The Georgian Parliament is set to review a new legislative package under an expedited procedure that introduces significantly stricter liability measures for offenses related to marijuana and the cannabis plant. The proposed amendments affect the Code of Administrative Offenses, the Criminal Code, and other related laws.
Under the new rules, first-time offenses involving the purchase, possession, or transportation of small quantities—defined as up to 10 grams of the cannabis plant, up to 5 grams of dried marijuana, or up to 10 grams of raw marijuana—will result in administrative liability. Repeat violations of these actions will be punishable by a fine, community service, or imprisonment of up to one year.
For criminally punishable quantities—10 to 155 grams of cannabis plant, 5 to 70 grams of dried marijuana, or 10 to 150 grams of raw marijuana—the purchase and possession will carry a penalty of up to six years in prison. Illegal production, manufacture, transfer, or transportation of these amounts will be punishable by 3 to 7 years of imprisonment.
Possession of large quantities—155 to 750 grams of cannabis plant, 70 to 250 grams of dried marijuana, or 140 to 500 grams of raw marijuana—will result in 5 to 8 years of imprisonment, while production, manufacturing, transportation, or transfer will be punished by 6 to 9 years.
The harshest penalties apply to especially large quantities, defined as over 750 grams of cannabis plant, 250 grams of dried marijuana, or 500 grams of raw marijuana. In such cases, purchase and possession will be punishable by 8 to 20 years of imprisonment or life imprisonment.
The legislation also proposes stricter regulations on the sale of marijuana and cannabis plants.
Archil Gorduladze, Chair of the Legal Affairs Committee, said the Constitutional Court’s previous rulings on cannabis cultivation will be revisited. The new legislation will introduce the same sanctions currently applied to the cultivation of other narcotic plants. Specifically, cultivating up to 145 grams of cannabis plant will carry a penalty of up to six years of imprisonment, with possible alternatives such as community service or house arrest.
The proposed reforms signal a significant tightening of Georgia’s approach to cannabis-related offenses.
