The Czech Republic is on the path toward legalizing medical marijuana. The Ministry of Health said last week it plans to remove marijuana from its list of proscribed substances and allow it to be prescribed by doctors.
Prague Lesser Town Bridge Towers (praguewelcome.cz)
Medical marijuana already enjoys political support in the Czech Republic, which liberalized its drug laws last year. Under that law, possession of small amounts of pot and cultivation of small numbers of plants is decriminalized. Prominent politicians backing medical marijuana include Miroslava Nemcova of the Civil Democrats, who is speaker of the lower chamber of parliament, Public Affairs Party chairman Radek John and other prominent party members.
Although the Czech Republic is seeing a boom in home marijuana growing, with grow shops in even the smallest towns, Deputy Minister Plisek said he would prefer to see marijuana imported for medical use rather than relying on a local industry that could see marijuana diverted into the recreational market.
"We must take steps to ensure that there is no massive abuse without a doctor's prescription," he added.
The ministry must also determine what sort of distribution system to set up. The Israeli model, where the state is licensing medical marijuana farms, is one oft-cited system.
"massive abuse without a doctor's prescription"
Mr. Plisek can prevent massive abuse by shutting down the massive abuse now in progress involving hot burning carbon monoxide cigarettes, and converting all inhalant "smokers" to vaporizer, e-cigarette or single-toke utensils known as "one-hitters". A typical commercial cigarette contains 700 mg net weight of tobacco; a typical joint contains 500 mg of cannabis; a one-hitter has a screened crater less than 1/4 inch wide into which 25-mg servings of any sifted herb can be loaded. That is direct technical assurance of non-massiveness of dosage and of non-abuse.
Further, cannabis use in Europe has often involved mixing hashish with addictive tobacco (a) to make it burn faster, (b) out of fear that the cannabis is "too strong" and must be cut with something "milder"-- cigarette tobacco contains a zillion "mildening" psychodrugs designed to eliminate the cough reflex and make smokers feel safer healthwise. A massive Health Ministry effort to eliminate the cigarette format, both for inhalant cannabis and tobacco users, will create jobs in the dosage restriction utensil manufacturing sector, massively reduce chronic illness costs and save the economy.
Note: according to a Wikipedia article, Greece-- widely accused of nearing bankruptcy-- also has the highest rates of cigarette consumption in Europe.
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