PL: Marijuana (Cannabis) lobbyist has reproached the Prime Minister and Health Minister in Poland.

At the time the Head Inspector of Health and Safety ordered that a product named “Tajfun”, defined as being a ‘collector’s item’, as well as all other similar products were withdrawn from circulation on the national market, which caused a direct or indirect threat to one’s life or health. The Inspector also commanded the closure of manufacturing points that produced or circulated products in detail or bulk. In effect, as the Vice-Minister of Health Adam Fronczak informed, 1,131 selling points of legal highs were shut down to the 8th of October; over 2,300 health and safety inspectors and about 3,000 police officers took part in the operation.

“The actions of the public officials caused detriment to several hundred economic subjects within the country by basically paralysing their businesses” wrote Obara in his official letter to the Regional Prosecutor Offices in Warsaw. The actions taken by the Health and Safety Office together with the police were described by Obara as “without factual and lawful grounds” as well as being “without legal procedure”. He highlighted that during the operation “of closing 1,000 shops, those business had not been proven as being in breach of the law”.

Obara handed in an official letter to the Lower chamber of the Parliament of Poland on Monday calling for a meeting on the topic of Drug Laws with around 80 Members of Parliament. A wide set of documents roughly translated as “ToTuskIt” and “KickIt” were sent to the Prime Minister, parliament group leaders, as well as other ministries, including the Ministry of Health, Home Office, and administration. Among these documents is a citizen’s project of a decriminalisation act of the possession of marijuana. There is also a model complaint form of how to inform of crimes committed by civil servants and government officials who took part in the closure of the shops with legal highs.

In an interview with a PAP reporter, Obara said that the owners of many points selling legal highs are submitting such complaints. He also spoke of summoning all police and Health and Safety officers to court who took part in the actions at the beginning of October.

On Monday Obara arrived at the Registry Department at the Offices of Parliament much later than he had informed journalists he would be. Obara, together with four people accompanying him, controlled police officers by asking for their identification in front of the parliament buildings.

On the previous Monday, Obara was not allowed into Parliament by the guard and was later stopped by police. He had a small potted plant of marijuana on his person, as well as a little bag of containing something he defined as “a collector’s item”. He said that if marijuana had not been prohibited, the situation of the appearance of ‘collector’s items’ would not have happened on the Polish market.

The following day after a hearing as a witness Obara was released; no charges were given. Tests for narcotic substances carried out on the “collector’s item” came back from the laboratory as negative; police informed that the results of the tests carried out on the plant were to be issued “in a few days”.

On Thursday, Obara together with six other people were detained from one of Warsaw’s legal high shops. Obara declared that the shop had been illegally closed to the crowd that had gathered in front of the premises.

Obara has a permit allowing the right to lobbing activities within Parliament premises. According to the information posted on the Parliament website it is understood that Obara wants to aim his activities towards the protection and freedom of the rights of individuals addicted to psychoactive substances.

Source: PAP (Polish Press Agency) http://wyborcza.pl PAP 2010-10-18