Prague representative Robert Veverka was given a condition for spreading drug addiction
Squirrel himself denies the accusations, considering his prosecution to be exaggerated and unnecessary. “A conviction has been imposed,” Judge Stach said. The squirrel left the court with a one-year suspended sentence. The court set the probationary period at two and a half years. The court then fined the magazine 50,000 crowns.
Veverka, who is the representative for Pirates in Prague 2, stated after the verdict that he considers the verdict to be unhappy and subjective. “It was handed down by someone who looks at cannabis too repressively. I am condemned for writing how cannabis is grown. The verdict shows that he can only write about this plant negatively,” Veverka said, adding that he considered it for censorship.
Here the decision is final, it is not yet clear. The squirrel has left a period of reflection, considering an appeal. “I have to consult a lawyer. Think about it. Evaluate the situation. For example, in relation to my reputation, the magazine, but also people who would like to write something about cannabis in the future,” he said.
During the investigation, the police examined 60 issues of the magazine from 2010 to 2020 and, according to the indictment, found more than 200 illegal acts there. Prosecutor Jan Žalman listed in the indictment all articles that he said violated the law. These were, for example, recipes for cannabis-containing meals and other texts which, according to the indictment, highlighted the effects of substances and gave the impression of legality in the cultivation of cannabis and the production of drugs from it. Similarly, according to the applicant, the magazine published a relatively large advertisement, again focusing on technical equipment for growing cannabis.
According to the indictment, at least one person was inspired, obtained seeds and, according to the advice and instructions in the magazine, grew and processed plants from them with the banned substance THC. Thus, according to Veverka, the case went to the Bruntál court. Police were investigating a man who was growing cannabis illegally in the Bruntál region. Prosecutor Žalman said that in the case of 2018 it was a man who grew cannabis with a high content of THC substance from seeds distributed by the magazine Legalizace.
Legalizace magazine is a bimonthly magazine not only about cannabis. It states that its aim is to provide comprehensive, comprehensive, objective and balanced information on cannabis plants and to provide impartial information on drug issues. The magazine considers accusations of the spread of drug addiction to be a systemic error and a demonstrable ignorance of cannabis legislation, but also a gross restriction on freedom of expression and the right to information.