Polish Lawmakers Send Marijuana Decriminalization Petition To Prime Minister Amid Regional Reform Movement

A Polish legislative committee has taken an initial step toward nationally decriminalizing marijuana, sending a reform proposal to Prime Minister Donald Tusk for consideration.

The Polish Parliamentary Committee on Petitions took up the issue last week, and members are now asking the prime minister to consider the push to stop criminalizing people over possession of up to 15 grams of cannabis and cultivation up to one plant for personal use.

Tusk has 30 days to respond to the petition, which is not legally binding as it would be for a formal bill. The petition, or “dezyderat,” is more of a request from the legislative body for action on the issue.

The prime minister will be required to provide a written response with details about any steps the administration will take, an explanation if they don’t intend to act on it or a referral to another agency.

Polish activists said in September that they met with an official at the country’s health ministry to discuss marijuana decriminalization, which they reported received tentative support. An interior affairs ministry official also weighed in on the issue in July, forwarding the recommendation to law enforcement for review.

Advocates are also awaiting a response from the justice ministry after submitting the proposal.

The reason that advocates declined to propose a bill, as opposed to a non-binding petition, is because they believe the current president, Andrzej Duda, would veto it, Wolne Konopie reported. They’re hoping the petition will advance the conversation, which could translate into legislative action depending on the outcome of the next presidential election next May.

The Polish committee’s petition referral comes months after a law legalizing medical marijuana in neighboring Ukraine went into effect amid that country’s ongoing conflict with Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky officially signed the medical cannabis legislation in February—a step that he and other officials said could help soldiers address physical and mental wounds incurred during the war.

On the other side of Poland, Germany enacted a marijuana legalization law this year. And just a few months after officials began approving marijuana social clubs, which cultivate cannabis on behalf of enrolled members, the first of the groups has announced its initial distribution of marijuana this year.

Personal use, cultivation and limited availability through cannabis social clubs is just the first of a two-part legalization plan in Germany. Advocates and stakeholders are still awaiting details on the government’s plan for the second pillar of the law that is expected to provide for a broader commercial sales model.

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