The Czech Government is pressing ahead with plans to launch Europe’s first fully legal commercial cannabis market, similar to those seen in Canada and many parts of the US.
Czechia already has some of the most lenient cannabis laws in Europe. The use, possession and cultivation (for personal use) of cannabis were decriminalised in 2010 while sale and importation are still strictly forbidden and can result in a prison sentence. Czechia was also one of the first countries in Europe to permit a legal medicinal cannabis market, patients began to be issued their prescriptions in 2013.
The plan, revealed in leaked documents seen by Business of Cannabis, aims to move cannabis entirely away from the legacy market and effectively take control out of the hands of criminals as part of the country’s proposed ‘Cannabis Management Act’.
The Czech Government announced it would begin plans to legalise cannabis in line with Germany in late 2022. Since then, drug expert Jindřich Vobořil has been tasked with drafting a bill that would bring about a new law. However, earlier in 2024 it was reported that plans had been scaled down. According to Business of Cannabis, two bills were written, with the weaker plan designed to put pressure on opponents and judge public support for a more ambitious commercial market, including dispensaries, which will tackle the illicit market.
