Czech Republic Sets 1% THC Limit

On September 14, Czech MEPs adopted an amendment to the law on addictive substances, accepting 1% THC in hemp products, reported Magazin Konopí. The amendment got support from more than 101 MPs, which was more than required. It will come into effect on 1 January next year.

“Thank you all for your support and don’t worry: We won’t forget about psychoactive cannabis for the personal needs of adults. We will fight for its availability in the next election period, no matter how the elections turn out”, commented Tomáš Vymazal, Member of the Parliament of the Czech Republic and Deputy of the Pirate Party, who supported the amendment.

After Switzerland, Czech Republic is the first European country to legalize 1%THC in hemp.

“Many countries are 1% already, including Switzerland and Australia. Europe is ready for 1%, that’s why I saw as a waste of political capital for EIHA to push for 0.3%, desperate for an easy win to prove relevance. Not testing THC for approved varieties is what I’ve been advocating for years, since government certification should count for SOMEthing”, commented Richard Rose, Legend Hemp and Vegan food pioneer.

The original version of the bill will now be submitted to President Miloš Zeman for his signature. If he approves the amendment, it will take effect on Jan. 1, 2022.

“This is a package of pragmatic measures, free from dogmatism and stereotyping, which are unfortunately still fundamental obstacles for Czech policy in the field of addictive behavior”, Vymazal stated on the party website, reported 420Intel.

He said that growers will not have to worry about criminalization due to nice weather and other growing conditions, as the THC level in the final product cannot be predicted in advance.
“Farmers growing varieties of industrial hemp from the common European catalog will not have to prove the THC content of hemp plants – they will only submit a certificate of origin,” he said.

The daft of the amendment sent to the president states that hemp extracts and tinctures containing up to 1 percent THC will not be regarded as an addictive substance.

“All cannabis extracts that have a THC content of up to 1 percent by weight and which at the same time do not have narcotic effects will be completely exempted from the substance abuse regime,” Vymazal stated.

“This means that, for example, an ointment made from a non-narcotic variety of cannabis will no longer be an addictive substance, although it contains THC and although the original cannabis plant may have exceeded 1 percent THC. Due to the dilution of the active substances during the production of the ointment, an extract is created, which will not be an addictive substance in the sense of the law,” he added.