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Advocates of Legalisation of Marijuana Meet in Prague
Czech News Agency | 6.05.2006

Prague- Several thousands of people attended the annual gathering in support of marijuana legalisation at Prague's Letna plain, which was preceded by their march through Prague streets.

The march and the gathering, where music and dance prevailed, was part of the international Marijuana March event. The police estimated the number of the participants at 2,000.

For the first time this year, the Prague meeting included not only a concert but a march through Prague. Its participants want marijuana to be approached in the same way as alcohol and tobacco, and that its medical use be allowed.

The marching advocates of marijuana chanted "legalisation, legalisation" and unfolded banners calling on politicians to pass people's "partnership" with marijuana after they gave the green light to registered partnership of homosexuals.

However, the political parties that have a chance to enter parliament in the June elections, seem not to be willing to meet such a demand. They touch upon the drug issue only marginally in their election platforms.

Only the junior ruling Freedom Union (US-DEU) promises to push for marijuana legalisation, but the party's low preferences give it no chance of re-entering the Chamber of Deputies.

The participants in the gathering at the Letna plain were individually addressed by US-DEU chairman and Justice Minister Pavel Nemec in a white T-shirt with an inscription "It's Legal to Use It."

Many experts warn that frequent use of marijuana implies certain risks. It may trigger schizophrenia in people with the relevant genetic dispositions. Everyday marijuana chain smokers often lose motivation, they sit at home, smoke and do not feel like doing anything, experts say.

Other experts object that smoking marijuana is less harmful to human health than smoking tobacco.

The Czech Republic is at the top of the list of European countries in terms of marijuana smokers. Most of them, however, use the drug occasionally, and the portion of problematic users is not that high.

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