|
Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
|
|
Czech: Activists rally to legalize cannabis Ond?ej Bouda Prague Post Thursday 15 May 2008 But one of the largest recent crowds attended Prague’s 11th annual Global Marijuana March, which took place in 239 cities worldwide. Local activists met on Wenceslas Square May 10 with a clear message. “We want cannabis to be decriminalized, especially if it is only for personal use and medical purposes,” said speaker Bušhka Bryndová. Parliament is currently debating the issue, and lawmakers are reviewing a draft amendment to the Criminal Code that would allow citizens to grow a set number of plants at home and possess a certain limited amount of the drug, but would still impose a punishment if those limits are broken. March organizers have submitted proposals to the draft bill that would allow freer use of cannabis for medical purposes, and hope Parliament will pay attention to their comments. “Our idea is that patients would have to register with the Health Ministry, thus the state would retain control over the amount of cannabis grown,” said Bryndová. March organizer David ?ermák agrees. “We would like to see marijuana legalized on par with alcohol and tobacco — regulated and controlled by the state,” he said. “I think it’s only a question of time before the law changes in our favor, since the use of marijuana is so widespread.” Indeed, the protest was meant, in part, to draw attention to the prevalence of marijuana use. A full 38 percent of young adults in the Czech Republic admit to smoking marijuana regularly, according to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. But lawmakers may need more convincing. “We are not legalizing any drugs,” said Justice Minister Ji?í Pospíšil while defending the new Criminal Code in Parliament. “The new law will differentiate between hard and soft drugs and define amounts when drug possession will be considered a misdemeanor and when it will be a crime.” When the demonstration began Saturday afternoon, only a few hundred supporters gathered on the square, but by the time the march set off a half hour later, a crowd 4,000 strong, according to organizer estimates, was stopping traffic in the city center on its way to Paruká?ka Park in Prague 3, where most of the day’s events were scheduled. Trams on Vinohradská were enveloped by the ever-growing crowd, and the only vehicle able to get through was an ambulance. Demonstrators carried signs with slogans such as “Smells good” or “Needs to be legalized” and large papier-mache cannabis leaves. An open-air music festival attracted more supporters throughout the evening. Speakers addressed the crowd; some talked of cannabis’ unique attributes. Hana Gabrielová of the Green Pump, a cannabis consulting group for farmers, explained that not all cannabis is illegal and certain types with low THC content can serve as a perfect crop that helps to filter heavy metals out of the soil. She also pointed out that the plant can be used to make cloth, rope, paper, biodegradable plastic, cosmetics, medicine and fuel, and that, in France, hundreds of houses have been built from hemp. “The plant is unique and has many uses,” she said. “However, it was demonized by the oil lobby and in the 1930s farmers were penalized for growing it. Only now that the world is looking for alternative sources of energy are we coming back to it. It is extremely eco-friendly.” Other speakers talked of cannabis’ healing powers and the persecution they faced growing it. Pensioner Mária Brodská, who grew cannabis to cure stomach ulcers and rashes, said, “I faced several years in prison just because I managed to cure myself when doctors failed.” This year, the Supreme Court overturned the decision in her case and stated that in the future judges have to pay close attention to the intentions of growers. However, Bryndová, who also manufactures ointments and powders out of cannabis that allegedly cure anything from headaches to Parkinson’s disease, warned that the draft amendment to the Criminal Code would “allow people to grow three plants; however, sick people need more like 10 to 20 plants to cover their needs.” http://www.praguepost.com/
After you have finished reading this article you can click here to go back.
|
This page was created by the Cannabis Campaigners' Guide.
Feel free to link to this page!