Czechia Government to Consider Legalizing Marihuana

Czechia’s National Anti-Drug Coordinator Jindřich Vobořil is preparing a law on the sale and purchasing of marihuana.

The state could gain billions in taxes thanks to a controlled cannabis market, Czech National Drug Coordinator Jindřich Vobořil told ČTK in an interview today.

A controlled cannabis market could bring an additional 15 billion crowns in taxes annually to the state budget.

Before the introduction of a regulated market, marihuana growers would need a licence and the law would clearly specify to who they could deliver their product to. Drug Coordinators of the Member States began discussing the regulation of the cannabis market in the EU in Prague today.

The strategy envisages legalizing the sale of marijuana under strict conditions, taxation of addictive substances depending on how harmful they are, the launch of a regulated cannabis market and increased government spending on addiction prevention and treatment.

The forthcoming rules should concern not only sales but also production. The new measures should establish the level of narcotic substances that legal marihuana products can contain. Some shop owners could also receive a license, Vobořil said.

“Marihuana won’t be in every newsstand. The amount of marihuana that people could purchase would be limited and buyers could be required to register with the state, he said,” added Vobořil.

Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, and Germany are also planning a new regulation. Vobořil points out that Germany wants a legislative proposal by the end of the year.

“I would support Czech companies. There are around a hundred of them here who grow and produce extracts of marihuana. Czech companies should be able to export perhaps even before we have a regulated market in the Czech Republic… It will depend on whether we discuss it. It’s similar to medicinal cannabis. In Germany, it’s a market worth ten billion euros. Czech companies get zero out of it,” he added.