![]() ![]() I personally do not consider the new law to be more lenient.” “Possession of drugs is at a minimum a misdemeanor. “Drugs are not decriminalized in the Czech Republic,” said Frydrych. Possessing anything more is considered a felony.Įven though those amounts make Czech drug laws among the most lenient in Europe, officials bristle at the suggestion that the new law has liberalized drug possession. The Czech Republic once defined illegal drug possession with the legally vague phrase "more than a small amount." In January, a new law took effect quantifying the amount of drugs that equals a misdemeanor offense: possession of less than 15 grams of marijuana, 1.5 grams of heroin, 1 gram of cocaine and 4 tablets of ecstasy, for example, can result in a fine of 15,000 Czech crowns ($830), the average monthly salary in the country. “The Czech police have mainly been enforcing the drug laws at a certain organizational level,” said Jakub Frydrych, head of National Drug Squad of the Czech Police and the Bureau of Investigation. Possession, paradoxically, remains a crime but isn’t actively prosecuted, mainly due to a lack of resources: The Czech Government Council for Drug Policy Coordination reports there are only 200 people working on the National Drug Squad and they mostly target manufacturers, importers and major dealers. The Czech Republic has always been relatively lenient about drug use, which has been legal since 1990. “Everybody told us that Prague was the best place to find drugs,” said Mathieu’s friend.Īlthough the Czech capital has long been a tourist attraction with its medieval grandeur, elegant spires and cobbled streets, these days it has become a magnet for stag nights, pub crawls and young Europeans seeking a weekend party in a country cheaper than the Netherlands and more easy-going than its neighbors (in Slovakia, having a small amount of marijuana can lead to three years in prison). They are drinking beer and absinthe in Chateau Rogue, one of city’s most notorious tourist clubs for scoring drugs. “We’re not here for girls, we’re here for drugs and fun,” said Mathieu, who declined to give his last name, and who drove from Paris with friends to spend four days in Prague. This scene plays often in Prague these days, a city where the young are flooding in to party hard, with little fear of getting busted. ![]() ![]() “Just go over there,” says the Finn pointing toward the bathroom. A young Polish tourist approaches and asks where to get another one. PRAGUE, Czech Republic - In the smoky red basement of a popular club in Prague, a Finnish student sits at a table passing a joint to a friend. ![]()
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