To get a prison sentence for a few flowers? That’s what I don’t want. And we’re talking about cannabis here? A censorship, really? Everlasting teetering on the edge of the law. Nonsense. A rational regulation, effective and fair legislation for c*nn*bis is the solution. So let’s talk about cannabis.
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Nonsensical penalties in the fight against c*nn*bis destroy entire families. Yet 64 % of the population of the Czech Republic is in favour of his decriminalization.
THEY HAVE NAMES
According to his mother, Lukas had been a little scamp since childhood, but to get a prison sentence for a few flowers? She wouldn’t even dream of that. Today, Lukas is 34 and is rotting in prison for almost five years. The sentence? Eight years. For what? Nine cannabis plants. He spent the first two years in one of the toughest prisons in the Czech Republic, Mírov. Eight years hard time for a victimless crime. Absurd? Absolutely. Unfortunately, in the Czech justice system, this is not an exception, but a systemic problem.
In Lukáš’s case, it is even worse because on 30 July of this year, a decision was made to release him on parole. However, the Znojmo District Court issued a negative opinion. The reason? Among other things, a disciplinary punishment for falling asleep once during his entire stay in prison. What does it matter that Lukas has three children, has more than half his sentence behind him, has compliments from prison? What does it matter that the public in the Czech Republic is in favour of decriminalizing cannabis?
FACTS
Cannabis consumption is high in the Czech Republic, with up to 16.6 % of young adults (aged 15-34) having used cannabis substances in the last year. Cannabis is a socially accepted and tolerated drug, similar to tobacco products or alcohol. Yet cannabis is treated quite differently as an illegal substance. Dealing in cannabis carries criminal penalties, including imprisonment for many years. As a result, the police investigate approximately 2 000 cannabis-related offences each year.
Statistics on these offences are difficult to track, and it is estimated that of the 11.2 % of prisoners serving sentences for offences related to the production, distribution and possession of addictive substances, up to 45 % have cannabis-related offences. Thus, almost half of drug offences are linked to a substance that, according to surveys, up to 66 % of the Czech population would decriminalise. Absurd? Absolutely. Just like Luke’s case. Rational regulation is the solution!
THEY HAVE NAMES 2
Irena Fenyklová’s story is crazy. Irena’s son Matěj Černý ran a CBD cannabis shop and grew his own. According to the prosecution and the Czech Police, he also allegedly grew hundreds of THC-containing plants. However, these were destroyed by the Police, so the truth of the allegations could not be verified. “From the beginning, I felt that pressure was being put on for the trial to succeed and for exemplary punishment,” Matěj’s mother said.
And so it happened. Matěj got 12 years in prison, even though he was not proven to have distributed it. “The only thing in the verdict is that he gave something to his friend. It’s a huge injustice and I don’t understand at all what and who benefits from such criminalization.”
Resources
RODINY PROTI PROHIBICI. Lukáš Ch. Online. Rodiny proti prohibici. 2023. Dostupné z: https://rodinyprotiprohibici.cz/pribeh/4. [cit. 2024-08-27].
HURT, Lukáš. Zaspals? Tak to z lochu jen tak nevylezeš!. Online. Magazín Konopí. 2024. Dostupné z: https://magazin-konopi.cz/zaspals-tak-to-z-lochu-jen-tak-nevylezes/. [cit. 2024-08-27].
BĚLÁČKOVÁ, Vendula. Regulace trhu s konopím. Online. Praha: Jana Michailidu, 2022. ISBN 978-80-11-02218-1. Dostupné z: https://regulacekonopi.cz/documents/204/Regulace_trhu_s_konop%C3%ADm_-_dopadov%C3%A1_studie_ebook.pdf. [cit. 2024-08-28].CHARTA 420. Výzkum veřejného mínění. Online. Charta 420. 2022. Dostupné z: https://charta420.cz/pruzkum.php. [cit. 2024-08-28].
