The Bloco de Esquerda delivers today to the Assembly of the Republic a new draft law (PL) to legalize cannabis for personal use, advanced the Public this weekend. The proposal calls for the state to regulate the creation of authorized commercial establishments, the sale of cannabis online and the domestic cultivation of five plants per person.
A difference between this PL and the previous one is that the Bloco dropped the article that prohibited edibles or drinks with cannabis, which shows some progress, taking into account that this is a market with enormous potential, which could represent revenues of millions of euros. However, “the sale of cannabis enriched with aromas, flavors or additives” is prohibited. The sale of synthetic cannabis is also prohibited and the state can limit THC levels.
“The State must regulate the entire cultivation, production and distribution circuit, being able to determine a maximum THC limit, as well as the consumer price, in order to combat trafficking and the illegal market”, reads the PL.
The proposal presented today also says that “the retail sale of cannabis plants, substances or preparations for personal consumption without a medical prescription and provided that for purposes other than medicinal ones, is subject to authorization from the General Directorate of Economic Activities”.
Pedro Filipe Soares, deputy of the Bloc, pointed out that legalization is a way of “fighting the black market”, “manipulated substances” and “uninformed consumption”. He also argues that Portugal has to accompany countries that have already legalized cannabis for personal use, such as Malta, and those who are debating it, such as the Germany, in which the legalization of cannabis is one of the points of the Government agreement established between the SPD and the Greens.
In the introduction of the PL, the Bloco emphasizes that “the prohibitionist policy is not a solution, in fact, it is an integral part of the problem and enhances its aggravation, protecting the clandestinity of trafficking and jeopardizing public health”.
Specialized retail stores and seeds in agricultural stores
In the explanatory memorandum of the document, it is highlighted that: “Legalizing cannabis for personal use – more commonly known as recreational use – is to combat trafficking networks and is to combat organized crime networks that are often financed through the trafficking of substances like cannabis.”
Establishments for the sale of cannabis must have, “only and only, as an activity, the sale of cannabis plants, substances or preparations”, with the exception of “commercial establishments whose main activity is the sale of agricultural or similar equipment, machinery and plants”. , where the trade in cannabis seeds is permitted”.
The previous PL of the Left Bloc was presented about a year ago, along with another one from the Liberal Initiative, and was even lowered to the commission, but expired with the fall of the government and the end of the legislature.
Read the full version of the current Draft Law here.
pjl_cannabis
So much for the Urban myth that Drugs were legal in Portugal. It sounds like they're headed towards Canada's Prohibition 2.0 legalization. The black market has thrived in Canada due to the stupid restrictions Trude imposed. They made the edibles and beverages with too little THC to be interesting and flooded the market with licenses hoping the price competition would wreck the black market. Instead, it is wrecking the legal companies that are going broke. Check their stock prices. Under Canada's Prohibition 2.0 legal companies can't hire anyone involved with the black market. So the black market is hanging on giving Canadians what they want.