Can you bring cannabis or CBD to Sri Lanka?

• Cannabis

  prohibited

  Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance s.28: 'No poppy plant, coca plant, or hemp plant [Cannabis sativa L], or seeds, pods, leaves, flowers, or any part of any such plant or any preparation thereof, shall be imported or brought into or exported from Sri Lanka.' s.29 bans possession or use of hemp resin and preparations 'commonly known as bhang, hashish or ganja' except as licensed (s.30 exempts licensed galenical preparations and hemp rope/fibre). GOV.UK travel advice: 'Illegal drugs, including cannabis, carry severe penalties' and 'You should expect a long jail sentence and heavy fines', including in transit; airports use technology to detect illegal items. Medical-cannabis prescriptions from other countries are not recognised anywhere in these sources. CBD products are not specifically addressed by an official traveller page (see unverified).

  If you're only changing planes here Applies in transit too

  UK government travel advice says to expect a long jail sentence and heavy fines for possessing, using or smuggling illegal drugs, including cannabis, "including when transiting through the airport". Sri Lanka's airports scan transit passengers' baggage too.

  Transit rule: GOV.UK (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) — Sri Lanka travel advice: safety and security · Checked against the source on 2026-10-15

  Also covers: cannabis, marijuana, weed, ganja, hashish, hash, bhang, hemp, cannabis seeds

  Download border card (PDF)

  Source Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (as amended to Act No. 26 of 1986), ss. 28–29 — text published by NMRAChecked against the source on 2026-10-09

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Informational only — not legal advice. Customs rules change; confirm with the official source above before you travel. See update history