The Cabinet rubber stamped adjustments on Wednesday that would partially decriminalize growing and possession of smaller quantities of the drug and would favor fines over prison sentences for larger amounts.

The new legislation would make it legal to grow a maximum of three cannabis plants with a THC content above 1% and to possess a maximum of 50 grams of cannabis outdoors and 25 grams at home, Czech news website Echo24 reported.

Current penalties for cannabis use are “old-fashioned, outdated and we are moving away from the rest of the EU, which is obviously not good,” said Justice Minister Pavel Blažek.

The Justice Ministry said the amendment to the criminal code and other legal regulations would relieve overburdened prisons, make criminal proceedings more efficient, and reduce recidivism and state spending, Czech news website ČT24 reported.

The government believes it will manage to push through the changes by the end of its term in October 2025.

The Czech Republic is part of a growing trend in Europe toward reforming cannabis regulations, with the likes of Spain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Portugal among those that have partially decriminalized or relaxed their laws.

The government in Prague decriminalized small-scale cannabis possession in 2010 and legalized medical cannabis in 2013.