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A Czech- based journalist named Robert Veverka, who was also the director of the Czech-based cannabis magazine Legalizace, was just convicted for “inciting the abuse of addictive substances” and “spreading drug addiction” through his magazine, CannaReporter reports.
At a time when discussions around censorship are peaking around the world — especially in the US — this court ruling has been called an “attack on freedom of information and expression” by the people of the Czech Republic. The Czech courts appear to be at odds with the country’s recent decision to legalize adult-use cannabis.
It seems as though Veverka has been a target for a while. He previously appealed a conviction and sentence handed to him during an initial trial in November 2021. After more than a year of battling the justice system, he was convicted again by the Regional Court of Ostrava on Thursday, March 2, for “spreading drug addiction through his magazine.”
The news was announced earlier this week by his friend and business partner Lukas Hurt in a post on LinkedIn. At the time of this writing, it is unclear whether the court’s sentence will involve imprisonment.
In addition to his roles as director, editor and journalist, Veverka is also a political activist and president of the NGO Legalizace.cz. He is a member of the Commission for the Coordination of Drug Policy of the Municipality of Prague and the Commission for Safety and Education of the Municipality of Prague 2, and sits on the advisory board for CzecHemp and the property management company Trade Centre Praha. He is also the editor of the magazine Konopi and its English version, Cannabis Therapy.
