The German government took a step this Wednesday towards the controlled legalization of cannabis for recreational purposes with the approval of a bill that seeks to decriminalize possession and consumption.
Under the bill, which still needs to be debated and voted on in parliament, 18-year-olds will be able to purchase and possess up to 25 grams of cannabis (and up to 50 grams per month).
The project also provides for the possibility of growing up to three marijuana plants for personal consumption, according to the French agency AFP.
Germany will thus have one of the most liberal legal systems in Europe, following in the footsteps of Malta and Luxembourg, which legalized the recreational use of cannabis in 2021 and 2023, respectively.
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach described the bill as a “long-term change in German drug policy” and said he expected parliamentary approval by the end of the year.
“I think we can push back the black market,” said the Social Democratic minister at a press conference in Berlin, quoted by the Spanish news agency EFE.
Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic coalition with the Greens and the Liberals made the legalization of cannabis one of the flagship projects of the mandate.
The reform has been criticized by the opposition, police unions and judges, who believe that it will not end drug trafficking.
The new legislation provides for the creation of non-profit associations, whose members of legal age -limited to 500- will be able to cultivate the plant for their own consumption, under the control of the authorities.
A major awareness campaign on the dangers of THC (tetrahydrocarbinol, the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis) consumption in children and adolescents will also be launched, and prevention programs will be expanded.
“Every young person will know: if I use cannabis regularly, I am damaging my brain, I am more likely to develop psychotic breaks, I can have irreversible attention disorders,” Lauterbach said.
The minister defended the plan as more appropriate than the model of the United States or the Netherlands to curb the incidence of mixtures with toxic substances and high doses of THC on the black market.
Germany is also facing an increase in underage use and a rise in crime, with Lauterbach saying that 50% of drug-related crimes in the country are currently related to cannabis.
“For young people [com menos de 18 anos]consumption continues to be prohibited and for young adults [até aos 21 anos]It’s limited,” he said.
Lauterbach expressed the expectation that consumers would opt out of the black market, arguing that associations licensed to grow cannabis would make it available at virtually cost and guarantee quality.
According to 2021 data from the state statistics institute Destatis, 34.7% of Germans have already used cannabis at some point in their lives, while 8.8% have used it in the last month.
Source: TSF
