The Lithuanian parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs (TTK) has proposed to decriminalise the possession of small amounts of cannabis.
In November last year, the Lithuanian parliament voted against decriminalising the acquisition and possession of small amounts of all drugs. The amendments were initiated by the liberal Freedom Party, a partner in the ruling coalition.
Following the rejection of the draft, TTK was tasked with preparing a revised proposal.
The new amendments propose to introduce fines, instead of criminal liability, for the possession of small quantities of cannabis.
The revised draft bill is a compromise, according to the Freedom Party representatives.
“I see it as a political compromise. The task of TTK was to improve [the draft] and look for an option for which we would have a majority of votes,” said Morgana Danielė of the Freedom Party.
She said she will vote in favour of the draft bill, even though it does not address the problem of helping those “who use the most dangerous substances”.
