The government has drafted a new bill on the prevention of drug addiction, which, in effect, might decriminalize possession of small amounts of drugs, for personal use.
“We want to concentrate on prevention and treatment, not punishment,” said Justice Minister Krzysztof Kwiatkowski, commenting on the draft bill. “Punishing a person for possessing just one joint is absurd,” said Kwiatkowski and added that the state should help drug addicts to quit instead of persecuting them.
The liberalization of Poland’s drug law comes after the Czech Republic’s decision to abolish penalties for possessing a small quantity of illicit drugs.
The draft bill is expected to be forwarded to the Parliament in April.
According to the current law, the possession of any amount of cannabis is illegal and can result in a 3-year prison sentence and drug dealing to a 10-year prison sentence. (mg/pg)
Source: TOK FM