Is it legal to smoke weed in Czech Republic?

Question

I know that buying and selling marijuana in Prague is illegal. As I were there in October 2012 I haven't seen any coffee-shops, but I have seen a lot of people smoking weed in bars or on the streets, even on the Charles Bridge. Is it legal to possess and smoke weed or just tolerated?

Answer 1

The Czech police website has a good overview of the current legal situation, albeit only in Czech.

1. Selling marijuana for whatever amount of money or services is a criminal offence, punishable for one to five years in prison:

§ 187 Nedovolená výroba a držení omamných a psychotropních látek a jedů

(1) Kdo neoprávněně vyrobí, doveze, vyveze, proveze, nabízí, zprostředkuje, prodá nebo jinak jinému opatří nebo pro jiného přechovává omamnou nebo psychotropní látku, přípravek obsahující omamnou nebo psychotropní látku, prekursor nebo jed, bude potrestán odnětím svobody na jeden rok až pět let.

2. Buying marijuana isn't a specific criminal or civil offense, however it obviously leads to possession.

3. Possession of marijuana is a civil offense, as long as the quantity of the drug is for personal consumption. If one is found to be in violation of this law, they may be fined by up to 15000CZK (~550EUR). However it's rare for the police to care about this particular misdemeanor, so most drug users are ignored.

(1) Přestupku se dopustí ten, kdo

j) neoprávněně přechovává v malém množství pro svoji potřebu omamnou nebo psychotropní látku

(2) Za přestupek podle odstavce 1 písm. a) až d) lze uložit pokutu do 3 000 Kč, za přestupek podle odstavce 1 písm. e) a f) pokutu do 5 000 Kč a zákaz činnosti do 1 roku, za přestupek podle odstavce 1 písm. g) až i) pokutu od 25 000 Kč do 50 000 Kč a zákaz činnosti od 1 do 2 let a za přestupek podle odstavce 1 písm. j) a k) pokutu do 15 000 Kč

4. What quantity of marijuana is considered to be for personal consumption is not strictly defined, however the Supreme Court has recommended 10 grams to be used as a cut-off.

5. Smoking marijuana isn't defined as a separate offence, however it's obviously impossible without possessing a certain quantity. Likewise there's no separate offence for being intoxicated from marijuana.

6. Growing marijuana is also illegal. Keeping up to 5 plants is a civil offense (punishable by a fine of up to 15000CZK) or a criminal offense if more than 5 plants are grown:

Konopí lze pěstovat i doma, ale pouze do obsahu THC 0,3%, což je uvedeno v zákoně č. 167/1998 Sb. o návykových látkách a jedná se o tzv. technické konopí. Pokud z něj následně budu vyrábět drogu marihuana, nejedná se zcela jistě o tzv. technické konopí s obsahem účinné látky THC do 0,3% a tudíž se jedná buď o přestupek podle § 30 odst. 1 písm. k) zák. č. 200/1990 Sb. o přestupcích, přičemž za malé množství se považuje rozsah do pěti rostlin. Šest a více rostlin pěstovaných s obsahem THC vyšším než 0,3% je považováno za trestný čin podle § 285 trestního zákoníku č. 40/2009 Sb. A to platí pro jakékoliv pěstování, tedy i pro léčebné účely, pokud nejsem držitelem udělené licence Ministerstvem zdravotnictví ČR. Výroba návykové látky je trestným činem podle § 283 tr. zákoníku, bez ohledu na množství vyráběné drogy.

7. Medical marijuana has been legal since 2015, however prescriptions from other countries are not valid. The conditions of getting a prescription from a local doctor are much stricter than in places like California, so it's not something feasible for a tourist.

Answer 2

I have found some information on city-pilot.cz:

There is a partial decriminalisation of drugs in the Czech Republic – However, beware: decriminalisation does not equal legalisation! Possession of drugs for one’s own use is not punishable, that is, you will not go to prison, however, the possession of drugs is also judged as an offence. What does this mean? If the Police catch you smoking a joint, for example, or discover other drugs on you, they will probably confiscate them and you will face a possible penalty of up to 15,000 CZK (approx. 600 EUR). Possession of the following quantities of drugs is not a criminal act:

• 15 grams of Marijuana
• 5 grams of Hashish
• 1.5 grams of Heroin
• 2 grams of Pervitin
• 1 gram of Cocaine
• 4 pills or capsules of Ecstasy
• 5 pills, papers or crystals of LSD
• 40 halucinogenous mushrooms

There is also information on the site that says that growing 5 plants of Marijuana for personal use is permitted in the Czech Republic. It seems to be true, because there are 2 shops in Prague that are selling seeds and equipment.

I found another website that is selling marijuana seeds. They say that they are shipping only to countries where having marijuana seeds is legal:

• United Kingdom
• Czech Republic
• Belgium

Answer 3

Small Amounts are legal. Transport and cultivation are decriminalized. It is still illegal to sell it though. The legal amount for possession is up to 15 grams.