Is Hemp Legal in El Salvador?
May 29, 2026
El Salvador makes no legal distinction between hemp and cannabis. Cultivation falls under the 1998 drug law with sentences up to 15 years.
El Salvador makes no legal distinction between hemp and cannabis. Cultivation falls under the 1998 drug law with sentences up to 15 years.
Industrial hemp is not legally distinguished from cannabis in El Salvador. The 1998 drug law and its annexes classify all Cannabis sativa material as controlled, with no THC threshold creating a hemp carve-out. The Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganaderia (MAG) and the Centro Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria y Forestal have not licensed hemp cultivation pilots. Legislative discussion of hemp has appeared sporadically in the Asamblea Legislativa, but no bill has been enacted.
Unauthorized cultivation falls under Articles 33 to 36 of the 1998 statute, with sentences up to 15 years for trafficking-scale cultivation. Hemp fiber textiles and shelled hempseed sometimes pass through customs when packaged as finished goods, while raw biomass and viable hempseed are detained. No domestic hemp processor operates, and there is no CBD-from-hemp manufacturing chain. Exporting Salvadoran hemp is not authorized, and the country is not a participant in regional hemp trade pilots.
This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Verify current law with qualified counsel before making compliance decisions.
Illegal
Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganaderia (MAG); Consejo Nacional Antidrogas (CNA)
No statutory hemp threshold - all Cannabis sativa restricted
Ley Reguladora de las Actividades Relativas a las Drogas (1998); Ley de Sanidad Vegetal y Animal
Hemp seed and biomass imports are not licensed. Finished hemp consumer goods may pass customs case by case. No hemp export industry operates.
