Is weed legal in Poland? Is Poland a conservative country? Is weed legal in Poland? Apart from these answers, you will come across the strict drug laws in the country. So don’t visit before learning the laws!
Poland resides in the heart of Europe. The country is well known for its conservative approach to many taboo subjects worldwide. And, of course, marijuana is among them. So, unsurprisingly, cannabis doesn’t have welcoming accepted in the country. However, for some reason, the country made medical cannabis legal.
The article has much more to know! So, stick to it!
Marijuana in Poland: History, Laws, and the weed culture
Contents
Poland is a country in Central Europe. Even after being surrounded by so many progressive countries, an illegal drug remains unchanged- marijuana! The tough law enforcement makes it more forbidden.
Let’s find out how it all started!
History of cannabis in Poland: It’s interesting!
Do you know that today’s unprogressive Poland was once the leader in hemp production? Then, what happened?
History states that the use of cannabis plants was a part of daily life in ancient Poland. Like many countries, cannabis was a self-grown crop. It is said that the Slavic tribe settled in the country and used marijuana in daily life.
Some reports say that older people in Poland know the benefits of medicinal cannabis. For example, they used to have cannabis tea as medicine in their normal life. Many people used to grow the herb, and during that time Hemp industry was thriving on a huge 50,000 hectares of land.
By the end of 1950, the scenario changed. The hemp production was reduced to 100 hectares only. And the plant got classified as a narcotic plant. This affected the day-to-day lives of the Polish people. The cultivation was almost stopped. But cannabis remains legal till then.
Then in 1997, the worst time for cannabis came in Poland. The Polish government made cannabis illegal officially. The ban on growing, selling, and using cannabis suddenly changed people’s minds. Cannabis was prohibited from use.
The year of Hope:
In the year 2011, there was an amendment to the law. The laws gave police a complete hold on whether to prosecute a person for possessing small amounts or cultivating this plants. The reason behind the change is that the law admitted that if a person possesses small amounts for some valid reasons, he should not face the laws. So, now the prosecution depends from case to case.
This way, the country first incorporated the drug tolerance policy for the first time. This step laid the foundation for further legalization.
After that, in 2017, the parliament of Poland showed a keen interest and support for the legalization of weed for medicinal purposes. However, there was a huge exchange of heated arguments in public debates. Finally, the legislation passed a law to make medical marijuana available for patients.
Current Status of Cannabis in Poland: Can you use the illegal drug?
Currently,
Medical cannabis: Legal
Recreational Cannabis: illegal (However, possession of small quantities is widely tolerated)
Except this, selling, trafficking, buying, or growing cannabis for recreational use is illegal. There are strict laws or such offenses.
So read the laws in detail to avoid any unpleasant situations.
Marijuana Laws in Poland you must know:
We have researched laws for the possession, sale, and growing of cannabis. Keep reading to know the details!
Laws for possessing marijuana:
First, you must understand that Poland does not differentiate between various drugs. All come under narcotics.
Possession of drugs is an illegal offense. Additionally, possession of small amounts is not a criminal offense anymore. As per The National Programme for Counteracting Drug Addiction 2011-2016, there is a clause of three years of imprisonment for the possession of drugs.
However, there is an alternate way also for first-time offenders of possession. In such cases, the offender might face some reduction to his rights for up to one year or some other alternative therapies. Also, the offender might only need to pay only some amount as a fine.
Tolerance for the personal use of cannabis:
Due to extreme pressure from the famous poet Wislawa Szymborska, former president Lech Walesa and other public figures, the government decriminalized cannabis for possessing small amounts of weed. The country witnessed a huge fall in the number of cases of possession.
Gradually, a huge tolerance developed or a small amount of cannabis possession.
Laws For Selling Marijuana:
Asper Polish law, importing, exporting, selling, or trafficking any drug is a criminal offense.
- Any such crime of supplying or selling marijuana or any drug would take the offender 5 years of jail time.
- However, the punishment would be reduced to one-year imprisonment for the crime of lesser gravity, where very small amounts are involved.
- Further, if the drug trafficker is found selling a huge or significant amount of drugs, he would be sent to jail for up to 12 years.
- If a drug trafficker has a drug addiction, alternative treatment is offered instead of a prison sentence.
Selling weed is not a wise thing to do in Poland.
Laws for growing cannabis seeds:
After discussing the laws for possession and selling, it’s time to find out the Polish laws for the cultivation of marijuana.
The perpetrators of growing weed will face hefty fines and stricter jail time like for growing weed, and the prison time will be from six months to eight years. The punishment depends upon the number of cannabis plants involved.
Regardless of the extreme regulations, there are some regular activities of cannabis cultivation in the country. For example, the cops consistently take action against unlawful cultivation. For instance, in 2015, a few captures were made, with one 49-year-elderly person being captured for growing 60 plants in his stable. In 2018, the police held onto more than 2,500 pot plants worth over EUR 700,000 in only two separate places.
In 2014, cops arrested a man for the cultivation of marijuana plants for his personal use. The man strongly put his side in the courtroom. He said it is not wise to give someone a suspended sentence for growing such a small number of plants.
The court understood his points and stated,” The decisions of the legislature should be based on multifaceted research, the evaluation of existing solutions, the analysis of data and factors relevant to drug policy and the experience of other countries.”
The conservative polish lawmakers didn’t want to make growing weed legal as they thought that it would induce the recreational use of cannabis in the country.
Overall, growing cannabis is illegal, but the prosecution depends upon the number of plants grown.
Laws for CBD use:
CBD usage is legal in Poland. However, the law did not mention how much THC content is allowed. But, CBD is a loved substance. For Poland, CBD is a food ingredient used in food, supplements, or medicines. Well, overall, CBD is widely consumed.
Interestingly, the industries have set their THC value up to 0.2 %, as the law doesn’t define it. For example, you will find CBD-infused food items commonly in Poland. Also, CBD-infused cannabis oil is available to use.
So, one thing that you can enjoy is CBD-infused food!
In detail, let’s understand medical marijuana, industrial Hemp, and the Future of cannabis in Poland.
Legalization of Medical Marijuana:
We know Poland sanctioned weed for medical purposes in 2017 when most parliament members showed huge mind-boggling support for cannabis-based drugs.
Here, an incidence is worth sharing. In 2015, a Warsaw specialist had to suspend his action after he was found controlling marijuana items to epileptic patients without having the authorization to do as such. The reason for the suspension of the treatment was that he was not authorized and didn’t have the legal papers for such treatment. However, he claimed his treatment ran successfully with 90% accuracy on his patient.
A couple of months after the incident, one more incident attracted heated debate among the public. A person named Tomasz Kalita, who was agreat supporter of legalizing medical marijuana for seriously ill patients, died due to brain cancer.
A survey in the year 2015 showed that the Polish majority of the population upheld the sanctioning of pot for medical purposes. According to the reports of the new poll, almost 68% of the population favored medical cannabis for treatment.
The medical cannabis law was passed in 2017. The law empowered Polish pharmacies to import and export weed. For this, the pharmacies needed to register each cannabis activity in the Registration of Medical Products office.
The legitimization act was passed in 2017. Clean legislators assessed that around 300,000 patients would fit the bill for clinical marijuana medicines.
Medical cannabis Culture:
Although Polish patients can now access medical cannabis, they have very limited access. The law helped the patients to have access to cannabis oil as well.
Though the law was passed in 2017, it took two years to put medical marijuana on sale. Dr. Jerzy Jarosz commented: “Until now, we had a law that allowed for the use of medical marijuana, but we had no medicine. This is the beginning of a new era for patients.”. This is because medical cannabis is not allowed to cultivate in the country. In any case, Poland has to import medicines from other countries.
Specialists could recommend marijuana therapies for various afflictions. However, there are certain qualifying conditions to get access.
- Epilepsy,
- Chronic Pain,
- After chemotherapy
- Cancer
- Multiple sclerosis.
Patients with the diseases mentioned above can only get the help of medical cannabis when the doctors would recommend them. They must have proof of the recommendation that the cannabis-infused medicine will help them and that the traditional medicines are not working for them.
The reasons for the regulations on the medical use of marijuana are limited access, unavailability of adequate supplies of medical marijuana, and the high treatment cost. The normal cost of the treatment is around 500 Euros a month!
Many non-legislative associations and legislators are now trying to change the new law. They say that homegrown development would bring down the creation costs of marijuana medicine, making it more available for patients. However, the government is confronted as they believe that the home cultivation of pot would lead to the recreational use of weed among young people.
Hemp Industry in Poland:
Hemp or ‘Konopie’ has been an important part of Poland’s history. Before 1950, ‘s Hemp cultivation spread over 50000 hectares of land in Poland. However, the industry has slowly declined, and in 2014, only 100 hectares of land were there for weed cultivation.
Experts believe that if recreational cannabis is decriminalized in Poland, this will boost the hemp industry in the country. However, hemp could be very useful in the country’s economic growth.
Cannabis Culture in Poland:
Poland is a large country both in geographical area and population. The country has many cities. Some of them are liberal about weed, while many of them don’t allow smoking. Well, ahead of the private consumption of cannabis products in Poland, you must have complete knowledge of a certain place.
The country has legalized medical cannabis. Yet only two Canadian companies have the complete hold – Aurora cannabis and Canopy growth. Due to the lack of weed cultivation inside Poland, medical marijuana treatment costs much more than conventional weed.
People, especially young adults, want to buy cannabis and want it to get legalized for private use, yet there are almost 59% of people criticize marijuana use, according to the Drugriporter.
FAQs:
Can I send cannabis seeds to Poland?
Selling and buying cannabis seeds are allowed. You can send them via post. However, make sure that the seeds couldn’t germinate. You can not use those seeds to grow cannabis plants.
Can I smoke in Poland?
No. Cops will be after you for smoking weed in public. So don’t try.
Can I travel to Poland with weed?
Crossing an international border with drugs is a serious criminal offense. You would end up ruining your life. For example, you might be deported or sent to prison. In some cases, there is a clause of life imprisonment.
What is the quality of weed that I’ll get in Poland?
Well, in Poland, the cultivation of marijuana is a NO No affair. People usually get it from illegal drug dealing or by growing it discreetly. You cannot expect excellent weed quality in such cases.
The Future of weed in Poland:
No one can say what the Fufutureolds. Cannabis legalization is a personal choice of any country. However, it’s the circumstances that bring change, as in the case of medical marijuana happened.
Certainly, there is a long journey toward the legalisation of marijuana in Poland. So, your wait to get legal cannabis will not get over soon! But medical cannabis legalisation has paved a path toward legalisation. At least one can stay hopeful.
