Calls for MP to lose post after dope smoking brag

Robert Biedron,

Mr Biedron of the Palikot's Movement party, interrupted a parliamentary debate about the legalisation of soft drugs on Friday, calling out: “I smoke! I smoke!”

Friday's debate in the Sejm (lower house of parliament) followed on from Prime Minister Donald Tusk's inaugural expose, the major policy statement that chimes in with the swearing in of the new cabinet.

MP Robert Telus from socially conservative opposition party Law and Justice (PiS) was addressing parliament at the time of the outburst.

Although Telus's fellow PiS MP Andrzej Jaworski filed the official submission to the Speaker of Parliament calling for the removal of Biedron from his SPC post, representatives of other parties are backing the action.

Andrzej Biernat from Civic Platform, the senior partner in the coalition government, joined in the criticism.

“It is unacceptable that a member of parliament, and particularly a member of the Justice Commission, should boast about breaking the law,” he told the Rzeczpospolita daily.

Although Biedron's party, Palikot's Movement, championed the legalisation of soft drugs in the lead-up to the 9 October election, Biedron - Poland's first openly gay MP - has since countered that he was referring to burning “incense” during his outburst. (nh/pg)