I spent some delightful time in the Czech Republic a few years back, and noted then that cannabis policy was a bit more lax than some other places. Now the Czech government is apparently moving further.
The interim Czech government, led by chief statistician-turned-Prime Minister Jan Fischer, Monday took another step towards making casual marijuana smoking a worry-free affair. […]
As of Jan. 1 ordinary Czechs can grow up to five marijuana plants or have several marijuana cigarettes in their pockets without fear of criminal prosecution. Previously what constituted a small amount was not specified and the police and courts loosely interpreted the penal code case by case, often resulting in incarceration of home growers. […]
The plant still remains illegal, however, though from the new year possession of five or less plants is merely a misdemeanour, and fines for possession will be on par with penalties for parking violations.
Good for them. Nice step.
Sensibility in government? Wait a minute! This is gonna take a little getting used to. Ok. Really? And the domino’s continue to fall.
I wonder, does keeping a slight “charge” on decrim allow a country to NOT have to check out of the Single Convention? Or, has the Convention become a “non-entity?”
Right. They can’t completely legalize it without being in violation of the single convention, but it’s up to the individual government to determine whether the penalties are criminal or civil and how severe they are.
Of course, even in the Netherlands, marijuana is illegal to some degree.
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n1092/a02.html?102
“At the very least, using marijuana to treat adolescents with ADHD is wildly irresponsible. First of all, the FDA has never conducted an approval process on marijuana, and few institutions are willing to fund studies to show the effects of using marijuana as a remedy for ADHD. Consequently, there are no reliable studies to show how the drug may affect ADHD. All the so-called “evidence” in support of prescribing marijuana to children is anecdotal, based completely on self-selecting self-reports. There is no reliable scientific basis for drugging these children into complacency. Nonetheless, doctors, school counselors and misinformed parents are increasingly pushing marijuana to kids.”
And yet they’re completely fine giving amphetamines for kids to treat ADHD? I bet they’d be surprised to hear that smoking cannabis is suggested for asthma too. If only they would look into why there are so few studies done.
Chris nailed my thoughts, its not ok for cannabis and kids but its ok for their man made med for ADHD?
Maybe if they are so worried about it, the government should step out of the way so REAL studies can be done to prove or disprove any anecdotal evidents, same for Rick Simpsons claims to helping put cancer in remmition.
They are always all about cannabis being bad for you but , will stand in the way of proving whether it is or not.
What are they afraid of? We might find there is good uses for cannabis and some of this anecdotal evidents is true?
At least other countries are seeing this war for what it is, a failure.
Thanks once again Pete.
From the Czech Republic to our back yards.
Our government is proud of the fact that we once helped them, now they return the favor.
Sounds like it’s time to start targeting the UN Single Convention. The U.S. played a big role in its creation, so now we should do the world a favor and help in its undoing.
“Sounds like it’s time to start targeting the UN Single Convention. The U.S. played a big role in its creation, so now we should do the world a favor and help in its undoing.”
Another favorite whipping post of mine. But I believe that it will be a bloc of other nations that will do so. The only thing that has prevented many of them from that has been the threat of withholding economic aid (a.k.a. bribes) for the leaders of poor drug-producing countries (which also have strategic resources needed by US companies, see Presidente Uribe, Occidental Petroleum, Oil, Colombia).
Any nation that desires to may ‘denounce’ the Treaty and give 6 months notice of intent to withdraw. And given the world economic condition, there is even greater incentive than ever to do so. Especially as when it becomes more obvious here at home that we cannot afford to blow any more money on further idiotic attempts to create a ‘drug-free world’ via ‘foreign aid’ when we can’t even create a ‘drug-free America’. That money is needed for better things. A point which is being made more frequently in our Media.
It’s kinda funny to look at the some of the recent decrims in Europe and how some of them started in nations that were (socialist) dictatorships until fairly recently: sure pertains to Porgugal and the Czech Republic. Spain, as far as I recall, also has quite relaxed laws on drugs (and their dictatorsip was Fascist).
Maybe the recent exposure to tyranny makes the smell of it unbearable?
Jesper, that’s another of my whipping posts.
What so many people forget is that Socialism and Communism didn’t start out intending to murder scores of millions and oppress hundreds of millions more, but were originally intended to deliver Utopia. And the history of the 20th century is written with the blood of their victims.
The early drug prohibition proponents were just as earnest in their desire for a drug-free Utopia. And even though their results were vastly less bloody and horrific, it’s only a matter of scale, for when you’re on the short, sharp and sh*tty end of the stick they hold, it makes little difference.
For all the best of reasons, the worst of things can happen. That Road to Hell is indeed paved with Good Intentions. That Road has brought America the monstrosities of the diminutions of basic rights leading to the PATRIOT Act and the MCA. All supposedly to protect the kiddies. Who laugh up their sleeves, as all kids have, at their parent’s presumptions of being able to control every last bit of their behavior…or the belief that children are ‘blank slates’ parents can write anything they wish on, and it will stick forever.
Once again, I must quote Heinlein:
“Political tags–such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and. so forth–are never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire. The former are idealists acting from highest motives for the greatest good of the greatest number. The latter are surly curmudgeons, suspicious and lacking in altruism. But they are more comfortable neighbors than the other sort.”.
The people of those nations that once suffered under tyranny know this on a bone-deep level. The US has yet to learn this lesson, in the same hard way…and I truly fear that we shall, very soon.
In 1955 the Czechoslovakia Tubercular Nutrition Study concluded that hempseed was the only food that can successfully treat the consumptive disease tuberculosis and that it proved to be even in their smallest doses, an utmost effective remedy. The EFAs not only help to restore wasting bodies but also improve damaged immune systems, so it is not surprising that modern researchers have studied them in relationship to immune disorders, such as AIDS.
Czech’s and Cannabis
Ganja/Hemp
I read more on the Czech story. It is about more than just MJ. I don’t know the source. Bottom line is it looks like Europe is going to legalize drugs bit by bit. Here’s the text:
The Czech government today approved the list of hallucinogenic plants and mushrooms, including hemp, coca, mescaline cactus and magic mushrooms, and decided that people would be allowed to grow up to five pieces of such plants and keep 40 magic mushrooms at home, a CTK source said.
The cabinet was today also expected to discuss artificial drugs and a permitted amount of these drugs in people’s possession.
However, it postponed the debate for two weeks, the source said.
The new Penal Code, which will take effect on January 1, is designed to specify the government’s directive. It contains a special provision on the growth of hemp and magic mushrooms.