January 26: protest action “All for one”.“Are you kidding?!” this is how Iraklii, 25, struggles to process my confession that I’ve never tried marijuana in my life. He looks me up and down before saying he can’t understand how this is possible. Then he shows me his Instagram feed with a picture of a homemade bong in the gents’ toilet. “Look! Literally 15 minutes before our meeting! If we’d met half an hour earlier,” he said regretfully, “I would’ve definitely offered you a toke.”
Iraklii and I are chatting in a former Soviet garment factory in Tbilisi, a beloved haunt of local hipsters and tourists. By the looks of it, the security of this modish establishment, which now comprises several bars, cafés, coworking spaces and a hostel, turns a blind eye to the goings-on in the toilets, ensuring its place in the good books of the young people who fill it to the brim every evening.
Towards decriminalisation
On 5 March, the Georgian parliament once again postponed consideration of an amendments package aimed at improving “drug policy legislation”. Deputies are expected to take a more liberal approach to this issue. The need for change stems from the decriminalisation of the personal use of marijuana by Georgia’s Constitutional Court in November 2017.
