The Czech Republic prepares to legalize cannabis: Up to 5 grams a day, a consumer register...

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

The newspaper Seznam News reports that under the government’s new proposals, consumers will be required to register in a database, and growers and sellers will have to pay annual fees. According to the state’s anti-drug policy coordinator, Jindřich Vobořil, and the Pirate Party, the proposal could bring in approximately 2 billion Czech korunas (85 million euros) per year for the government.

The legalization bill is still in the draft stage and will be debated in the Czech Parliament this month. If approved, it could take effect as early as next year.

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

«The black market for cannabis is growing across Europe. In the Czech Republic, it seems we have reached its peak, and I don’t see many other options for stopping it, other than taking the demand and channeling it to legal sellers,» said anti-drug policy coordinator Jindřich Vobořil

More money, more control

In addition to generating revenue, Jindřich Vobořil explains that the goal of a strictly regulated market is to enhance 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 states that approximately one million people use illegal cannabis in various forms each year in the Czech Republic.

Taxes and Licenses

As part of its new plans, the government would generate revenue by imposing licensing fees and an excise tax similar to that applied to cigarettes. It would also earn money through the legal export of cannabis to other European countries where it is 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 approximately 50,000 Czech crowns (2,000 euros).

According to the draft regulation, cannabis would only be available in specialty stores. Mr. Vobořil also notes that the government «is working to ban advertising for cannabis products on the market» and that all packaging would be free of advertising and imagery.

A consumer registry

Consumers who wish to purchase cannabis in stores will be required to provide their contact information in a special registry. They will be limited to purchasing a certain amount of cannabis per month to prevent them from reselling their legally purchased cannabis.