Portugal's Socialist Party to propose legalization of cannabis in 2024

In the next few days, the Portuguese Socialist Party (PS) plans to present a preliminary resolution to the Health Committee, as a first step towards setting up a working group to study the issue. cannabis legalization.

However, PS MP Eurico Brilhante Dias pointed out that the bill will not be presented until 2024. In the meantime, the party intends to seek expert advice and organize two conferences on the subject.

«The non-medical use of cannabis is an issue that the PS is discussing, there will be a conference at the Assembly of the Republic later this month; this summer, there was an important breakthrough in a European Union member state, Germany,» said Eurico Brilhante Dias.

The working group will be set up within the Health Committee «because this is a public health issue» and will aim to «study, listen to specialists from different fields in order to deepen the reflection» which should conclude by the end of the year, with a conference «focused on the non-medical use of cannabis and, from there, the parliamentary group will consider moving forward with a legislative initiative».

If this timetable can be met, legislation on this issue could be introduced before the summer recess next year. This could prove difficult, however, as much parliamentary activity will be suspended from mid-October to the end of November to allow for the review and discussion of the state budget for 2024.

Eurico Brilhante Dias pointed out that dialogue on the recreational use of cannabis is also taking place within other political parties and parliamentary groups. The Bloc de gauche to present a bill in June 2022, The Liberal Bill was passed by Parliament in April.

The Portuguese Socialist Party has no intention of going down this road unilaterally, but is instead looking to collaborate with other parliamentary groups during this legislative session. The leader of the Socialist bench stressed that «Portuguese society should engage in this discourse, and Parliament should serve as a platform for this conversation».

Both the Left Bloc and the Liberal Initiative are reintroducing proposals they tabled during the last legislature, which were not put to the vote of the Health Committee and which became obsolete with the dissolution of Parliament.

The Left Bloc had already come up against the rejection of one of its bills in early 2019, when the Socialist parliamentary group's position was divided, with abstentions, upvotes and downvotes. After the Parliament for the medical use of cannabis, The Left Bloc was quick to warn that the next step would involve recreational use. The Social Democratic Party (PSD) has already passed a motion to this effect in the Portuguese Congress.

The Left Bloc's proposal calls not only for the creation of authorized sales outlets and online sales, but also for the cultivation of a maximum of five plants per individual.

The Liberal initiative, on the other hand, would authorize the online and retail sale of cannabis in various types of establishments, with the exception of educational establishments, healthcare facilities, sports facilities, recreational areas intended for families or children, and service stations. Each citizen would be allowed to grow up to six plants.