The Seimas, the Lithuanian parliament, has just approved the national agenda on drug, tobacco and alcohol control, consumption prevention and harm reduction until 2035.
The 12-year proposals include measures that would decriminalize the possession, acquisition, storage and transportation of small amounts of cannabis.
According to the Lithuanian newspaper LRT, the Seimas did not support the initiative of a group of parliamentarians to remove the decriminalization proposals from the bill.
These proposals provide that anyone found in possession of small amounts of cannabis would receive a warning and a fine of between 50 and 300 euros, instead of facing criminal penalties.
The bill includes six key objectives, including delaying the use of psychoactive substances, while managing risks and providing access to quality treatment for drug addicts.
The document recommends that municipalities prepare and implement measures to control, prevent consumption and reduce harm.
In December 2022, the Seimas presented a proposal to amend the code of administrative offenses so that anyone found in possession, in the process of acquiring, storing or transporting a small amount of cannabis will only receive a warning and a fine of between 50 and 300 euros, instead of being sentenced to criminal penalties.
At the time, the bill was defeated. However, in late April, members of the Seimas voted to approve the findings of the Ethics and Procedures Committee, which found that parliamentary rules had been broken in the initial vote.
According to local media, this violation was due to the fact that expert opinions had not been sought on the bill before it was voted on. The bill then returned to the “examination phase in the Committee for Laws and Public Order”, and was then put to a new vote in the Seimas.
