Consumption of cannabis decriminalized in Georgia

Georgia's Constitutional Court has abolished all sanctions for the consumption of cannabis, ruling in favor of the opposition party Girchi.

"The Constitutional Court noted that the use of marijuana represents the right to person's free development… according to the court, the individual consumption of marijuana plays a very weak role in facilitating its [marijuana] circulation," the ruling reads.

The ruling, which came into force immediately, concerns only the consumption of cannabis while cultivation, storage, and selling remain a crime, Sputnik reported.

Addressing the issue, leader of the Girchi party Zurab Japaridze said that it wasn't a fight for marijuana but "a fight for our freedom".

Weed consumption became legal in Georgia last year, as the constitutional court only with administrative fines as the only punishment for its use, however, activists demanded those penalties to be removed.