The German ruling coalition has approved a plan to legalize the recreational use of cannabis among adults.
Individuals will be able to possess a maximum of 30 grams of the drug. It will also allow stores and pharmacies to sell it.
The plan, supported by the European Commission, must be approved by the Parliament.
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach confirmed that the government’s plans could become law by 2024.
No country in the European Union has legalized cannabis as a recreational drug, with the exception of Malta.
The Netherlands also did not plan, as the German government does, to legalize the sale of the drug. They only tolerate the sale of small quantities of cannabis in bars.
According to the German plan, each adult will be able to grow 3 cannabis plants at home.
The plan was announced last year in the corridors of the German ruling coalition led by the Social Democratic Party.
Several countries have legalized the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes, while Canada and Uruguay allow recreational use.
In the United States, 37 states allow the medical use of cannabis, while 19 states have approved its recreational use, which means that about 40% of the U.S. population can legally use cannabis for various purposes.
The German ban didn’t work
Presenting the plan, Lauterbach said that decriminalizing the use of cannabis would help protect the health of young people because its ban has not been successful in recent years.
He also noted that cannabis use rates are on the rise, as is the proportion of drug addicts among adults, saying, “We want to legalize and monitor the market firmly.”
He added that the government would consider limiting the concentration of cannabis in products sold to people under the age of 21, and this could include limiting the concentration of THC, the drug’s main psychoactive substance.
He stresses that the German government has sent its plan to the European Commission to ensure its compatibility with the EU’s founding treaties.
Several agreements, including “Schengen”, regulate mobility laws between 26 EU member states, some of which require travelers to present a medical certificate authorizing them to use cannabis for medical purposes.
Medical studies have linked strong types of cannabis to the onset of psychological disorders, especially among young people. But there is still controversy over the existence of medical benefits for its limited use.
There is scientific evidence to suggest that regular cannabis users can become addicted.
Under the German plan, it remains forbidden to promote or advertise cannabis, as well as to send it to home users. The government is also planning to launch an advertising campaign to inform about the harms of cannabis and the dangers of its use, especially among young people.
The government will impose taxes on cannabis sales.
But the conservative local government in Bavaria attacked the plan. The project “sends a dangerous message, not only within Germany, but to all of Europe,” said Klaus Holzczyk of the Christian Social Alliance party.
Holzczyk also warned that legalizing cannabis use could lead to a boom in drug-related tourism in the country.
Cannabis in Europe
Holland: Cannabis can be used in coffee shops. The government tolerates it, but it remains illegal in public places, and adults can buy 5 grams a day from coffee shops and smoke cannabis there. However, commercial and recreational cannabis cultivation is not permitted by law.
Swiss: Decriminalized the use and possession of cannabis in small quantities with a THC concentration of no more than 1% for personal use. But at the same time, cannabis is allowed for medicinal purposes and doctors can prescribe it to patients.
Italy:He tolerates possession of about 1.5 grams of cannabis, for personal purposes, and is also allowed to consume it for medicinal purposes, although he has not legalized the use of cannabis for recreational purposes.
France: It does not allow any use of cannabis and considers it illegal. But last year it began experiments with the aim of studying whether to allow its use for medicinal purposes.
Portugal: The criminalization of cannabis in small quantities and for personal purposes was decriminalized in 2001, as were all explicit drugs. However, you are not allowed to trade it commercially and you obviously allow it to be used for medicinal purposes.
