Firstly, all the cool kids have been through there at some point - neolithic inhabitants, the Celts, the Huns, the Bohemians (well, they were native, but still...), the Monguls, the Ottoman Turks, the Austrians, the Hungarians...the list goes on. They've left a wonderful architectural legacy, and the place is littered with pretty historical buildings, if that's your thing.
Secondly, they have amazingly low crime rates. Theft rate in the Czech Republic is 2 in 100 000 (in the States, it's 146). Murders per 100 000 people: Czech Republic - 16.2, Finland - 28.3, Zimbabwe 75.9, South Africa 496. Drug-related felonies: US - 585, Czech Republic - 1.
Part of the low drug arrest rate could be attributed to the legality of possession. The law has been recently redefined - the previous law said one could carry "no amount larger than a small amount" - to 15g of marijuana, 1g of cocaine, 1.5g of heroin, 4 ecstasy tablets, 40g psilocybin-containing mushrooms, 5 LSD tablets and 2g of amphetamines. If you wandered around with all of that on your person, you'd be a walking party! Bear in mind that a threshold dose of mushrooms is 2g; I've been told (by someone knowledgeable and experienced in these matters who shall remain nameless) that at 12g it's possible to astral project. Imagine being four times that high.
The only problem with the Czech Republic is that they don't want thousands of tourists wandering around baked like the Americans do in Amsterdam. In an article in the LA Times, a man was quotes as saying, "We don't want foreigners consuming marijuana in public. It could demean marijuana. We like the system where a friend gives it to, or sells it to, his friends." But you know what? I think I like that kind of stoner. It shouldn't be about how much you can take or how wild you can be, it should be about sharing the happiness. It should also be about being responsible with the happiness (like not taking all five of your allotted acid tabs at once unless you want a psychotic break), but that's a rant for another time.
It seems like letting everyone do what they want (and providing clinics for when things all go pear-shaped) means a more peaceful population. Maybe we should give that a try? Have a *hi5*, Czech lawmakers!
Secondly, they have amazingly low crime rates. Theft rate in the Czech Republic is 2 in 100 000 (in the States, it's 146). Murders per 100 000 people: Czech Republic - 16.2, Finland - 28.3, Zimbabwe 75.9, South Africa 496. Drug-related felonies: US - 585, Czech Republic - 1.
Part of the low drug arrest rate could be attributed to the legality of possession. The law has been recently redefined - the previous law said one could carry "no amount larger than a small amount" - to 15g of marijuana, 1g of cocaine, 1.5g of heroin, 4 ecstasy tablets, 40g psilocybin-containing mushrooms, 5 LSD tablets and 2g of amphetamines. If you wandered around with all of that on your person, you'd be a walking party! Bear in mind that a threshold dose of mushrooms is 2g; I've been told (by someone knowledgeable and experienced in these matters who shall remain nameless) that at 12g it's possible to astral project. Imagine being four times that high.
The only problem with the Czech Republic is that they don't want thousands of tourists wandering around baked like the Americans do in Amsterdam. In an article in the LA Times, a man was quotes as saying, "We don't want foreigners consuming marijuana in public. It could demean marijuana. We like the system where a friend gives it to, or sells it to, his friends." But you know what? I think I like that kind of stoner. It shouldn't be about how much you can take or how wild you can be, it should be about sharing the happiness. It should also be about being responsible with the happiness (like not taking all five of your allotted acid tabs at once unless you want a psychotic break), but that's a rant for another time.
It seems like letting everyone do what they want (and providing clinics for when things all go pear-shaped) means a more peaceful population. Maybe we should give that a try? Have a *hi5*, Czech lawmakers!
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