Journalist Robert Veverka, editor of the Czech cannabis magazine Legalizace, was sentenced this week for “inciting the abuse of addictive substances” and “spreading drug addiction through his magazine”.
In what has been described as an “attack on freedom of information and expression”, the Czech courts appear to be at odds with the country’s recent progressive approach to cannabis.
Just a month ago, government officials announced the country’s intention to legalize the use of recreational cannabis.
Veverka had already appealed a conviction and sentence handed down to him during a first trial in November 2021.
After more than a year of tug-of-war with the judiciary, he was convicted again on Thursday 2 March by the regional court of Ostrava for “spreading drug addiction through his magazine”.
It is not yet clear what the court ruling was or whether Veverka now faces imprisonment.
Education is not a crime
Speaking to Portugal-based cannabis news agency Cannareporter last year, Veverka said: ‘I was convicted because of a bad law, which we call the ‘rubber law’, because it is very flexible. It includes a paragraph which states that the promotion of illegal substances, with the exception of alcohol, can be considered a crime.
According to the journalist: «It was a double trial: both I and my company, responsible for the editorial staff of the magazine, were sued».
The court case began in the summer of 2020 and was brought to trial in the Bruntál District Court on November 3, 2021, after which both were found guilty.
The court noted that “a single article would have sufficed [per il tribunale] to find me guilty of promoting an illegal drug,” Veverka explained.
Legalizace magazine, founded in 2010, was the first cannabis magazine in the Czech Republic and aimed to provide information on all aspects involving the cultivation of hemp and the use of the plant. Its content included articles on the plant’s medicinal properties and harm reduction, and other related matters.
Throughout her legal battle, Veverka continually used the slogan: “Education is not a crime.”
“The current laws and prohibition in the Czech Republic cause more problems than cannabis itself,” Veverka told Cannareporter in 2021.
He experienced this firsthand with his case which is an example of the deprivation of freedom of information, expression and censorship in a “democratic” Europe.
Who is Roberto Veverka?
In addition to his roles as a director, editor and journalist, Veverka is also a political activist and president of the NGO Legalizace.cz. He is a member of the Drug Policy Coordination Commission of the Prague Municipality and the Safety and Education Commission of the Prague 2 Municipality, and sits on the advisory board of CzecHemp and the property management company Trade Center Praha.
He is also editor of Konopi magazine and its English version, Cannabis Therapy.
Veverka’s friends and colleagues are now asking for support to help him pay his legal fees and to continue supporting independent cannabis journalism.
You can donate to help Veverka:
IBAN: CZ4320100000002900469065
BIC/SWIFT: FIOBCZPPXXX
Fio banka, as, V Celnici 1028/10, 117 21 Praga 1
(CannabisHealthNews del 03/03/2023)
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