Czech Republic to Legalize Cannabis: Up to 5 Grams per Day Allowed

With one week to go before the symbolic celebration of 420, Czech cannabis enthusiasts may have a new reason to smile. The Czech Republic plans to introduce a newly regulated cannabis market allowing up to 5 grams of cannabis per day for recreational use and legalize its cultivation and distribution.

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Czech Republic Unveils New Cannabis Plan

The newspaper Seznam Zprávy reports that under the government’s new plans, consumers will have to register in a database, and growers and sellers will have to pay an annual fee. According to the state’s drug policy coordinator, Jindřich Vobořil, and the Pirate Party, the proposal could earn the government about CZK 2 billion (€85 million) a year.

Legalization is still in the draft stage and will be debated in the Czech Parliament this month. If approved, it could be implemented as early as next year.

Small Possession Currently Decriminalized in Czech

Currently, possession of small amounts of cannabis is decriminalized in the Czech Republic, but smoking cannabis for recreational purposes remains technically illegal. Medical cannabis has been legal since 2013.

“The black market for cannabis is growing throughout Europe. In the Czech Republic, we seem to have reached its ceiling, and I don’t see many other options to prevent it from operating other than taking the demand and handing it over to legal sellers,” said drug policy coordinator Jindřich Vobořil

More Money, More Control

In addition to generating revenue, Jindřich Vobořil explains that the goal of a strictly controlled market is to increase consumer protection while ensuring the safety of the cannabis produced. The Czech government also wants to better control the amount of cannabis on the market.

The anti-drug coordinator says that approximately one million people consume illegal cannabis in various forms in the Czech Republic each year.

Taxes and Licenses

Under its new plans, the Czech government would generate money by imposing license fees and an excise tax similar to that on cigarettes. It would also make money from the legal export of cannabis to other European countries where it would be legal. Growing hemp on large plots of land would cost hundreds of thousands of crowns, and an independent store wishing to sell cannabis would have to pay an annual tax, starting at about 50,000 Czech crowns (2,000 euros).

According to the draft regulation, cannabis would only be available in specialized stores. Vobořil also says that the government is “working to ban advertising for cannabis products on the market” and that each type of packaging would not contain advertising or images.

A Czech Cannabis Consumer Registry

Czech cannabis consumers wishing to purchase cannabis in stores will have to register their details in a special registry. In addition, they will only be able to buy a limited amount of cannabis per month to prevent them from reselling their legal cannabis.

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(Featured image by Julius Silver via Pexels)

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