Slovenia and Czech Republic announce 'modernization' of cannabis reforms

Recently, Slovenia and the Czech Republic announced separate cannabis reforms! Voters in Slovenia and the Czech Republic decided on two separate cannabis reform measures this year, marking the continued expansion of cannabis modernization reforms across Europe.

According to 2021 data, our per capita GDP is $12,500, Slovenia's per capita GDP is about $28,900, and the Czech Republic's per capita GDP is about $26,400.

On April 1, 2024, Germany, the most populous country in the European Union, took steps to legalize adult use of cannabis nationwide. The butterfly effect of Germany's policy change has since spread to other parts of the continent, with Slovenia and the Czech Republic being prime examples.

Earlier this year, during the European Parliament elections, Slovenian voters decided on two separate cannabis reform measures. The first question was: 'Should the Republic of Slovenia allow the cultivation and processing of medical marijuana on its territory?' Approximately 66.71% of Slovenian voters answered “yes” to the referendum question.

In June 2024, as part of the referendum, the second question asked by Slovenian voters was “Should the Republic of Slovenia allow the cultivation and possession of marijuana on its territory for limited personal use?” According to the final results, approximately 51.57% of Slovenian voters approved the adult use question.

The successful vote in Slovenia culminated in the announcement at the recent International Cannabis Business Conference in Slovenia that the country will implement cannabis reform measures by the end of this year. The announcement of the final measures was made during a keynote speech by Dr. Metka Paragi, a leading international microbiologist who currently serves as Minister of Health in the Cabinet of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia.

“We live up to our commitment to take full responsibility and prepare for legislative reforms in modern Europe to give our citizens access to safe and professionally supported cannabis products for health and well-being,” said Dr. Paragi. “Current Slovenian legislation allows the use of cannabis products for medical purposes, but it has never really been implemented. In practice, this is shown in a very limited way and there are many obstacles.

Modernization of cannabis policy

The cannabis reform movement in Europe is beginning to coalesce around a common goal of modernizing cannabis policy to promote public health outcomes. The foundation behind this goal is the recognition that adults will smoke cannabis, whether or not it is legal to do so. Under prohibition policies, people consume marijuana products that are completely unregulated, and there is often no way to know how the product was produced, including whether harmful pesticides and herbicides were used in the cultivation process.

Additionally, under prohibition, the market is completely controlled by unregistered entities. In many cases, these entities are organized crime groups that will stop at nothing to protect their profits, including committing acts of violence against their competitors and members of the communities in which they operate. They don't have the health of the consumer as a top priority and only generate profits. The more modernized the cannabis policies of European countries are, the less control organized crime and gangs will have over the cannabis market.

Another European country that has announced a policy that has moved towards legalization in recent years is the Czech Republic.
The country's Ministry of Justice recently announced that it recommends that adults should be able to grow up to three plants in their private homes. Additionally, the Ministry of Health has proposed that adults should be able to possess up to 25 grams when they are away from their residence, and up to 50 grams when they are at home in the Czech Republic.
The Czech proposal involves setting the age of the law at 21, which is different from the legalization models in Germany, Malta, and Luxembourg, which have set the age of the law for marijuana at 18. Uruguay, which legalized marijuana in 2013, and Canada, which legalized marijuana in 2018, have set the age of the law for adults to use marijuana at 18. The age of the proposed law in the Czech Republic would be in line with the age limits of the laws set by 24 states in the United States that have passed recreational marijuana legalization.

The eventual cannabis policy modernization laws of Slovenia and the Czech Republic will have to follow the current standards of the European Union, unless the European Union agreements are updated prior to enactment at the national level. As learned from the legalization process in Germany, the current EU agreement prohibits nationwide recreational cannabis commerce, such as that which currently exists in Uruguay and Canada.

The main components of legalization permitted under EU law include home cultivation, cultivation associations (sometimes referred to as social cannabis clubs), and regional adult-use cannabis commercial pilot trials. Pilot trials are permitted under the current EU agreement because they are research-focused and allow for recreational sales at the local level to help legislators and regulators better develop national laws and rules.