Cannabis legalization could arrive in the Portuguese Parliament this year, with a likely political consensus to speed up the approval of the law.
After a demonstration that started from Luís de Camões Square in Lisbon, several participants in the March for Cannabis, organized by the Movement of Mothers for Cannabis, found themselves on the steps of the Assembly of the Republic building. During a moment dedicated to speeches, several political leaders unveiled the possibility of legalizing cannabis in the near future in Portugal.
Francisco Themudo, National Secretary for Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees of the Socialist Youth, addressed the audience. He explained that the will is obviously there, but above all the necessary political conditions must be met to achieve comprehensive regulation of cannabis.
According to the website CannaReporterthe leader said that “smoking is an act of freedom, and we have the right to do it safely”, defending a legal framework in which the cannabis plant is not illegal.
But in case there is any doubt, in the corridors of the Portuguese parliament, cannabis is more than just a debate, according to Liberal Initiative MP Rodrigo Saraiva. The MP told the participants that it could even be that in 2023, the Parliament will receive proposals for debate, “already with a certain prior consensus”.
On the other hand, Fabien Figueiredo, former deputy of the Bloco de Izquierda, also confirmed the party’s desire to contribute to the debate and the legalization of cannabis in Portugal. The former MP had presented a proposal in 2021 to legalize cannabis for personal use, which failed before the government at the end of the year.
Last June, the Portuguese left also presented a new cannabis legalization project, different from the previous one. Last December, the secretary general of the Socialist Youth (JS), Miguel Costa Matos, defended the idea that the PS should take advantage of its absolute majority to advance the cause of the legalization of cannabis in Portugal.
In 2019, the Portuguese parliament had already rejected 2 legalization proposals.
