Czech Republic to Follow Germany

The Czech government is drafting a bill on cannabis regulation, expected to be presented in early 2023. Full legalisation may be put into effect by the start of 2024.

The government tasked drug commissioner Jindřich Vobořil with drafting legislation to legalise adult cannabis use in September. 

Vobořil has stated that the Czech government is already in contact with the German government to coordinate with each other over their proposals.

Although recreational use is still illegal, the Czech Republic decriminalised cannabis possession for personal use in 2010 and legalised medicinal cannabis back in 2013.

The Czech Republic are also one of the few European countries that cultivate industrial hemp with a THC content of as much as 1%. In contrast, other EU members have a limit of about 0.2%. However, the European Union recently decided to increase THC from 0.2% to 0.3% for authorised hemp crops used for industrial purposes.

The regulation of a recreational cannabis market appears to be a natural step for a country where about 30% of adults have experimented with cannabis, and 8% to 9% admit to using it regularly. 

Despite decriminalising personal use, the illegal market thrives because no legal production has been established. Experts believe that legalisation could induce substantial gains from cannabis consumption taxation.

The Czech Pirate Party are the smallest political party in the government coalition. They are also one of the most renowned cannabis supporters in the country and estimate that cannabis products could generate about €800 million in tax revenue per year.

The government's National Economic Council (NERV) have suggested a regulated, legal cannabis industry would help the country fight high public budget deficits.

Although it is still unclear how the Czech Republic and Germany would work together, Vobořil aims to establish a cannabis social club model for Czech consumers similar to that in Spain.

Germany's announcement of its plans to legalise recreational cannabis has already sent shockwaves around Europe. It has opened up the debate over cannabis legalisation and encouraged the Czech Republic to regulate its legal market within a specific timeframe.

In June, Germany, Luxembourg, Malta, and the Netherlands held a meeting to discuss launching an endeavour to share knowledge and experiences to regulate the legal industry.