The European Commission will take a look at the harsh punishments for possessing and using marijuana for medical purposes in Slovakia, stated European Commissioner Ylva Johansson. In this way, she reacted to Slovak MEP Michal Šimečka’s request asking her to examine the matter. According to Johansson, the EC will consider launching an infringement procedure, which means a legal action for non-compliance with EU law, against Slovakia.
Šimečka, supported by five other Slovak MEPs informed the EC that according to their legal analysis, Slovak punishments for consuming and using marijuana for medical purposes are often at odds with the principles of proportionality and predictability stipulated by EU law. Due to this, the group asked the EC to initiate legal proceedings against Slovakia under Article 258 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU).
"If the current Government doesn’t want to deal with this, I am pleased to see that the European Commission can help to bring more justice to Slovakia. It is absurd that Slovak citizens can be handed down more severe sentences for what could be defined as an equivalent to drinking a couple of glasses of wine than murderers and rapists," said Šimečka. According to him, EU Framework Decision 2004/757 allows for one- to three-year sentences for illegally growing marijuana, but Slovak law usually allows for 10- to 15-year punishments.
The list of the MEPs who supported Šimečka’s request includes Martin Hojsik, Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová, Vladimír Bilčík, Michal Wiezik and Eugen Jurzyca.
