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Fri, Feb 10 2012
Croatian supreme court allows marijuana for stressed-out war veteran
Croatia’s supreme court has overthrown on appeal a jail sentence given to a war veteran who used marijuana to calm his nerves, with the court saying that his use of the drug against Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was legitimate.
Technically, what the court did was to declare the man’s use of marijuana a "meaningless act" under Croatian law, which means that he could not be prosecuted.
Identified in Croatian media reports as "KD", the man was reported to be one of up to 18 000 veterans of the 1991-95 war.
A court in his home town of Virovitica, about 100km east of the capital city Zagreb, sentenced him to jail – in line with common practice in Croatia where courts come down hard on drug consumption – for growing marijuana plants and being in possession of 67.71g of marijuana.
On appeal, the supreme court overturned the jail sentence on June 3 2009, saying that it had taken into consideration "that the defendant suffers from PTSD…marijuana relaxes him and helps him to overcome psychological problems".
While the ruling is being seen as a precedent in cases of war veterans with PTSD, media reports quoted authorities as saying that strict sentences for drug cultivation, selling and consumption remained in effect.
Technically, what the court did was to declare the man’s use of marijuana a "meaningless act" under Croatian law, which means that he could not be prosecuted.
Identified in Croatian media reports as "KD", the man was reported to be one of up to 18 000 veterans of the 1991-95 war.
A court in his home town of Virovitica, about 100km east of the capital city Zagreb, sentenced him to jail – in line with common practice in Croatia where courts come down hard on drug consumption – for growing marijuana plants and being in possession of 67.71g of marijuana.
On appeal, the supreme court overturned the jail sentence on June 3 2009, saying that it had taken into consideration "that the defendant suffers from PTSD…marijuana relaxes him and helps him to overcome psychological problems".
While the ruling is being seen as a precedent in cases of war veterans with PTSD, media reports quoted authorities as saying that strict sentences for drug cultivation, selling and consumption remained in effect.
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in croatia for 1 marihuana cigar 3 years in prison
It's been said over and over again, but many people are still in denial: alcohol is far more deadly and dangerous than cannabis. That's not just an opinion, that's the statistics. Forcing people to use alcohol to get high increases alcohol related violence, along with the black market related violence it creates when large numbers of people refuse to obey the order to only use alcohol. Distinguishing between problems caused by a drug (or herb, cannabis is both) itself and problems caused by its prohibition is necessary for sound drug policy.
well said Price!
It's about time the EU woke up to the FACT that Marijuana is a legitimate therapeutical medicine and people that use it either for recreational or medicinal use should not be criminalized for what is in fact a victimless crime!
Where is the victim if an individual grows and smokes Marijuana in there own home?
Do you have to be an ignorant and hateful person to work in law enforcement in every country? Their supreme court recognizes the huge benefit to one of their wounded veterans and drops all charges but the "police" remind him that its illegal to get it. WTF? They should be finding it for him.