The Lithuanian parliament Seimas on Thursday resumed its debate on the liberal Freedom Party’s initiative to decriminalise the possession of small amounts of cannabis.
MPs from the ruling coalition agreed on Wednesday to put the bill on the agenda of Thursday’s plenary session.
The proposed legislation, amended by the parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs, calls for adding to the Code of Administrative Offences a provision that the production, processing, acquisition, possession, transport, or dispatch of small quantities of cannabis, cannabis oil, resin, extracts, or tinctures without the intention to distribute them is punishable by a warning or by a fine of between 30 and 250 euros.
Fines of between 250 and 400 euros could be imposed for repeated offences. In all cases, the cannabis, its parts, oils, resins, extracts, or tinctures would be confiscated.
The draft legislation also provides for obliging offenders to enrol in alcoholism and drug addiction prevention, early intervention, health care, and socialisation programs or courses.
A person would be exempted from administrative liability if he or she voluntarily seeks medical assistance or surrenders illegally acquired cannabis or cannabis products to a public authority.
The health minister would define what quantity of cannabis would be considered small.
Currently, possessing a small quantity of any kind of narcotic drug is punishable by criminal law in Lithuania.
In 2018, the parliament twice rejected amendments aimed at decriminalising the possession of small quantities of narcotic drugs.
Read more: Decriminalisation of cannabis gets fresh push in Lithuania after celebrity detention
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