**Constitutional Court of Georgia Makes Ruling on Narcotic Substance Laws**
On March 6, 2025, the First Chamber of the Constitutional Court of Georgia made a ruling in a case involving nine plaintiffs who were convicted under Article 260 of the Criminal Code of Georgia.
**Background**
The plaintiffs were sentenced to imprisonment for offenses related to various narcotic substances. They argued that the quantities involved were extremely small and did not pose a reasonable risk to public health and safety. The plaintiffs claimed that mere possession or manufacture of such substances for personal use should not be a crime.
**Court Ruling**
The Constitutional Court partially upheld the constitutional lawsuit filed against the Parliament of Georgia. However, the court also found some of the plaintiffs’ arguments to be valid.
The court determined that imposing imprisonment for acquiring and possessing up to 0.000172 grams of lysergide was unjustifiable in the interest of protecting public health and safety. This quantity did not pose a real risk of distribution or threat to public health.
On the other hand, the court found that the contested quantity of AB-CHMINACA (3.48 grams) posed a significant risk of distribution and was justified in imposing imprisonment for acquiring and possessing this substance.
**Expert Assessments**
The Constitutional Court considered expert assessments on the potential risks associated with different narcotic substances. The court determined that quantities of morphine, heroin, desomorphine, methadone, and buprenorphine could lead to dependency or aggressive behavior in users.
In light of these findings, the court deemed the penalty of imprisonment for acquiring, possessing, and manufacturing certain narcotic substances to be a proportionate measure.
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