Punishment For Marihuana Getting Milder For Czechs

Prague - Possession of marihuana for one's own needs will be punished much less severely than that of other drugs, under the new Criminal Code that distinguishes between soft and hard drugs that was passed by the Czech Senate today.

The production and sale of drugs will be punished by up to five years and if the crime is very serious, the upper limit may be up to 15 years in prison.

Offer of drugs to children will be punishable with ten years in prison.

The code introduces milder punishment for the possession of marihuana for one's own needs.

A small number is only qualified as an offence, if the amount is bigger it will be maximum twelve months in prison and the growing of cannabis is punishable with maximum six months in prison (hallucinogenic mushrooms with up to twelve months).

The legislation follows up the December verdict by the Constitutional Court saying that growing cannabis in itself is not punishable and does not automatically mean the production of any drug.

Under a government draft decree, the small amount is defined as fewer than 20 cigarettes of marihuana or three plants of cannabis. The current measurements outline one marihuana cigarette to be within the weight range of 1 - 1.5 gm, jezis marie....so just under an ounce for the yanks!...

In the case of psilocybin mushroom (Psilocybe bohemica) the upper limit for small amount is defined as 25 pieces. -Holy shit !!
In the case of other drugs, the amount "bigger than small" is to start at about ten doses or 0.8 gram of ecstasy, half a gram of pervitine (methamphetamine) or cocaine, 0.3 gram of morphine, 0.2 gram of heroin and 0.005 gram of LSD.

The government decree is to make it clear whether possession of drugs for one's one needs is punishable. Courts did not have to follow a similar decree proclaimed by the police.

Some illegal performance enhancement methods are now qualified as a criminal act punishable with up to twelve months for coaches and eight years for doctors.

This relates to the methods of artificial delivery of oxygen to enhance the capacity of organism for endurance as it seriously threatens human life, the legislation's drafter and former ski jumper Pavel Ploc said.

Přečtěte si v češtině na ČTK:

Za marihuanu budou asi hrozit mírnější tresty než za jiné drogy