On 5 March, the Georgian parliament once again postponed consideration of an amendments package aimed at improving “drug policy legislation”. Deputies are expected to take a more liberal approach to this issue. The need for change stems from the decriminalisation of the personal use of marijuana by Georgia’s Constitutional Court in November 2017.
The court made the ruling following relentless pressure from Georgia’s libertarian Girchi party and the White Noise activist movement. Having joined forces, Girchi and White Noise were able to cement public opinion around the idea that the country’s current drug policy is repressive. That the issue impinges on the lives of thousands of young people has been amply demonstrated by regular protests demanding a review of the legislation. The most recent large-scale demonstration took place in December 2017. In addition to rallies in Tbilisi, people took to the streets in Georgia’s other major cities – Batumi, Kutaisi and Zugdidi. [...]
Human rights activists believe that the police abuse screening procedures and exploit them as a means of intimidating citizens. All the players in the reform process, including the leadership of Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, agree with this assessment. The campaign’s supporters are also demanding that an unambiguous legal distinction is made between users and dealers.
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