Russian emigrants thought marijuana use was safe in Georgia. Now some are facing years behind bars.
People visiting Tbilisi for the first time are sometimes surprised by how often they can smell cannabis in the city. That’s because Georgia has effectively allowed the legal use of marijuana since 2018. In addition, acquiring and possessing the drug, even in large quantities, has often not resulted in prison sentences. The situation changed dramatically in 2025, when Georgian authorities tightened the country’s drug laws for both residents and visitors alike. As a result, in the first nine months of 2026 alone, Georgia’s Prosecutor General’s Office registered more than 200 drug-related crimes