The liberal SaS party, is hoping to lobby with the government of Robert Fico’s Smer-SD party, which will have an 83/150 majority in parliament, to look at the issue of decriminalising marijuana use.
The SaS party had the issue in its campaign for the 2010 elections, but resistance from all other parties in the coalition meant no progress during the 1.5 year term of the outgoing government. The issue was raised today, though, at the roundtable talks of all six parliamentary parties.
The SaS is hoping to trade its support in economic areas with Smer-SD in return for its support to decriminalise marijuana. The fact that Robert Fico’s government has a majority in parlaiment and can push through almost any legislation it wishes, means all the opposition parties will most likely enter into ‘deals’ with the government to push their own policies forward.
Head of the SaS party Richard Sulik is quietly confident that Smer-SD might be open to supporting the issue, with the main argument being to prevent young people, and others, who use this mild drug recreationally from getting a criminal record if caught in possession of small amounts.
You are right J and E. We already have enough with the repulsive British stag parties tourism trashing this place.
https://www.thedaily.sk/2012/03/16/top-news/weaker-penalties-for-marijuana-use-no-decriminalisation/
SAS advocate decriminalization, not legalization, big difference. Check your dictionary if you’re not sure. Slovakia is about ten thousand million light years away from legalizing soft drugs. Currently the law says, possession of one joint, one year in jail, possession of two joints, two years in jail… So if you like a toke in public, be careful.
EXPAT – you must be American! Do you really believe that the 5 million tourists who annually visit the Venice of the North ( Amsterdam) only visit to get out of their skulls on skunk.
It would also appear that you believe the myths rather than the hard facts about drugs in the Netherlands. There are currently about 150 licenced “cafes” in Amsterdam – No new licences will ever be issued. The “cafes” may sell upto 5gm of Cannabis to customers, who must prove that they are over 18, and who must consume the drug on the premises. The EU laws on smoking in “cafes” means that you will have to have your toot in a seperate room. The “cafe” can only stock 500gms of “clean”, government tested blow. They can not sell alcohol, are not allowed to advertise and are closed, permanently, by the police for the slightest infringement of a number of other rules. Drug tourism is something the Dutch do not want. Some cities have closed all the “cafes” while others only allow “cafes” to sell to Dutch residents and there is a proposal currently before the Dutch parliament to make this a National law. It is actually illegal to possess, use, grow or sell pot in the Netherlands, although it was, until recently, only a misdemenour. The creation of the “cafes” was a liberal experiment to try and separate soft drug supply and use from the Hard Drug dealers. It is generally considered by politicians of all shades to have been a failed experiment and whilst these “cafes” still operate in clear contradiction of the law, they are tollerated as the lesser of two evils. Although a Dutch citizen ( Not foriegn visitors) may have small amounts of the drug in their possession and even grow upto six plants for their own use, the recent reclassification of marijuana with a THC content of more than 15% as a hard drug has resulted in the Dutch police testing all the pot they discover, either on individuals or being sold in “Cafes”, and anyone found in possession of materials of 15% or more THC content are prosecuted in the same way Crack and Heroin dealers are.
I have no doubt that both you and Sulik’s bunch of hippies will be suprised at the true lack of drugs tollerence in the Netherlands.
And as a final point, although I respect your opinion I find it quite strange that a citizen of a country that has zero tollerence to Marijuana is extolling its use in your host country.
‘Lok how it worked for Amsterdam! Would anyone visit there if there wasn’t the avaiablility to stop at a coffee house for a puff?’
The Dutch are actually pretty fed up of that mentality – they would rather people visited Amsterdam for Rembrandt – but it’s the negative consequence of having a sensible outlook, while the rest of us go on being stupidly puritan.
I’ve got a visceral dislike of Sulik – can’t see anything he says or does as any more than just another populist attempt to be some sort of teenage hero – but that doesn’t affect the rights and wrongs of the issue itself.
The legalization of Marijuana in Slovakia will not only be a huge economic resource “TAXES on what is currently a street drug”, but it will also improve the stagering tourism market as well. People from all over would visit just to get high! Lok how it worked for Amsterdam! Would anyone visit there if there wasn’t the avaiablility to stop at a coffee house for a puff? I would certainly ove to be driving across the country and see fields of green fluffy nature growing in abundance! Suppose farmers will have to improve their fences and watch their fields more! I say go for it, why not, who does it hurt…. a bunch of people getting high and eating everything in sight, or the guy who is drinking a bottle of Slivovica and deciding he can drive a car?
-level
Famous actor smears grandma all over the level crossing whilst speeding, yeah, step forward Stefan “Killer” Skrucany. Penalty – no penalty, thats normal, watch out grandma. Famous actor gets caught w/ crystal meth for personal use. Penalty – 8 years. Road terrorist kills – we dont have a problem, actor gets high – jail time.