Clerics Demand Abolition of Constitutional Court after Marijuana Legalization

After the Constitutional Court of Georgia made a controversial decision to abolish administrative punishment for the use of marijuana, the Georgian Orthodox Church came out against the judges therein and stated that the institution needs to be abolished in its entirety.

Archpriest Andria Jagmaidze made a statement on behalf of the Georgian Orthodox Church, saying the four judges of the Constitutional Court “had no right” to make such an important decision on behalf of 4 million Georgians.

“The Constitutional Court is not a necessary attribute of a democratic state: the future of our children, students, and schoolchildren is based on the judgement of just four people,” he complained.

Jagmaidze says that in the near future, the Georgian Patriarchate will appeal to the Georgian government with the recommendation to abolish the Constitutional Court.

A number of clerics held a press-conference on August 1 supporting Archpriest Andria Jagmaidze’s position.

Priest David Nozadze stated that a referendum should be held to reflect the real position of the Georgian nation regarding legalizing marijuana.

“Let us ask our society what they prefer…These four judges should apologize for making such a decision,” the cleric added.

Archpriest David Kvlividze is also against the court’s decision. The cleric claims people who consume marijuana are sick.

“This is an anti-national decision and will actually destroy the nation,” he said.

Opposing these statements, Archpriest Vakhtang noted that the Constitutional Court is a necessary component of the State and its abolition would be a mistake.

“The justice system exists for the purpose of making important decisions for the whole nation, taking into consideration the mentality, customs and other aspects,” he said.

Member of the faction Georgian Dream - Social Democrats, Mirian Tsiklauri supports the clerics who demand the abolition of the Constitutional Court. He notes that as the Georgian Dream (GD) has the majority in Parliament, it could adopt such changes.

“We need to save our nation. The Court’s decision on marijuana is unacceptable and poses a threat to our future,” he added.

Davit Sergeenko, Minister of IDPs, Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia, also dislikes the Court’s decision.

While he did not openly criticize the Court, he noted that it does not have such deep knowledge about the effects of marijuana as those experts who have been working on this issue specifically.

“I do not have the right to criticize the Court, but I will say I dread the thought of a marijuana-affected surgeon walking into an OR, or a teacher or pilot under the influence,” he added.

Deputy Parliament Speaker Tamar Chugoshvili says the Constitutional Court is the main body in the country ensuring constitutional justice, and consequently Georgia cannot exist without it.

"We have the right to like something or not but talks about the abolition of the Court are absolutely inappropriate," she stated.

The Constitutional Court of Georgia delivered its verdict on marijuana on July 30. The decision refers only to consumption and not to cultivation or sale of the drug, which remains punishable.

By Thea Morrison