the fixed conversion rate of 7.53450 that comes to exactly 663.61 to 2,654.46 EUR.
How many grams counts as personal use?
The statute sets no gram threshold at all; in practice lawyers cite an orientation of roughly 5 to 10 grams of pure substance. Packaging into doses, scales or sales messages push the case toward the criminal offence under art. 190(2).
Is growing a single plant also just a misdemeanour?
No — cultivation is the criminal offence of unauthorised drug production under art. 190(1) of the Criminal Code, carrying 6 months to 5 years in prison. Unlike a misdemeanour, that conviction enters the criminal record.
Is legalisation coming to Croatia?
No — the last attempt, the cannabis bill, was rejected by parliament on 4 November 2022 and no new bill has been tabled since. Articles circulating about "legalisation in 2026" refer to the Czech Republic, not Croatia.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
- “kazna za posjedovanje marihuane”
- “koliko grama marihuane je prekrsaj”
- “je li marihuana dekriminalizirana u hrvatskoj”
- “uzgoj trave kazna hrvatska”
- “medicinska marihuana na recept”
- “thc voznja kazna”