The German government agreed on Wednesday on a framework for the legalization of cannabis for recreational use by adults, subject to the approval of the European law, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach announced.
A maximum amount of “20 to 30 grams”
The main lines of the project aim to place the production and trade of cannabis under “public control” and in particular to authorize the purchase and possession “of a maximum quantity of 20 to 30 grams” for personal consumption, the Minister explained during a press conference . conference. The document provides for “public control of the cannabis supply chain” with the aim of “ensuring health protection and curbing organized crime and the black market.”
It organizes “the production, delivery, and trade of recreational cannabis under state-controlled licenses.” However, use by those under the age of 18 is still strictly prohibited.
Offer “better protection to children and young people”
The minister justified this reform, which would make Germany one of the most liberal countries in Europe, by the desire to “obtain better protection for children and young people”, judging that the policy in this area up to now “has not really been effective”. “If all goes well, I think legalization could take place in 2024,” stressed the Social Democratic minister. But everything will depend on the examination of the European Commission.
“We are in a phase in which we are examining whether the main lines that we have drawn in this document are compatible with international and European law,” he stressed.
In case the European Commission does not grant its approval, the document will not result in a legal text, he specified. Cannabis legalization is a landmark reform promised by the FDP’s coalition government of Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals when it was formed a year ago.
Source: BFM TV
