The German Federal Parliament (Bundestag) is expected to approve the decriminalization of the personal use of cannabis, which will come into effect on April 1.
The federal government’s draft Controlled Cannabis Act will allow for private cultivation, community non-commercial cultivation and the controlled distribution of cannabis by cultivation associations.
In particular, the law, which is to be voted today Friday 23 February by the Lower House, will allow adults to possess up to 25 grams of cannabis, to grow a maximum of three plants for private consumption, as well as to grow it as part of non-profit clubs cannabis, limited to 500 members.
It is the first step after significant delays towards wider legalization of marijuana in Europe’s largest economy.
Germany will thus have one of the most liberal laws in Europe, following Malta and Luxembourg, which legalized cannabis for recreational purposes in 2021 and 2023 respectively.
Still, Germany’s example could encourage other EU countries to adopt similar, more lenient laws. While other member states of the bloc have decriminalized the drug, its use is still legally punishable by imprisonment in many countries.
German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said the new legislation would put the cannabis market in legal “hands”. He stressed that drug dealers supply the estimated 7 million Germans who regularly use cannabis.
The Solz government also said that many users rely on the drug for medical reasons and that the new law will improve the quality of cannabis. “The protection of children and young people is at the heart of this law,” Lauterbach said before the vote, noting that the law would shrink the “black market” and help control the distribution of the drug.
Read also: Fossil of new species of 240m-year-old marine reptile – Looks like a Chinese dragon
China: Revealing Leak of Documents – “They Hire Hackers for Cyber Attacks in Other Countries”
Germany: “The Far Right is not a Christian choice” warns the Catholic Church
#Germany #cannabis #legal #April #1st
