National

Legalization in Portugal may advance later this year with political consensus

Published

1 year ago

2 April, 2023

Antonio João Costa

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The legalization of cannabis may be introduced in the Portuguese Parliament and there may be political will and consensus for the approval of this regulation to be faster. In the “March for Cannabis” Manifestation, members of various parties, power and opposition, participated and revealed that it may be in 2023 that the proposal for the legalization of cannabis will enter parliament.

Francisco Themudo, National Secretary for the Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees of Socialist Youth

The staircase of the Assembly of the Republic building brought together, after the demonstration that headed from Largo do Camões, the various participants of the March for
Cannabis, convened by the Mothers for Cannabis Associative Movement. It was at a time dedicated to interventions that the possibility of legalizing cannabis in the near future in Portugal was unveiled by various political leaders.

According to Francisco Themudo, National Secretary for the Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees of Socialist Youth, who addressed those present, he reasoned that there may be will, but above all, the necessary political conditions to move towards a comprehensive regulation of cannabis.

The leader stated that “smoking is an act of freedom, and that we have the right to do it safely”, defending a legal framework where the cannabis plant is not illegal.

Rodrigo Saraiva, deputy for the Liberal Initiative

Fabien Figueiredo, former deputy for the Bloco de Esquerda and proponent of the bill to legalize personal consumption in 2021

But if there were any doubts, confirmation that, in the corridors of São Bento, cannabis is more than just talk, came from the Deputy of the Liberal Initiative, Rodrigo Saraiva. To the participants, the deputy said that it could even be in 2023 that the parliament will receive some proposals for discussion, “already with some prior consensus”.

Fabien Figueiredo, a former member of the Bloco de Esquerda, also confirmed the
availability of the party to contribute to the discussion and legalization of cannabis in Portugal. The former Bloc deputy had submitted in 2021 a proposal to legalize cannabis for personal use, which fell with the government at the end of the same year.

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[Disclaimer: Please note that this text was originally written in Portuguese and is translated into English and other languages using an automatic translator. Some words may differ from the original and typos or errors may occur in other languages.]

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