Will the Czech Republic be the second EU country to legalize recreational cannabis?

To date, only one European country has legalized recreational cannabis. And despite popular belief, it's not the Netherlands, where the cannabis sales tolerated in coffeeshops but where the cultivation, distribution and possession of cannabis remain criminal offences. In December 2021, Malta became the first EU country to legalize cannabis for adults. And the Czech Republic could well be the runner-up.

If the plan proposed by national anti-drug coordinator Jindřich Vobořil comes into force in 2024 as he hopes, the Czech Republic could become the second EU country to legalize the recreational use and sale of cannabis, before Germany who has yet to announce his schedule. The anti-drug coordinator presented his anti-addiction plan - which includes the proposal to legalize cannabis - at a press conference last week.

«Right now, there's a political consensus for me to create this proposal to regulate cannabis, a substance that is currently illegal. We want to regulate it with the help of the market, and we think this regulation will be more effective than the current prohibition.»

Mr. Vobořil is one of the Czech Republic's leading experts on drug issues, with almost twenty years« experience in the management and development of health and social service programs related to addiction. On the home page of his website, the first thing you find is a quote saying that studies show that a certain proportion of the population will end up addicted to an addictive substance at some point in their lives, despite society's best prevention efforts, and that the solution is not criminalization, but rather the »controlled availability of less risky substances".

At the press conference, the drugs coordinator described the current legal status quo regarding cannabis as «a grand social experiment that doesn't work». He believes that legalizing and regulating the sale of cannabis will be more effective in tackling the problem of addiction - and will also generate significant tax revenues.

The three-year plan sets out proposals for taxing not only cannabis, but also addictive substances that are already legal, such as tobacco products.

«There are currently no excise duties on e-cigarettes and nicotine patches, so we would introduce a lower excise duty than we have on cigarettes. As for taxes on cigarettes, right now they're going up every year, and I expect we'll agree to keep it that way.»

The Czech state could earn up to 15 billion crowns (€600 million) a year thanks to the new tax proposal, which also includes the fight against the black market in cigarettes, alcohol and gambling, as well as more efficient tax collection. Other proposals in the plan include increased spending on the prevention and treatment of drug addiction, as well as the creation of a new anti-drug agency, which would be in charge of anti-drug measures and their financing.

Petr Fiala's government announced in its policy statement in January this year that it wanted to tackle the problem of addiction on the basis of scientific evidence. It is expected to receive Mr. Vobořil's completed plan, with implementation dates, by the end of the year. The country also calls on other European nations to do the same.