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While Fiji continues to enforce strict cannabis prohibition and severe criminal penalties under its Illicit Drugs Control Act, possession, cultivation, or supply of cannabis can still result in heavy fines or long prison terms under national law. Despite decades of advocacy and significant global shifts toward decriminalization, medical access, and regulated markets, Fiji has yet to implement any substantive reform. Cannabis remains classified as an illicit drug, and local legislation allows penalties that may include substantial fines or imprisonment even for personal possession or small-scale cultivation.¹²³

In contrast, on December 18, 2025, United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to reschedule cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act from Schedule I to Schedule III. Schedule I substances are defined as having no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse, whereas Schedule III drugs are recognized as having accepted medical value with lower abuse potential. This move stops short of full federal legalization but represents a significant policy shift at the federal level.⁴


Rescheduling cannabis to Schedule III formally acknowledges its accepted medical uses and is intended to reduce federal research barriers, ease regulatory burdens, and encourage scientific study. However, it does not legalize recreational marijuana nationwide, nor does it automatically remove criminal penalties for individuals. Cannabis remains federally unauthorized for general use without approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and state laws continue to govern legality and enforcement within their jurisdictions.⁵⁶


The executive order also directs federal agencies to expand medical research and develop clearer regulatory frameworks, particularly for cannabis-derived products such as cannabidiol (CBD). These measures aim to support evidence-based policymaking and regulated medical access rather than blanket legalization.⁴⁷


Taken together, the divergence between Fiji’s continued prohibitionist stance and evolving international approaches highlights a growing policy gap. While major global powers move toward medical recognition and regulatory reform grounded in scientific evidence, Fiji’s unchanged legal framework continues to criminalize cannabis-related activity, leaving patients, researchers, and potential industries operating in legal uncertainty.


Footnotes


1. Illicit Drugs Control Act 2004 (Fiji).


2. Fiji Law Reform Commission and Government of Fiji, penalties and offence provisions relating to cannabis.


3. Regional reporting and advocacy documentation on cannabis enforcement in Fiji.


4. White House, Executive Order on Marijuana Rescheduling and Research Expansion, December 18, 2025.


5. U.S. Controlled Substances Act, scheduling framework and definitions.


6. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services / Drug Enforcement Administration, scheduling rationale and legal effects of rescheduling.


7. White House fact sheet on medical cannabis and cannabidiol (CBD) research directives.


Sign the Petition for Cannabis Reform in Fiji: www.change.org/p/decriminalize-cannabis-in-fiji-for-our-health-wealth-and-justice

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#CannabisFiji #LegalizingFijiCannabis #ForOurWealthAndWHealthFiji #FijiCannabisCommunity #FijiWeed #FijiMarijuana #FijiTHC #FijiCBD #FijiCannabisCulture #WeedPorn #FijiMedicalCannabis #FijiStone #FijiHemp #MaryJaneFiji #KushFiji #CBD #MedicalMarijuanaFiji #GanjaFiji #GrowYourOwn #CannabisSocietyFiji #Cannabis #LegalizeIt #HighSociety #SmokeWeedEveryday




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