Belgium Liberalizes Rules on Marijuana Possession

Belgium’s government in effect decriminalized the possession of marijuana for personal use Friday in a move that the country’s health minister said will create extra personal freedom.

Announcing the move to a packed news conference, Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt said a royal decree will be issued formalizing the new policy and instructing prosecutors not to pursue people for possession.

The legislation, which is expected to be approved by Parliament soon, will legalize possession of small amounts of cannabis for personal consumption. But it will not allow sale of the drug, unlike in the Netherlands, where “coffee shops” selling marijuana cigarettes are a common sight in many cities.

The new policy, which modifies a 1921 law outlawing the drug, will still prohibit use of marijuana judged to be “problematic” to the user or a nuisance to others. The law does allow the cultivation of marijuana plants for personal use.

Health Minister Magda Aelvoet said the new measure was a recognition that the judiciary should no longer intervene in the personal use of cannabis.

“We want to create an extra space of liberty, but we want to do it in a controlled manner,” she said.

There are substantial gray areas that will be left to the judiciary to decide. For example, the decree that will formalize the announcement will not contain any indication of what quantities of cannabis are considered appropriate for personal use.