Georgia wants to grow and export cannabis, without authorizing its consumption

A Georgian bill seeks to Legalize the cultivation of cannabis for export only, for cosmetic or pharmaceutical use, without, however, legalizing domestic use.

Georgia has repeatedly decriminalized the use and then the cultivation of cannabis, going so far as to declare the ban on home consumption is unconstitutional. Cannabis is therefore not officially legal there, but its use for personal consumption is no longer a criminal offense.

Opponents of the bill point out the hypocrisy of allowing commercial cultivation for export while banning domestic sales. One of the leading members of the Georgian European Party, Giga Bokeria, stated, «[The government] wants to produce it while punishing others who consume it? That’s absurd.»

Bokeria urged the government to legalize cannabis «for everyone» and argued that regulating cannabis was no easy task, but that the government should not have a monopoly on its sale.

Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze stated that the bill on cannabis exports was «a very responsible decision» and that it «would be regulated in the strictest possible manner.».

He added that the government «would adopt the successful practices of several countries,» including Israel and Canada, which have established a profitable cannabis export system.

The Orthodox Church, which is rather conservative, also opposes this bill. Bishop Iacob Iakobashvili commented: «This is a big mistake. Perhaps the authorities are thinking first and foremost about the state budget, but they aren’t thinking at all about national security. None of our police agencies are confident that they can effectively protect these cannabis plantations. We risk becoming another Afghanistan or Colombia.»

Georgia has very harsh penalties for drug use. Possession of certain drugs can result in a sentence of 8 to 20 years. One-third of prisoners have been convicted of drug-related offenses.