Georgian Constitutional Court delivers historic verdict on marijuana use
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People in Georgia will no longer be jailed for using marijuana after the country’s Constitutional Court has announced a historic ruling.
The Court ruled Georgia’s marijuana law needed to be relaxed after discussing and upholding a claim by Georgian citizen Beka Tsikarishvili yesterday.
Tsikarishvili, who was detained for purchase and possession of 65 grams of marijuana in June 2013, challenged the norm of the Georgian marijuana law, which claimed a person should be jailed for seven to 14 years if he/she was found with a large amount of marijuana. The same law determined 50 to 500 grams of marijuana as "a large amount”.
The Constitutional Court said this punishment was "inappropriately strict” for smoking cannabis and cannabis users and cannabis dealers should not be punished the same way.
Although Tsikarishvili possessed "a large amount” of marijuana, the Court did not see any evidence he intended to sell it.
The Court called on the country’s lawmakers to create specific criteria that would help judges figure out whether a person was a marijuana dealer or if they possessed cannabis only for personal use. If found the drug was for personal use, a prison sentence would be an inappropriate punishment for these offenders, the Constitutional Court ruled.
The charge against Tsikarishvili sparked a large-scale protest against the country's strict marijuana laws last year. A group of local artists, actors, singers and others launched a campaign called ‘Beka is not a criminal’. The group published video clips, blogs and posters online demanding marijuana become legal.
Over the past two years two major rallies were held to protest the country’s strict drug laws.
The rally organisers wanted marijuana decriminalised; although yesterday’s court decision did not decriminalise cannabis - this was not even the subject of discussion - legalisation supporters were satisfied with the amendment and assessed the verdict as a "huge step forward”.
The paved area in front of the Government Administration building turned into a party zone this afternoon as hundreds of Georgians gathered to protest the country's strict drug rules.
Georgia’s Health Minister is promising a major overhaul of the country’s drug laws after admitting current rules are too strict against users of marijuana and other soft drugs, and too lenient against prescription medicines.
Georgia is stepping up its cooperation with a European Union (EU) drug agency to enhance monitoring and sharing of information about the country’s drug situation.
A handful of inmates jailed for using marijuana are now walking free following the Georgian Constitutional Court’s historic ruling to relax the country’s drug laws.
People previously sent to prison for cannabis use, or those who were punished by a court of law for smoking marijuana will not be sent to prison again if they reoffend, announced Georgia’s Constitutional Court.
Georgia’s Constitutional Court has declared that imprisonment for use of small amount of marijuana, as well as imprisonment for its purchase, retention and production for personal usage is unconstitutional.
Georgia’s Constitutional Court has revealed a verdict today, saying that no one will be sent to prison for using marijuana.
Driving under the influence of drugs will become a criminal offence in Georgia starting in April 2019.
Libertarian opposition political party Girchi has submitted a bill to the Georgian parliament requesting the decriminalisation of the purchase and possession of marijuana. Girchi MP Iago Khvichia states that people should not be prosecuted for the purchase and possession of marijuana when the consumption of it is legal per a 2018 ruling of the country’s Constitutional Court.