President signs ‘de-criminalising’ drugs law
PR dla Zagranicy
Peter Gentle
26.05.2011 14:07
President Bronislaw Komorowski has signed an amended anti-narcotics bill, under which the possession of small amounts of drugs for personal use may not be prosecuted.
Prosecutors may also suspend cases against addicted offenders, who face less than five years behind bars, if they agree to undergo treatment.
These new regulations have been criticized by the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) and Poland Comes First (PJN) who argued they are tantamount to legalizing drugs.
The law also raises the maximum penalty for trafficking large amounts of drugs from 10 to 12 years, however. Possession of large amounts of narcotics will now carry a maximum sentence of 10 years, compared with 8 years now.
The amended law also prohibits the advertisement of food products and designer drugs by suggesting that they work like narcotics. (kk/pg)