The Georgian government will withdraw the bill on the legalization of cannabis cultivation for export purposes from parliament. The government decision was announced by Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia, following his meeting with President of Parliament Irakli Kobakhidze and Patriarch Ilia II. "We have considered the position of the church as well as other religious groups. And of course, we have taken into account the feelings of the population regarding this law. This is the final decision", Kobakhidze told the media. He added that the presidential candidate Salome Zurabishvili, supported by the ruling party, had called on the authorities not to delay the withdrawal of the bill, and confirmed that the move was linked to the presidential election.

Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia also said that the governing party "Georgian Dream" (GD) had decided to withdraw the controversial bill earlier "because of the public reaction". "This position is also shared by the Patriarch and the Patriarchate, so we promised to withdraw the law as soon as possible. That means that this issue has come to a close, "Gakharia confirmed. The church has already issued a statement expressing its satisfaction with the withdrawal of the bill.

Apparently, the ruling party and its supported presidential candidate Salome Zurabishvili are trying to reconcile with the influential Georgian church on this controversial issue shortly before the second round of the presidential election. Also the nationalist party "Georgian March" named the withdrawal of the bill as a condition for support for Salome Zurabishvili in the second round of the election.

The opposition under Grigol Washadze used in their election campaign the dissatisfaction of sections of the population with the bill of the government. The opposition is collecting signatures to ban possible drug-building initiatives at the constitutional level in Georgia in the future because it is believed that sooner or later Ivanishvili will try to realize his idea. The topic was also discussed during the recent meeting between the Washadze and the Georgian Patriarch.

The Law on the cultivation and export of Cannabis was prepared by the Ministry of the Interior. One of the initiators of the bill was Georgia's ex-prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, who currently heads the ruling party "Georgian Dream." Also, the presidential candidate, Salome Zurabishvili, had strongly supported this initiative and condemned the church for its rejection. Now Zurabishvili is making a clear change in course.

The plans of the Georgian government to legalize the cultivation of cannabis for export were abandoned in Georgia after emphatic protests by the Georgian Orthodox Church. The head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Ilia II, opposed the cultivation of cannabis in Georgia and warned that it would spread drug addiction in the country. During a sermon in the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Tbilisi on September 16, the Patriarch said that the cultivation of cannabis should not become part of the private economy. If this happens, he claims that control of this process would be lost.

Until October 2015, Georgian legislation provided for a term of imprisonment of 7 to 14 years for the possession of "large quantities" of marijuana. According to the then definition, the amount of 50 grams of marijuana was considered "big". In October 2015, the Constitutional Court raised the allowed amount to 70 grams.

The Constitutional Court of Georgia issued a verdict in 2017 stating that no one would go to jail for the consumption of marijuana. Drug trafficking in Georgia remains punishable and falls into the category of serious crimes.