The Hemp Victory – Fiji’s First Legal Step Toward a Greener Future

In July 2022, Fiji made its first concrete move toward cannabis reform by legalizing industrial hemp. This wasn’t full legalization, but it was a massive win for pragmatists who saw the plant’s non-psychoactive potential. Under amendments to the Illicit Drugs Control Act, hemp—defined as cannabis with less than 1% THC—became fully legal for importation, possession, cultivation, sale, and supply.

The government framed it as smart economics: hemp offers over 50,000 uses, from textiles and building materials to wellness products and biofuels. Former President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere had publicly urged Fiji not to hesitate on hemp’s benefits. Parliament passed the changes smoothly, removing industrial hemp from the list of illicit drugs while keeping high-THC cannabis strictly prohibited.

Why does this matter for the broader fight? It broke the total taboo. For the first time, Fijians could legally grow and work with a cannabis relative without fear of arrest—as long as THC levels stayed under 1%. It also signaled openness to foreign investment and local farming in a country where rural communities often rely on illicit crops for income.

Critics called it a half-measure, noting the hypocrisy: the government was okay with low-THC plants for export markets but still jailed locals for traditional saba. Still, hemp legalization proved the door was cracking open. It laid groundwork for the bigger medicinal push that followed and gave advocates hope that full reform wasn’t impossible. For stoners following global trends, Fiji’s hemp law was a reminder that even the most conservative Pacific nations can evolve when dollars and jobs are on the line.