Czech President Pardons Three Cannabis Growers
Czech President Petr Pavel addressing the European Parliament in 2023. Credit: CC-BY-4.0: © European Union 2023– Source: EP
Czech President Petr Pavel recently pardoned three men who were imprisoned because of growing cannabis. His move has reignited debate around the Czech Republic whether legislators should finally change the laws on cannabis.
All three men convicted and then pardoned for growing cannabis in the Czech Republic were above the age of 70. They were supposed to serve sentences of three to four years, but President Pavel pardoned them because of declining health and age and previous integrity. The pardons have renewed discussions in Czechia about punishing people for cultivating cannabis for personal use.
A new law in Czechia may permit adults to cultivate up to three cannabis plants in their private residencies, in addition to possessing up to 25 grams of weed when away from home and up to 50 grams at their homes. That is according to a draft proposal which the Czech Ministry of Justice worked on during last year. It is widely seen that Czech regulation on cannabis could be molded from the German law.
President Petr Pavel Has Granted Five Pardons in Total
Petr Pavel became the Czech President in March 2023. A retired army general, he won the elections with 58.3% of the vote. He has so far used his constitutional powers to grant pardons twice. Previous cases included a pardon for a man whose driving caused a collision with a train during low visibility, resulting in the demise of two passengers. Another pardon has been given to a man who was convicted of aiding cannabis distribution. These two cases have been followed by the recent pardon of the three cannabis growers in their seventies. The presidential office is currently reviewing more than 1,300 clemency requests and perhaps more cases will emerge on cannabis-related charges.
Will Czechia Join Europe’s Growing Club of Legal Countries?
Mr. Pavel’s pardons are the latest sign that Czech Republic could be well headed toward legalization of cannabis. There has been a lot of talking that Czechia will follow in the steps of its neighbor Germany, which gradually started to legalize cannabis in 2024. The Minister of Health Vlastimil Válek has also said in the past that he supports having a regulated cannabis market in Czechia, but it is still unclear when and whether this might happen.
Besides Germany, legal cannabis in Europe is also available in Malta and Luxembourg. Few other countries, including Switzerland and the Netherlands, are currently running cannabis trials where authorities can test legalization models. Softened approaches to cannabis have also been seen in Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Estonia and Croatia.
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Stephen Andrews
