MACEDONIA

1. Consumption and possession

The current drug policy in Macedonia makes no difference between recreational and medical use of cannabis. The existing laws make no difference between different types of drugs or quantity. It’s up to the lawyer (what kind of case he is going to build) and the judge on what kind of verdict he/she is going to bring. So, if you are caught with a smaller quantity of any drugs (including cannabis) that you can prove it is for a personal use, you should be prosecuted according to the “Law for Misdemeanours Against Public Peace and Order”, for which you can be punished with a fine or with 30 ­ 60 days of prison.

According to the latest experiences from the people that have been caught with a small quantity of cannabis ( a joint or so) for a personal use, it seems that it’s up to the police officers from the Department for Drugs and Crime to decide weather they are going to be processed to the court or not. If you are caught with a bigger quantity of cannabis, you will be prosecuted according to the Criminal Code, Article 216, for Enabling the taking of narcotics, psychotropic substances and precursors”, which can lead to imprisonment of three months to five years, and in case the act is committed towards a minor or it caused severe consequences, of one to ten years.

2. Cultivation and 3. Distribution

According to the law mentioned above, the narcotics, psychotropic substances and precursors shall be confiscated. This covers all the questions regarding cultivation, distribution or provision of seeds. According to the information we have from the regions in Macedonia (South-Eastern part of Macedonia) where there is a tradition of growing cannabis, the police is usually more liberal, they just confiscate the plants and do not raise any case. Very often people grow cannabis on the land which is a state property.

4. Provision of seeds, tools to produce and consume cannabis etc.

With regards to tools for production or consumption of cannabis, there is no problem. The same goes for the distribution of hemp products.

5. Production and distribution of hemp products

With regards to the production of hemp products, there may be no problem. On the contrary, there is a long tradition of producing hemp products in Macedonia, but this tradition is slowly disappearing or you can find it only in rural parts of Macedonia.

Contact for Cannabis Activism in Macedonia: Nora Stojanovik

SEE ALSO: COUNTRY OVERVIEW AS PUBLISHED BY EMCDDA, 2009