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An amendment that would see a full commercial adult-use cannabis market established in the Czech Republic has finally been brought to the government after months of waiting.
Business of Cannabis has learnt that an amendment to a proposed self-cultivation bill, put forward in November, has been submitted, meaning that the government ‘will have to debate that bill through the lens of full regulation.’
It comes as the country’s efforts to push ahead with the most liberal cannabis reform in Europe have been stuck in limbo for months, with a final proposal of the long-awaited adult-use bill ready and waiting, but no politician willing to bring it to parliament to be debated.
In an increasingly familiar theme across Europe over the last year, the race is now on to debate and finalise regulation before the November election.
Freed from limbo
Since May 2024, a bill which proposes the establishment of a comprehensive adult-use cannabis retail market, authored by the country’s former National Drug Coordinator Jindřich Vobořil, has been ready and ‘sitting outside the government’s office.’
However, the bill has been ‘stuck’ in political limbo, requiring either the Prime Minister or another leader of the coalition parties to raise it in parliament.
Despite widespread support for the proposals, the KDU-ČSL (Christian and Democratic Union People’s Party) has continued to fight the bill at every turn.
One thing they were able to agree on is the legalisation of self-cultivation, allowing up to three cannabis plants to be grown and possession of small amounts of cannabis for personal use.
In November, the government approved a draft bill that would amend the Criminal Code, legalising the cultivation of up to three cannabis plants and the possession of up to 50g of cannabis flower inside your home and 25g in public.
While this bill is entirely separate from the one put forward by Vobořil proposing full legalisation, an amendment has now been submitted that would mean full legalisation will be debated in parliament.
A ‘significant step
The amendment was submitted unexpectedly by a member of the Pirate Party, long-time supporters of cannabis reform.
Despite the progress, this has seemingly caused tension among proponents of the legalisation bill. In a Facebook post earlier this week, Vobořil took aim at the Pirate Party’s leader, Ivan Bartos, arguing that the party had failed to properly support him when he first prepared and put forward the legalisation bill.
Furthermore, he took issue with the fact that the amendment had been submitted quietly, without informing or addressing the media.
Business of Cannabis understands that the unexpected submission undermined plans already underway to have it submitted by an MP from the Prime Minister’s ODS party, a medical specialist who works in the government’s health office.
What’s behind the amendment?
The amendment was prepared by the Rational Addiction Policy think tank, in cooperation with experienced criminal law lawyers.
It argues that the criminal reform proposal submitted by the Minister of Justice, Pavel Blažek, will not lead to real decriminalisation unless further changes are made.
As such, the amendment focuses on ‘ensuring that the proclaimed goals of the Criminal Code amendment are achieved—to truly decriminalise the handling of cannabis for personal use, not just at a theoretical level.’
Of primary concern is the upper limit of 50g of dried flower for home cultivators, which the organisation highlights is far too low considering an experienced gardener can produce 100g – 500g from one plant, a debate that played out similarly in Germany.
Due to this ‘irregularity,’ Rational Regulation Association (RARE), which has played a key part in pushing legalisation forward in the Czech parliament, argued that this would actively undermine the bill’s aims, leaving the police with a tool ‘with which they can continue to persecute small growers for their own needs’.
MUDr. Pavel Kubů explained, “This means that the prosecution of acts without any social harm will continue, and considerable financial resources will continue to flow from taxpayers’ pockets for these repressive activities, which could be used more rationally.”
Dr Tomas Ryska, Director at Atrasana Czech and a member of RARE, tells Business of Cannabis that it is ‘a significant step that the issue has been officially brought to parliament.’
“Now, they will have to debate that bill through the lens of full regulation. The debate is only just beginning. They will start with self-cultivation, but there will also be discussions on amendments and improvements to the legislation that is currently under review.”
Although the amendment has officially been brought, a date for it to be debated is not yet set in stone.
Growing tensions
As the election looms, tension is reportedly growing across the country’s cannabis community. This is not only due to the unplanned submission of the amendment but also in relation to the recent psychomodulating substances bill (PML).
Business of Cannabis reported last month that starting July 2025, the sale of CBD and kratom will be regulated under the newly established PML.
The inclusion of CBD has proven controversial among the cannabis community, and some are now suggesting that the focus on this bill has diverted much-needed attention away from adult-use cannabis regulation, leading to the current state of affairs.
Furthermore, with CBD sales now coming under new, stricter regulation, many are concerned this could ‘destroy’ the industry.
One campaign advert read, “Government of the Czech Republic! Please, do not leave us without a choice! Do not support the destruction of CBD cannabis as proposed by Mravčík and the Pirate Party. We do not deserve this! #LetUsBeTogether”.
However, as both Dr Ryska and the PML’s architect Vobořil point out, it is likely the CBD would be banned entirely in the country without this legislation or classified as a novel food (as seen in the UK) leading to a lengthy and expensive approval process.
Tensions surrounding these separate bills, we’re told, are closely connected.
“}]] An amendment that would see a full commercial adult-use cannabis market established in the Czech Republic has finally been brought to the government after months of waiting. Business of Cannabis Read More
