Drug Policy

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Lelo’s Tbilisi bureau chief Saba Buadze. Screengrab via YouTube.

Drug Policy

Lelo proposes decriminalisation of drugs in Georgia

by OC Media

•3 min read

Georgian opposition party Lelo has proposed decriminalising drug use, as part of a proposal to reorient the country’s drug policy from a criminal justice approach to a healthcare one. The proposal was announced at a press briefing by Saba Buadze, the chair of Lelo’s Tbilisi bureau, on Wednesday. He suggested that the ‘drug epidemic’ in the country was caused by the ‘criminal indifference and complicity’ of the Georgian Dream government. In their nine-step policy, Lelo proposed: * Decri

Cannabis

How Georgia enforces its borders: drug trafficking since 2012

by Volodymyr Soboliev

•13 min read

Historically, international reports have referred to Georgia as one of the corridors for the transit of Afghan heroin towards Europe. Liberali tried to find out how Georgia is tackling drug trafficking and what has changed since 2012 under the Georgian dream government. In September 2009, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime published a report on the spread of Afghan heroin around the world. The report noted that seven tons of heroin reached Europe through Georgia each year. Hero

bust of Georgian Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi. (on.ge)

2019 Georgia Club Raids

Gakharia faces criticism on anniversary of Bassiani club raids

by OC Media

•4 min read

Georgian drug policy reform advocates have marked the anniversary of police raids on night clubs Bassiani and Café Gallery in the capital Tbilisi. Recently formed advocacy group 12 May, named after the night of the raids, draped banners over bridges and on public spots in Tbilisi bearing anti-government messages. These included references to the raids, the country’s harsh drug policies, as well as ironic references to their environmental policy, alleged control over the media, and scandals

Cannabis

Georgia ‘tightens noose’ on cannabis after Constitutional Court legalises use

by OC Media

•3 min read

Georgia’s parliament has adopted a new law restricting cannabis use, five months after the Constitutional Court made consumption of the drug legal. Restrictions allow only those 21 or above to consume the drug and only at home. The court ruled on 30 July that any punishment for consuming cannabis was unconstitutional. Under the new law, people will not face even administrative punishments, such as fines, if police discover they have taken cannabis. However, the new regulations adopted by

Drug Policy

Georgian officials to withdraw cannabis export bill after meeting Patriarch

by OC Media

•3 min read

Georgia is to withdraw a cannabis cultivation bill after a meeting between senior officials and the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church. The government also said they would discuss ways to legally limit the Constitutional Court’s rulings on drug policy. Far-right group Georgian March congratulated its followers for ‘making officials withdraw the bill’. On 2 October, Chair of Parliament Irakli Kobakhidze and Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia held a meeting with Church head Patriarch Ilia

Cannabis

Georgia’s cannabis bill to allow home use only

by OC Media

•4 min read

A new bill on cannabis has been introduced to parliament by Georgia’s Interior Ministry which would fully legalise consumption at home while still imposing fines for the purchase and possession of the drug. The draft law, which came in response to a Constitutional Court ruling legalising cannabis use, has faced criticism from both conservatives and rights groups. The bill, published on Monday, would maintain penalties for public use of cannabis allowing cannabis use only at home those ov

Cannabis

Georgia may export cannabis

by OC Media

•4 min read

Georgia may legalise the production of cannabis for export if a new law proposed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs goes ahead. The Interior Ministry announced that the government was working on ‘different ways to regulate cannabis’ on Tuesday. According to the Ministry, the law would mean restrictions on ‘producing cannabis for pharmaceutical and cosmetic purposes for export’ would be lifted. Selling cannabis in Georgia would still remain illegal. According to Georgian news agency Inter