Skip to main content

Europe: Czech Government Decriminalizes Up To Five Marijuana Plants, 15 Grams

Submitted by Phillip Smith on (Issue #612)

Beginning January 1, possession of up to 15 grams of marijuana or up to five marijuana plants will not be a punishable offense in the Czech Republic. Likewise, people will be able to possess up to 40 hallucinogenic mushrooms. The limits were announced Tuesday after they were decided on by the cabinet.

Old Town Square, Prague, Czech Republic
Late last year, the Czech parliament approved a new penal code that specified no punishment for the possession of "small amounts" of drugs. But the code did not specify just what constituted a "small amount," with the result that police sometimes charged people, especially home pot growers, with more serious offenses. The task of formalizing those limits has been taken up by the Justice Ministry, which submits its proposals to the cabinet.

The ministry has also proposed setting the "small amount" limits for ecstasy at four tablets and for hashish at five grams. Similarly, people could possess up to two grams of methamphetamine without fear of punishment. The cabinet will consider those proposals in two weeks.

Possession of amounts greater than "small amounts," but less than those assumed to indicate drug trafficking, will result of prison sentences of up to one year for marijuana and up to two years for other drugs.

According to the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction's latest annual report, Czechs are among Europe's leading pot smokers. Among young Czechs (age 16 to 34), 22% toke up at least once a year. The European average was 16%.

Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.

Comments

Anonymous (not verified)

Hats off to this government !! Someone is finally beginning to "get it". Oh, if only the US could be so wise, HA! Czech's are on their way to a better and less oppersive government. I applaude their thumbing their nose at the ridiculous, stupid, american drug policies.

Sun, 12/13/2009 - 12:39pm Permalink

We want all drugs legalised in Australia also, and licenced to ensure purity and warnings. Congratulations to the CZECH REPUBLIC, what a smart cabinet of ministers to push this through. Finally, we have some smart politicians coming through into the 21st Century on this planet earth. Well done to all of you. It is likely that your economy could flourish and overtake other neighbouring nations very soon.

Wed, 12/16/2009 - 5:22am Permalink

Add new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.