The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Georgia. the official website, in Georgian on Thursday, decriminalized press release, in Georgian marijuana usage.
The suit was brought in opposition to article 273 of the Georgia criminal code, which punished marijuana use without a doctor’s prescription. The suit referenced article 16 of the Constitution of Georgia, which grants the right to free personality. The article imposes fines, jail time or socially useful labor onto people who use marijuana without doctor permission. The court removed criminal liability from marijuana and other cannabis-based drugs.
The court determined that the right to choose to use marijuana is protected by the autonomy of the person. The court recognized that it may be harmful to health, but deemed it less dangerous to the public interest. Ultimately, the court decided the law punished citizens for engaging in behavior that was hazardous to their health which is not compatible with a free society.
The ruling, however, does not apply to the selling, distributing or creating of marijuana, which is still criminalized under the criminal code of the Republic of Georgia.
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