Cannabis plans in Germany raise concerns

The German government, made up of SPD, Greens and FDP, claims to be a “progressive coalition”. One of the projects that should justify this label is the legalization of cannabis. However, the three parties do not want to go as far as provided in the autumn 2021 coalition agreement: it stated that sales “for pleasure in licensed shops” must be allowed. That was no longer discussed when Health Minister Karl Lauterbach presented the plans that the government had agreed on on Wednesday.

Possession of up to 25 grams and the cultivation of three plants for personal use should be allowed. The drug is not allowed to be sold in stores. Instead, community cultivation is planned in associations that are only allowed to sell cannabis to their members. Clubs can have up to 500 members, who must be of legal age.

Consumption should be banned in the vicinity of schools and nurseries. A club may give each member a maximum of 25 grams per day and 50 grams per month. People under the age of 21 may ingest a maximum of 30 grams per month; In addition, the content of the active ingredient THC must be limited.

The government expects the legalization, which will be passed by the Bundestag in the autumn, to ease the burden on the police and judiciary; A billion euros must be saved every year. In 2020, 188,000 cannabis-related law violations were recorded in Germany.

Representatives of the opposition Christian Democrats speak of a “complete loss of control”, but Lauterbach’s Social Democratic party colleagues also express their negative opinion: “If there is something we don’t need now, it is this law”, according to Hamburg Senator Andy. Great.

There is also skepticism in legal circles: because trade and import are still punishable, the black market is not being pushed back, argues the German Association of Judges. At best, legalization could shift the focus of the investigations: it would no longer be small quantity owners who would be prosecuted, but gangs operating across borders.

The German Medical Association points out that the human brain is not fully mature before the age of 25. Cannabis consumption may be associated with structural changes in the brain. The fact that adults will soon be able to buy the drug legally is a problem.

Lauterbach said they don’t want conditions like in some US states, where commercial traders want to make as much profit as possible, or like in the Netherlands, where there is a large black market. Since the clubs would not be profit-oriented, prices would be lower than on the black market. The minister wants to combat consumption among young people through information campaigns. The fact that the number of young stoners has been rising for years is mainly due to a lack of risk awareness.