2023-08-16 16:41:16
The legalization of recreational cannabis is one of the flagship societal reforms of the German coalition that has been in power for a year and a half in Berlin. The text of the law was approved by the Council of Ministers, this Wednesday, August 16, and will be debated in Parliament this fall for possible implementation by the end of the year.
25 grams of cannabis
With this reform, every adult over the age of 18 should be allowed to possess up to 25 grams of cannabis and grow three plants at home. Contrary to the ideas put forward at the start, the sale will remain prohibited in stores, unlike in the Netherlands, but regional pilot projects could be authorized in the near future. The sale will, on the other hand, be authorized via clubs and associations which may have up to 500 members to whom they may sell, without making a profit, cannabis from their own production, within the limits of 25 grams per day and 50 grams per month.
Consumption should also be prohibited within 200 meters of schools, sports establishments and playgrounds and will remain illegal for minors towards whom the authorities wish to intensify their prevention campaigns. “Cannabis is dangerous in young people and when its use is uncontrolled. This is why we are launching a vast prevention campaign.recalled this Wednesday the Minister of Health, Karl Lauterbach, presenting this reform.
Continuous increase in consumption
For this social democrat formerly opposed to the legalization of recreational cannabis, this reform “marks a necessary and important turning point in a drug policy that has failed at this stage”. The Minister notes three problems that have not been solved for years: the continuous increase in consumption, particularly among young people, that of crime – 50% of drug-related offenses are related to cannabis –, and a decline in the quality of products sold on the black market, more and more often mixed with toxic substances. “We offer controlled legalization”, summarizes the Minister, noting that he wanted to avoid the mistakes made in this area by other countries, such as the Netherlands. “It’s the best form of legalization possible,” he judges.
This project, however, divides the Germans who, according to various polls, are 40% to support it. The opposition is particularly virulent on the part of the Christian Democratic Party (CDU/CSU) and police unions who fear, among other things, difficulties in monitoring its implementation. They also challenge the idea that selling through associations will dry up part of the black market and reduce crime.
Representatives of pediatricians as well as the order of doctors dispute the very idea of legalization and point out that cannabis can cause serious damage to the brain in young adults up to the age of 25. The Minister of Health replies: “We are legalizing while clearly naming the dangers of cannabis. This has never happened before. »
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