Contraception
Free at public health centres and through the Family Planning Association, with emergency contraception and condoms sold commercially.
Contraception is available free at public health centres and through the Family Planning Association. Emergency contraception and condoms are also available commercially.
Key points
| Free at public health centres | Contraception is provided through the regional health authorities |
|---|---|
| Family Planning Association | Provides low-cost services and counselling |
| Long-acting methods | Available, though supply varies between regions |
In practice
- Contact the Family Planning Association if the regional health authority has long waits.
- Ask about the intrauterine device: it is the cheapest method over several years.
Worth knowing
Supply of long-acting methods varies between regional health authorities. If one region has no stock, another may, and you are not restricted to your own.
The general article: Contraception · Compare with another country
Abortion
An old offence is softened by the Bourne line of case law, which permits termination to preserve the woman's physical or mental health.
The position rests on the Offences Against the Person Act, under which abortion is a criminal offence, subject to the Bourne line of authority permitting termination to preserve the woman's physical or mental health.
Key points
| Legal basis | Nineteenth-century criminal legislation |
|---|---|
| Health exception | Derived from case law rather than statute, covering physical and mental health |
| Uncertainty | The absence of statutory clarity deters providers |
| Post-abortion care | Provided in public hospitals |
| Contraception | Legal and widely available, including emergency contraception |
| Reform | Repeatedly recommended, not enacted |
| 1861 Act | The prohibition remains in the Offences Against the Person Act |
| Bourne principle | Courts follow the English case permitting termination to preserve health |
| Mental health | Included within the health ground as applied |
| No clear guidance | The absence of published protocols leaves practice inconsistent |
In practice
- Ask a doctor to document the health ground in writing before the procedure.
- Seek immediate care for complications; treatment is a medical duty.
Where to go
- National family planning association.
Worth knowing
Because the health ground rests on case law rather than statute, what is lawful depends heavily on the individual clinician's willingness to rely on it.
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Parents: a teenager’s first relationship
Public health centres in Trinidad and Tobago provide family planning free, and the Family Planning Association runs clinics that young people use precisely because they are separate from the general health system. The age of sexual consent is sixteen, and professionals have reporting duties under the Children Act in respect of younger children, which a young patient should understand before disclosing.
Frequently asked questions
Where do young people go for confidential advice?
To the Family Planning Association's clinics, which provide contraception, testing and counselling and are used to seeing young clients. Public health centres also provide free family planning, though the setting is less private.
What are professionals obliged to report?
Suspected child abuse must be reported to the Children's Authority, and sexual activity involving a child below the age of consent will normally engage that duty. It is worth asking at the outset how a clinic handles this, so there are no surprises.
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Sexual orientation
A High Court ruling in 2018 declared the buggery and serious indecency provisions unconstitutional. In March 2025 the Court of Appeal allowed the State's appeal by a majority, holding that the provisions were saved as pre-existing colonial law even while accepting that they were disproportionate, and the maximum penalty was reduced. A further appeal to the Privy Council has been pursued, so the position should be checked rather than assumed.
The High Court declared the buggery provisions unconstitutional in 2018 in a widely reported judgment, but the State appealed, and in 2025 the Court of Appeal allowed the appeal and restored the provision, relying on the constitutional savings clause for pre-independence laws, while reducing the penalty. A further appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council has been pursued, so the position remains unsettled.
Key points
| 2018 ruling | The High Court declared the provisions unconstitutional |
|---|---|
| 2025 appeal | The Court of Appeal reinstated them on the basis of the constitutional savings clause |
| Penalty | Reduced by the Court of Appeal from the previous maximum |
| Further appeal | Pursued to the Privy Council; the position is not settled |
| Prosecutions | Rare against consenting adults |
| Discrimination | The equal opportunity legislation does not cover sexual orientation |
| Health care | Accessible; public testing is free |
In practice
- Because the legal position is in flux, check the current state of the litigation before relying on any summary.
- Public health and testing services are free and do not require disclosure.
- Community organisations provide counselling and legal information.
- Employment protection does not extend to sexual orientation: company policies may go further.
Cost and coverage
Public health services are free; legal aid is available subject to means.
Recent changes
The Court of Appeal allowed the State's appeal in 2025, reversing the 2018 declaration of unconstitutionality and restoring the provision with a reduced penalty; a further appeal to the Privy Council has been pursued.
Where to go
- Community organisations providing advice and support.
- Public health and testing services.
- Legal aid and human rights organisations.
Worth knowing
The constitutional savings clause, which shields inherited colonial law from constitutional challenge, is the crux of the case and affects several other Caribbean jurisdictions in the same way.
Frequently asked questions
So is same-sex conduct lawful in Trinidad and Tobago?
The 2018 High Court declaration was reversed on appeal in 2025, which restored the offence, with a reduced penalty, and a further appeal to the Privy Council has been pursued. Until that is decided the legal position is contested. Prosecutions for consensual adult conduct are not in practice brought.
The general article: Sexual orientation · Compare with another country
Drugs and controlled substances
Cannabis decriminalised for adults in 2019, with cultivation permitted at home and a licensing framework for the rest.
The Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 2019 decriminalised possession of up to thirty grams of cannabis and up to five grams of cannabis resin by an adult, and permitted the cultivation of up to four plants per household. The Cannabis Control Act 2020 established a Cannabis Licensing Authority for the regulated sector.
Possession above the decriminalised amount attracts a fixed penalty up to a further threshold, and criminal liability beyond it.
Smoking in a public place, in a vehicle or within a stated distance of a school remains an offence.
Other drugs remain fully prohibited, with trafficking punished severely.
Key points
| Main statute | Dangerous Drugs Act, as amended in 2019; Cannabis Control Act 2020 |
|---|---|
| Adult possession | Up to 30 g of cannabis, 5 g of resin, decriminalised |
| Home cultivation | Up to 4 plants per household |
| Public smoking | Remains an offence |
| Regulator | Cannabis Licensing Authority |
In practice
- The National Drug Council and the Ministry of Health provide treatment referral.
- Export remains a serious offence; do not carry cannabis to the airport.
- Piparo Empowerment Centre and public psychiatric services provide rehabilitation.
Cost and coverage
Public treatment is free or low cost. Fixed penalties apply above the decriminalised amount.
Recent changes
The licensing framework created in 2020 has been rolled out progressively, with the first licences issued to local operators.
Where to go
- National Drug Council.
- Piparo Empowerment Centre, rehabilitation.
- St Ann's Psychiatric Hospital.
- Emergencies: 811 or 999.
Worth knowing
Decriminalisation stops at the water's edge and at the airport: carrying cannabis onto a flight is export and is prosecuted.
Frequently asked questions
How much cannabis may an adult hold?
Up to thirty grams of cannabis or five grams of resin, decriminalised since 2019.
Can I grow at home?
Up to four plants per household.
The general article: Drugs and controlled substances · Compare with another country
Alcohol and tobacco
A 2009 tobacco control act with graphic warnings — and a carnival drinking culture regulated mainly through the road.
Advertising is restricted.
Trinidad and Tobago passed a Tobacco Control Act in 2009, one of the earlier comprehensive laws in the Caribbean, with smoke-free public places, advertising restrictions and graphic warnings. Alcohol is regulated principally through licensing and drink-driving law; the drinking age is eighteen, and around Carnival the enforcement effort shifts almost entirely to the roads, with breath testing and checkpoints.
Key points
| Public smoking | Prohibited in enclosed public places, with fines |
|---|---|
| Advertising | Restricted |
| Alcohol | Lightly regulated; drink-driving enforcement is the main lever |
| Cessation | Available through public health centres |
| Vapes | Regulation is still developing |
Recent changes
Graphic health warnings have been extended, and the authorities have moved to bring vaping products within the tobacco framework; road safety enforcement around Carnival has been reinforced with additional breath-testing powers.
Where to go
- Hospital psychiatric services.
Frequently asked questions
What does the 2009 Act prohibit?
Smoking in enclosed public places and workplaces, tobacco advertising and sponsorship, and sale to minors; it also requires graphic health warnings covering a substantial share of the pack. Amendments have extended the warning requirements over time.
What are the drink-driving rules?
A blood alcohol limit enforced by breath testing, with police checkpoints common at night and intensively around Carnival. Penalties include fines and disqualification. If you are drinking during Carnival, plan transport in advance — this is the single most enforced rule of the season.
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