Regulating the cannabis market will raise up to tens of millions of euros a year, an expert study has confirmed. Pirates have submitted regulation proposals to their government partners, and an executive summary is now available in English.
Belgium (Brussels Morning Newspaper) In September, Czech Pirates submitted to their government partners a major comprehensive analysis of the impact of regulating the cannabis market, including proposals for regulation. The conclusions of the analysis clearly show many benefits that responsible regulation would bring. One of the most obvious is the tax revenue, which conservative estimates put at EUR 26.5 million to EUR 73 million per year. In the more optimistic scenario, the budget may grow by millions of euros if we include the possibility of selling cannabis products or, for example, exporting to the German market, where regulation is also planned. Restricting access to cannabis for risk groups such as minors is also essential.
This proposed law is truly unprecedented in the EU, as it will go much further than, for example, the current legal framework of the Netherlands and will push for a true legalisation in a European member state. It will rival Canada’s ambitious legalisation efforts, and be unmatched on the European playing field. Furthermore, the expansive legalisation impact study conducted by the pirate party on this, is the most comprehensive one yet.
“We looked at several expert studies and tried to estimate the impact of cannabis use on both crime and the Czech budget. We have identified 27 regulatory areas in which we have identified options suitable for the Czech Republic. The result is a proposal for a regulated market model with licensed entities. The market would prohibit all advertising and promotion, similar to Canada. All consumers would be registered in a centralised system. The group proposed the licensing of cannabis associations as non-profit organisations. The proposal will now be debated and I speak for our entire group in saying that the Czech Republic deserves an evidence-based approach to the cannabis issue,” said Dr Vendula Běláčková, expert on addictionology and drug policy, and team leader of the regulatory impact study.
The analysis has been prepared over two years by a group of economists, lawyers, addictionologists and public policy experts, including the head of the Pirate Inter-ministerial Team on Addictive Behaviour Jana Michailidu. The document deals with the international context of cannabis policy, the impact of the current state of affairs on society and the judiciary, or the cost to the budget. It also comes with an introduction to the objectives of cannabis market regulation and specific proposals for regulation.
“Reform, regulation, taxation – these are the three pillars with which we as Pirates approach the regulation of the cannabis market. By taxing, we will raise billions of euros a year while avoiding unnecessary spending on repression. In addition, if we manage to launch the regulated market together with the German one, it will mean huge export opportunities for our economy. We also aim to reduce the black market and, in particular, access to cannabis for minors. That’s why we have come up with a model that combines the introduction of a licensed cannabis market like in the US, elements of restrictions on promotion and an information campaign to reduce harm along the lines of Canada, and registration of legal users, similar to Uruguay,” MP Klára Kocmanová said, adding that the Pirates will present the impact analysis, including regulation proposals, to their coalition partners next week, with whom they will agree on the way forward. They have already discussed the topic with a number of them.
“One of the main social benefits is to end the criminalisation of behaviour where the danger to society is minimal. We will end criminal sanctions for non-problematic users, which will bring with it a reduced burden on the prison system and, as a consequence, will make it possible to strengthen financial and staff resources in areas of more serious crime,” added MEP Mikuláš Peksa.
“Repression and non-existent or underfunded services in the field of prevention and risk reduction is how the current unsatisfactory state of affairs in the field of addictive behaviour can be characterised. The cost of law enforcement agencies dealing with cannabis-related crime is over 24.5 million euros a year. However, spending this much money does not reduce demand, increase public safety or reduce the size of the black market. These facts have been known to us for many years, but unfortunately we have continually encountered political blockages and the ignorance of proven modern and workable approaches,” said Michailidu.
The Pirates’ and the expert group’s proposals are also in line with the government’s programme statement, which declares that the government will implement a policy based on a scientifically proven and balanced approach to risk prevention and harm reduction. It also promises to ensure adequate funding for both prevention programmes and services, and to regulate addictive substances according to their level of harm.
Given the fact that Pirates are a part of the ruling coalition, the chances of a success for this legalisation effort look promising. There are coalition parties which have some reservations, but they are willing to discuss the proposal, and Pirates will use scientific evidence and their data-backed impact study to negotiate the proposal and make the law a reality.
At the European level, the Pirates have started an informal group on the legalisation of personal use of cannabis. Together with colleagues from Malta, The Netherlands, Ireland and Luxembourg, MEP Mikuláš Peksa is advocating for a discussion regarding the outdated patchwork of prohibitive cannabis legislation, which makes the lives of European citizens difficult. “Legalisation of personal use of cannabis is a question of personal freedom. European citizens are used to a level of certainty and safety when crossing borders to other EU Member States, and the current state of legalisation of cannabis in different Member States runs counter to these rights” says Peksa. The group hopes to exchange information on best practices from Member States with an ongoing legalisation process, organise meetings with experts, and advocate for legalisation at the European level.
Link to the executive summary: http://cannabisregulation.cz/
