1. Police focused on GROWSHOP Since the beginning of this week, taking place throughout the Czech Criminal proceedings in more than fifty separate criminal proceedings that are focused on tr. promoting drug offense, which consists in offering... a public presentation materials promoting and encouraging the cultivation of marijuana, providing guidance to grow, offering resources including seeds for planting and instructions for subsequent processing and use in order to achieve the greatest possible psychoactive effects of THC on the body by . Since 2007, faces Czech Republic progressive increase in cannabis cultivation and production of cannabis, which has commercial and criminal character.

Since this year is on the whole territory of the Czech Republic to a massive increase "indoor" plantations. With this boom monitor annually increasing number of both stone and online stores that offer technologies designed with indoor cultivation of cannabis. The aim of growing in these conditions is specially designed to maximize the psychoactive substance THC content in hemp grown, which are achieved through the use of sophisticated methods of cultivation and cultivated varieties of cannabis.

Entirely consistent with the drug policy of the Czech Republic as applicable case law of the Supreme Court in October 2012, the police in all regions focused on shopkeepers and dealers, whose actions constitutes a criminal offense spread of drug addiction (pursuant to § 287 paragraph 1, paragraph 2, point. c) tr. Code, the offense of drug distribution committed by a person who brings another to abuse addictive substance other than alcohol or supports him in this or that substance abuse who instigates or otherwise disseminate and commits this offense print, film, radio, television, publicly accessible computer network or other similarly effective manner).

GROWSHOP to which criminologists focused, there are shops where customers can buy everything they need for growing, processing and application of drugs called marihuana. The means to achieve this is in most cases the sale of bred seeds with the declared content of THC, distribution of flyers, various catalogs, promotional items with logo marijuana and also offer a variety of equipment for cannabis cultivation (fertilizers, substrates, exposure technology, irrigation, large-scale carbon filters, etc..) and goods intended for its application in the form of inhalation (cigarette papers, water pipes, filters, grinders, etc.). They also have a grow normally accompanying website including discussion forums, where marijuana growers can exchange ideas on maximizing the quality of the illegal production and reduce the risk of detection. To assess the suspect is a thorough assessment of all the relevant facts of a particular case.

These are the stores that their menu provides access to a wide range of people, not only guidance and incentive information, but also provide moral support and material security particularly for offenses for which the Czech Republic has seen growing species and varieties of the cannabis plant, which may contain more than 0.3% of substances from the waste and all other cannabis with those produced from these species and varieties. Promoting drug offense under § 287 of the Criminal Code. Code is an intentional criminal act that has been done already seduction itself, supporting, encouraging or spreading. One who commits it, there is a sentence in the first paragraph, up to three years or disqualifications, one year to five years if the offense is committed by a person who is a member of an organized group against a child (under new legislation to 18 years) or in print, film, radio, television, publicly accessible computer network or other similarly effective manner. The penalty of imprisonment from three years to eight years the offender who commits this crime against a child under 15 years of age.

2. Police in Prague and other parts of the Czech Republic have conducted raids on 50 growshops throughout the eastern european country. According to a brief english-language report [5], a spokesperson for the authorities confirmed on on Czech Radio that police were confiscating indoor grow products, including lights and fertilizer. The spokesperson also stated that the operation had been in planning for several months, although the timing is conspicuous for it’s proximity to Cannafest [6], one of Europe’s largest marijuana gatherings, which is scheduled to begin tomorrow (Wednesday) in Prague. Lukas Behal from Cannafest says that he spoke to police and what is happening should NOT affect the show at all.

The Czech Republic has become one of Europe’s strongest bastions in the battle for marijuana rights in recent years, with cannabis-friendly Prague often called the “Amsterdam of the East.” Cannafest [7] has become a major stop on the calendar of marijuana professionals, on par with events like High Times Cannabis Cup [8] and Spannabis in Barcelona [9]. Prague was also the location for the Million Marijuana March [10], which brought advocation for legalization to the streets of the beautiful city just this spring. This, of course, has had the effect of hundreds of growshops popping up throughout the country. However, a Supreme Court ruling stated that these shops may not offer a “seed to joint” line of products. Initial reports are that police are using this caveat as the mandate to perform the current shutdown of growshops and seizure of inventory. Shop operators have also been charged with crimes, were of marijuana distribution, for allegedly promoting drug offenses. Moreover, owners have been threatened a fine of 50,000 crowns (2,000 EUR). Check back here as more information becomes available.

3. Press statement by Lukas Hurysek from Magazine Legalizace regarding crackdown on grow shops all around the Czech Republic: The current head of our "drug enforcement agency" was loudly voicing his plan to fight... all growshops. His name is Jakub Frydrych and he is Anslinger-type of person, doesnt have qualification or proper education in drug policies, but is more a hit-hard prohibitionist police officer. He was encouraged a few months ago by a supreme court ruling in one case saying that gshops cant sell growing equipment + books about growing + seeds because it qualifies for "spreading drug abuse" (we have a pretty special word in Czech - toxikomanie), so all the gshops had to split into three or stop selling some of these items.

I think that more than 90 % of gshops complied with that, although everybody knew its just abuse from the police and it does not really make any sense. In the meantime Frydrych and his friends tried to accuse one magazine and journalist for spreading this toxikomanie because they had papers and filters in one issue and there was one distorted pic inside and under that was written: "if you want to see it properly, you should smoke a joint." --- it was just a joke, but they tried to start a prosecution and trial with punishment up to 5 years in prison. However a few weeks ago the justice office (I dont know actually who was it) said that this is not a case and refused to start any prosecution. And well, it seems that Frydrych is still very persistent and today started closing all gshops in spite of the fact that, as I said, almost all of them did everything they should according to the last ruling of the supreme court...

Its opposite trend as in the rest of civilized world, because this guy is a very stupid person. In my opinion the police will definitely lose this in court, because they would have to close every gardening shop selling soil and fertilizers and shops with electrical supplies applying this logic, BUT - it just happens 4 days before Cannafest and it will have a huge impact on attendance, atmosphere and all Czech gshops that wanted to exhibit there and also even if the trial is won, it might take a year or longer before they get their stuff back, which means the police is effectively killing all the small businesses now...

To summarize: All the grow shops in the Czech Republic were normally opened on Monday morning (I don't know how many are here exactly, it is definitely more than 100 and less than 200), but today the fifty already raided are closed and the police announced yesterday evening that they are going to „visit“ all Prague’s gshops today (30-50 shops.

Links:
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[1] - www.konopa.cz

[2] - www.hempoint.cz
[3] - www.dr-omega.cz
[4] - www.legalizace.cz/2013/11/bleskove-probiha-zatah-na-growshopy/
[5] - www.radio.cz/en/news
[6] - bigbudsmag.com/blog/massive-police-crackdown-on-growshops-in-czech-republic/www.cannafest.cz
[7] - en.cannafest.cz
[8] - bigbudsmag.com/High-Times-marijuana-growing-cultivation-Jorge-Cervantes
[9] - bigbudsmag.com/lifestyle/article/djs-models-and-dancing-buds-look-back-spannabis-2013-march-2013
[10] - bigbudsmag.com/lifestyle/legal/article/million-marijuana-march-takes-in-support-of-cannabis-legalization
[11] - www.semenakonopi.cz
[12] - www.pestujdoma.cz
[13] - www.magickehouby.cz
[14] - www.rastafarian.cz
[15] - www.konopa.cz
[16] - www.hempoint.cz
[17] - www.dr-omega.cz

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