The Czech Government approved yesterday, 14 September 2026, a draft law known as “Lex Kratom”, jointly put forward by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance. The bill, which amends the act on addictive substances, must still go through parliamentary approval before becoming law – for now it remains a proposal, not yet in force.
Changes to CBD, THCA and industrial hemp
Several measures in the bill target the hemp and cannabinoid sector directly. The amendment bans enriching industrial hemp flower tops with synthetic substances, as well as importing and exporting hemp treated in this way. It also bans the sale of industrial hemp flowering tops to natural persons, since inspections identified them as a significant vehicle for spreading synthetic drugs.
The bill also prohibits selling herbal smoking products through vending machines.
A central point concerns the chemical transformation of cannabinoids: the amendment bans converting CBD and THCA into other chemical substances, except for legitimate therapeutic and scientific purposes. As Health Minister Adam Vojtěch clarified, the ban does not apply to ordinary processed products containing CBD without THC, such as cosmetics or ointments.
The bill also tightens rules on nicotine pouches, bringing them under a regulatory framework similar to the one already in place for e-cigarettes, and strengthens the powers of control authorities to detect illegal products and withdraw them from the market.
New rules on kratom
The bulk of the reform concerns kratom, whose regulation is significantly tightened. The minimum purchase age rises from 18 to 21, and online and distance sales are eliminated, since the government argues this channel does not allow reliable age verification of buyers. The product will therefore only be sold in specialised physical shops, with mandatory age checks.
Shops themselves face stricter rules too: shop windows, displays and entrances will have to be screened to prevent viewing from outside, and external signage may not have an advertising or promotional character. Municipalities will also be able to regulate, through local ordinances, where these specialised shops can be located.
The bill also tightens requirements on the composition, labelling and quality of products, extending hygiene obligations across the whole distribution chain and strengthening controls over batches, origin and distributor accountability. Administrative fees for permits and the annual maintenance fee for premises are also being raised.
The new tax regime
The bill also introduces a new tax framework for kratom. Excise duty will be tiered according to the concentration of active substances: 2 Czech crowns per gram or millilitre for standard kratom, 10 crowns for concentrated products (particularly extracts), and up to 20 crowns for illegal kratom. VAT will also change, moving from the reduced 12% rate to the standard 21% rate, with a mandatory tax stamp similar to the one used for tobacco. According to government estimates, the measure will bring roughly half a billion crowns into the state budget in the first year.
The bill is also a response to the results of the large-scale KORUND enforcement operation, which led to the seizure of large quantities of kratom and other substances, including synthetic and semi-synthetic drugs.
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Sources: Czech Ministry of Finance, Novinky.cz
