2024-03-20 21:23:31
The federal and state governments are arguing over the details of cannabis legalization. The law threatens to fail in the Bundesrat. Now the traffic light wants to counteract this with a change.
The federal government promises the federal states a subsequent change to the law on cannabis legalization. In doing so, the traffic light coalition wants to prevent a mediation committee from being called in the Federal Council, which could delay and possibly even prevent the law from coming into force as planned on April 1st. This was first reported by the Editorial Network Germany (RND), citing a corresponding protocol statement from the federal government. The paper is also available on t-online.
The plans to change the law are, on the one hand, about the work of the associations, which will be able to grow cannabis non-commercially for their members from July 1st. On the other hand, it is about prevention work to educate young people and children. However, the biggest point of contention between the federal and state governments is not being addressed: the planned amnesty regulation. This means that old cases would no longer be punishable under the new law. The states fear that this regulation will overburden the judiciary.
The federal government wants to give states “leeway for action”.
Accordingly, the inspection of the cultivation associations should no longer take place annually, but only at “regular” intervals. This gives the countries “sufficiently flexible and risk-based scope for action in the implementation of the Cannabis Act,” according to the statement in the minutes.
In addition, the associations should be prohibited from cultivating larger areas of cultivation together with other associations. With this change, the federal government wants to prevent the creation of “large-scale cultivation areas comparable to commercial plantations”. These would “contradict the declared purpose of small-scale, non-commercial home cultivation for personal consumption through the active cooperation of the members of the respective cultivation associations,” it says.
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Last but not least, the cultivation associations should only be able to transfer a few activities to commercial providers in order to rule out “commercialization of cultivation that violates European law”. The clubs’ contractual partners should not be allowed to be landlords, energy suppliers or security services at the same time.
Millions more for prevention work
In addition, according to the statement, the federal government has pledged to permanently increase funding for cannabis prevention by six million euros. Previously, funds of this amount were only earmarked for the current year. The federal government is also making a further 1.5 million euros available for addiction prevention.
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has expressed cautious optimism that the legalization of cannabis can clear the final hurdle in the Federal Council. “I assume that we will be able to do that on Friday,” said the SPD politician in Berlin on Wednesday. “However, we will really fight for every single abstention or approval here, so I remain confident that we can get past the mediation committee.”
Lauterbach emphasized: “I am fighting to ensure that the law is actually passed. It depends on each individual federal state.” He is in direct contact with the Prime Ministers about this. The protocol statement for the Federal Council addresses many of the states’ concerns.
The traffic light coalition approved the cannabis legalization project in February with its majority in the Bundestag. The cultivation of cannabis and the possession of certain quantities by adults for their own consumption should therefore be permitted from April 1st. The Union and AfD are strictly against it. The law comes to the Federal Council on Friday. It doesn’t require approval there. However, the state chamber can appeal to the mediation committee of the Bundestag and Bundesrat.