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The legality of cannabis for general or recreational use varies from country to country. Possession of cannabis is illegal in most countries as a result of the agreement about Indian hemp, also known as hashish, in the International Opium Convention (1925). However, many countries have decriminalized the possession of small quantities of cannabis; see the list below.
In the United States, medical cannabis is allowed by some state, territorial, Indian reservation, and District of Columbia law, but medical and recreation use is illegal by federal law. While federal law is controlling, the Obama administration has chosen not to prosecute users operating in compliance with local medical and recreational marijuana laws.
As of 2016, Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Germany, India, Jamaica, Mexico, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Uruguay, and some U.S. jurisdictions have the least restrictive cannabis laws while China, Egypt, France, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam have the strictest cannabis laws.