Cannabis in Georgia (country)
Cannabis in Georgia is illegal for all uses, although in 2016 possession for personal use was effectively decriminalized, when the Georgian Supreme Court removed prison as an available punishment for personal possession.[1]
Cultivation[edit]
Georgia illegally cultivates some small amounts of cannabis, mostly for local consumption.[2] Georgia also serves as a transit route for drugs coming from Central Asia, headed for Russia and Europe.[3]
Enforcement[edit]
Georgia has a strict anti-drug policy, under which offenders can be jailed for up to 14 years. The advocacy group White Noise Movement states that over 100 people are drug tested by Georgian police daily. Following 2006 strengthening of the drug laws, Georgia collected $11.3 million in drug-related fines in the first year.[4]
Reform[edit]
Since 2013, there has been calls from various advocacy groups as well as opposition politicians to decriminalize marijuana. The government remains opposed to that.[5] In October 2015, the Constitutional Court of Georgia ruled that the norm of the country's Constitution about imprisonment for personal use of marijuana was "too strict" and needed to be relaxed. In December 2016, the Court further declared that imprisonment for use of small amounts of marijuana, as well as its purchase, retention, and production for personal use was unconstitutional.[6]
Protests[edit]
In December 2016 the White Noise Movement held a protest outside the Parliament building calling for decriminalization of drugs, including cannabis.[7]
On New Year's Eve of 2016, Girchi Party activists planted cannabis plants in 77 pots in the party's Tbilisi headquarters, in defiance of Georgian drug policy.[4] Georgian police officers arrived and confiscated the plants, but did not charge party members with any criminal offense.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b George Nelson in Tblisi. "Georgia eases draconian law on cannabis use | World news". The Guardian. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
- ^ International Monetary Fund. Legal Dept. (4 January 2013). Georgia: Detailed Assessment Report on Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism. International Monetary Fund. pp. 24–. ISBN 978-1-4755-5293-5.
- ^ Guy Arnold (29 March 2005). International Drugs Trade. Routledge. pp. 174–. ISBN 1-135-45516-3.
- ^ a b "Green Defiance Challenges Law, Power in Georgia". Voanews.com. 2017-01-02. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
- ^ "PM Strongly Against of Marijuana Decriminalization". Civil Georgia. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
- ^ "Norms envisaging imprisonment for marijuana use now null and void in Georgia". Agenda.ge. 24 December 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
- ^ "Fighting back against Georgia's war on drugs". openDemocracy. 2016-12-15. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
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