Today hundreds of Georgians rallied in downtown Tbilisi – the nation’s capital – to demand the legalization of marijuana.

Part of the inspiration for the protest was a recent announcement from David Sergeyenko, Minister of Labor, Health-Care, and Social Protections, stating that his ministry is discussing the possible legalization of marijuana with Georgia’s Justice Ministry.

At the protest, which took place at the steps of the old parliament building, attendees help signs with statements such as “stop jailing people for smoking weeds” and “smoking marijuana shouldn’t be a crime”.

“If you have marijuana in your pocket and the police catches you might end up with 11 years in prison. That’s nonsense. We’re talking about human rights. The human rights perspective is so important here”, stated psychologist David Subeliani at the protest.

With some of the nation’s top officials beginning to seriously consider legalization, there’s no better time for the public to make their support known, making this rally, and others like it, vital in bringing attention to the issue.

– TheJointBlog