A prominent Polish politician and several other activists showed their support for the liberalization of the country’s drug laws  by smoking marijuana in front of the parliament building.

The head of the left-wing Palikots Movement, Janusz Palikot, smoked a joint outside of parliament today to encourage politicians to decriminalize marijuana possession, as well as marijuana consumption.  One of the main points cited by the protestors is that Poland is one of the primary producers of vodka, but will then punish casual users of soft drugs like marijuana with prison terms lasting up to 3 years.

One of the activists explained, “I am a lawyer and we want to show that smoking pot is a normal thing like drinking beer.”

Poland’s restrictions on marijuana are due in part to the Catholic Church’s influential role in guiding public policy following the fall of Communism.

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