Following a wave of church-led protests, the ruling Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia party has decided to backtrack on the draft bill envisaging legalization of medical marijuana cultivation and production for export purposes.
Speaking to reporters on September 16, Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze said the GDDG would not take “a hasty” decision on the legislation, and would instead, invest in informing the public of its true objectives, including through consultations with the Patriarchate.
The Parliament Speaker stressed the citizens were “misled” by GDDG opponents that the legislation entails legalization of production and sale of drugs.
“The society is not properly informed; there are false information being spread, there are speculations, so we need to pay particular attention to informing the public and decide [on the legislation] together with them,” Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze said.