Is Hemp Legal in Bolivia?

Industrial hemp is not legally distinguished from cannabis in Bolivia. Ley 1008 de 1988 defines Cannabis sativa as a controlled species without any THC-content carve-out, so the 0.3 percent or 1.0 percent hemp thresholds used in the United States, EU, and most Latin American hemp programs do not exist in Bolivian law. The Ministerio de Desarrollo Rural y Tierras has not authorized hemp cultivation pilots.

Farmers caught growing hemp would face the same 10 to 25 year imprisonment range as illicit cannabis cultivation under Article 48. Hemp textile, seed, and oil imports through the Aduana Nacional are technically prohibited, though enforcement on shelled hempseed and finished consumer textiles has been inconsistent. The political contrast with constitutionally protected coca cultivation has not extended to hemp; CONALTID does not differentiate between fiber and drug-type Cannabis sativa.

This summary is regulatory background only and should not replace legal counsel. Anyone evaluating hemp activity in Bolivia should retain a Bolivian attorney and engage CONALTID directly.