RP's hard drug campaign ditched

16th December 2011

Maverick politician Janusz Palikot has backed down from a controversial campaign for the decriminalisation of carrying small amounts of hard drugs such as heroin and LSD.

Mr Palikot, leader of the Palikot Movement (RP), the third biggest party in the lower house of parliament, had drawn widespread criticism for his idea to legalise possession of small quantities of hard drugs for personal use.

The party leadership had planned to include its idea on the drugs in a draft narcotics bill it wants to introduce to parliament.

But the proposal appeared to be a proposal too far even for the Palikot Movement, which often appears to revel in being the rebel of politics. Andrzej Rozenek, Palikot Movement spokesman, said that an “initial poll” on the idea had shown that it would not meet with approval, and so it had been shelved.

The idea had also won few friends in the political world.

“Times change and we move on, but not in this direction,” said Stefan Niesiolowski, from the governing Civic Platform (PO). “These, after all, are poisons.”

Ewa Kopacz, the parliamentary speaker and a doctor, said she had opposed the proposal because she knew just how “addictive” hard drugs could be.

Despite this setback, the party intends to push ahead with its campaign for the legalisation of marijuana for private consumption, which it is running with the support of the Hemp Initiative, an NGO fighting for the common drug to become legal.

Under proposals in the draft bill, it would be legal to carry up to 30 grams of the soft drug, although this too will have a fight on its hands to get on to the statute books. Both Law and Justice (PiS) and Civic Platform are against the proposal, and without the support of a big party the bill could become a dead duck.

Also diminishing its chances are recent amendments to the current drugs law that scrap the mandatory prosecution of anybody caught in possession of small amounts of illegal drugs.

In an attempt to prevent Polish courts becoming too clogged with cases involving small amounts of drugs, a new law also now makes it possible for prosecutors to refer people caught directly onto treatment programmes rather than start legal proceedings, if they so prefer.