At a time when the Government faces a major international crisis, with its failure to translate the imposed Prespa treaty into an approval to open the EU accession talks, it is preparing a new drugs law. According to journalist Branko Geroski, who was key in publishing a number of corruption scandals involving the Zaev regime, this weird approach to political priorities is driven by the need to expand the Zaev family marijuana business.
Considering the fact that the public attention is focused on Europe and the desired goal – the opening of EU accession talks – one would think that it must be a really urgent matter if the Zaev Government chose to distract itself with an urgent changes to the drug law. And it’s using the expedited procedure meant to EU mandated laws! Government officials set to defend the proposal before Parliament are Healthcare Minister Venko Filipce and his deputy Asim Musa, the one who just resigned because he took a bribe. What a team, Geroski says.
He implies that the real reason behind the proposed changes is that the Zaev family businesses, which are investing heavily into cannabis oil production, face a problem with low exports and now intend to switch to a sale of the marijuana flower, which will need to be legalized. Zaev was accused of using his control over the regulatory state to advance his family business in this heavily regulated department. He recently met with Big Mike Straumietis, a cannabis producer from the US, who said he will invest heavily in Macedonia.
Why such urgency to adopt the law? The reason is likely to save the marijuana business, after our friends realized that the sale of the oil is not going so well. Their new idea is to sell the flowers. This is probably what Big Mike instructed them. And so, at a time when we are all stressed out to reach an EU decision that can save the Government and the future of Macedonia, somebody decided that a priority is to tackle drugs and cannabis. Their failed marijuana business is the European priority number one!, Geroski writes.
Comments are closed for this post.