Author: Johnny Green

This week the Constitutional Court in Czechia ruled in favor of a cannabis magazine and its director, asserting in its ruling that a prior decision by a lower court to convict the journalist and his media outlet violated the country’s free speech laws.

In October 2021, Robert Veverka, a journalist and director of the Czech-based cannabis magazine Legalizace, was targeted over his journalism, with officials accusing him of “inciting and promoting toxicomania.” Legalizace is a bimonthly periodical focused on cannabis and drug policy relating to human rights and environmental issues.

Veverka and his media outlet would later be convicted. Following two court hearings, the district court in Bruntál sentenced Veverka to one year in prison contingent on a two-and-a-half-year probationary period and fined him 50,000 CZK, and after an appeal, the Regional Court in Ostrava upheld the decision, albeit reducing the fine. An appeal to the Highest Court also resulted in an upheld decision.

“The judge mentioned that he is not competent to assess the benefits of the current legislation, the benefits of cannabis products in healthcare, or the negative effects of cannabis use, but that he must base his verdict on the existing legislation which is binding for all. He stated that according to his judgement, Legalizace magazine evidently and factually constituted the criminal offence of inciting and promoting toxicomania.” Veverka stated at the time of the November 2021 verdict in a press release.

“He did not take into account the legislative provisions allowing for cannabis to be handled legally in certain cases or the comprehensive and educational nature of the information published in the magazine. On the contrary, the judge expressed his doubts as to whether the individuals who granted interviews to the magazine were made aware of its content and overall message. Personally, I consider the verdict to be very biased and severely restrictive of the freedom of expression, the right to express political opinion, and the right to information,” Veverka also stated.

As first reported on LinkedIn by fellow Czech journalist and cannabis advocate Lukas Hurt, Robert Veverka later appealed the lower courts’ decisions, and the Czech Republic’s Constitutional Court overturned the lower court’s ruling.

“We didn’t expect much from the Constitutional Court, but Robert had to try – for freedom of speech and for the freedom of our plant. To everyone’s surprise, yesterday, the Court issued a landmark ruling.” Lukas Hurt stated in his social media post.

“Without open and free debate – even on controversial issues such as substance abuse – democracy cannot function effectively…The dissemination of information related to the issue of cannabis use, including criticism of current legal status, is a contribution to the social debate on issues of public interest.” the Constitutional Court stated in its landmark ruling.

Cannabis advocates in Czechia are urging lawmakers to modernize the nation’s cannabis policies. More information about their proposal can be found at: www.racionalniregulace.cz

Starting on April 1, 2025, general practitioners (GPs) in the Czech Republic will be authorized to prescribe medical cannabis to suffering patients. The policy change is a result of a new decree from the nation’s Ministry of Health.

“The decree allows GPs to prescribe medicinal cannabis for chronic, intractable pain,” Ministry spokesperson Ondřej Jakob said according to local reporting by Prague Morning (translated from Czech to English).

Medical cannabis was first legalized in Czechia in 2013, however, only specialists can currently prescribe it resulting in roughly 8,000 patients receiving legal access.

“If GPs can prescribe opiates such as morphine, it is logical they should also be allowed to prescribe medicinal cannabis,” stated Petr Šonka, Chairman of the Association of GPs of the Czech Republic according to Prague Morning.

According to a recent study conducted by researchers from Ukraine and France, and published by the U.S. National Institute of Health, 57 countries have adopted medical cannabis legalization measures.

Per the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), nearly 30% of Czech adults have consumed cannabis at least once in their lifetimes and 11.1% report having consumed cannabis within the last year. The average rate for once-a-year consumption across Europe is 8% according to EMCDDA data.

The Czech Republic’s cabinet recently approved a plan that would permit adults in the European nation to cultivate multiple plants in their private residences and possess a personal amount of cannabis.

The plan, which would legalize the cultivation of up to three cannabis plants and set a maximum possession limit of 50 grams of cannabis, was originally introduced by the Czech Republic’s Ministry of Justice back in September 2024.

In October 2022, an expert study was commissioned by the Czech Republic Pirate Party and it found that a taxed and regulated cannabis industry would generate “tax revenue from EUR 26.5 million to EUR 73 million per year.”