Polish Parliamentary Committee Sends Cannabis Decriminalization Petition To Prime Minister

The Polish Parliamentary Committee on Petitions recently considered a petition seeking to decriminalize cannabis. The committee decided to send a formal request on the matter to Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Weednews reported, according to translation.

Many had expected the petition to be rejected, but the committee decided otherwise and chose to issue a formal request to the prime minister. This means that the issue now requires a response from Tusk.

According to Weedweek, taking a final stance on this issue could influence the party's image among young voters who are more likely to back the reform. Until now, the ruling coalition has avoided explicitly supporting the legalization or decriminalization of marijuana, but pressure from social organizations and members of parliament supporting the petition may push Tusk to take a positive position.

Even though 73.4% of Poles support the decriminalization of cannabis, as per the recent survey by the Polish Public Opinion Research Center (CBOS), recreational cannabis use remains illegal. Marijuana legalization has been discussed for a few years and there are several measures proposing reform under review.

Przemysław Zawadzki and the Wolne Konopie organization authored this initiative that proposes decriminalization of the possession of up to 15 grams of cannabis and allowing the cultivation of one plant for personal use. This way, possession will no longer be considered or treated as a criminal offense, so there will be no punishments, which will automatically reduce the burden on police.

Wolne Konopie asserts that cannabis criminalization marginalizes about three million people who use cannabis in Poland. What's more, about 10% of all criminal offenses are related to possession of small amounts of marijuana, reported Born2Invest.

In July, the reform gained the support of the Deputy Minister of Agriculture Michal Kołodziejczak, but activists soon realized that there are still many challenges ahead. More specifically, it is expected that President Andrzej Duda would veto the bill.

Read More: Poland Ministry Of Health Supports Decriminalizing Possession Of 25 Grams Of Cannabis, Cultivation Of 3 Plants

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Meanwhile, also on Thursday, Nov. 7 new regulations regarding medical marijuana came into force. Minister of Health Izabela Leszczyna signed a new regulation regarding narcotics and psychotropic substances on Oct. 29, significantly tightening access to medical marijuana.

As previously announced, under the new law, medical marijuana prescriptions cannot be obtained through a telemedicine consultation, unless they are continuations of previously prescribed therapy. Only public facilities are allowed to issue remote prescriptions, while private clinics cannot continue to prescribe the therapy remotely. The first medical marijuana prescription can only be obtained in person from a doctor.

Read Also: Poland: Raises Annual Limits On Medical Marijuana Imports To Meet Growing Demand

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