2024-04-04 08:20:47
Austria will intensify police checks on its border with Germany after Berlin legalized the possession and consumption of cannabis.
Where there was music and dancing at the Brandenburg Gate in central Berlin, where attendees waved banners and blew clouds of smoke into the air.
The law stipulates that adults over 18 years of age may carry 25 grams of marijuana on public roads, grow up to 50 grams and have three plants per adult at home.
Cannabis “leaves the taboo zone,” Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, who is a doctor, said this Monday on the social network X. “It is better for real help to drug addicts, for prevention in young people and for the fight against the black market,” he said.
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As the next step in legal reform, starting July 1 it will be possible to obtain marijuana legally through the country’s cannabis clubs. These associations, which are regulated, may have up to 500 members each.
This reform places Germany among the most permissive countries with cannabis in Europe, along with Malta and Luxembourg, which legalized recreational consumption in 2021 and 2023, respectively.
While the Netherlands, a place known for years for its liberal drug policy, has adopted a stricter strategy to reduce tourism focused on cannabis use.
“The Police will intensify controls, especially in areas near the border, to remove addictive substances and drivers under the influence of drugs from circulation,” declared Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner.
The Ministry of the Interior stated that plainclothes police officers and specialists from regional transport departments trained to recognize drug-induced symptoms will be deployed.
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