German cannabis plans approved, but implementation still a long way off
The federal government has taken an important step towards the legalization of cannabis. Minister Lauterbach (Ministry of Health) no longer wants to punish the sale and possession of a maximum of 30 grams of cannabis. At a press conference, he said there will be specialty stores where adults can buy weed. The plans would also make limited self-cultivation of a few plants legal.
It is not yet clear if and when the new rules will come into force. International and European laws stand in the way of legalizing cannabis. The draft law will only be published in full if it is clear that the European Union can live with it, said Minister Lauterbach. The plans have also met with criticism in Germany itself.
Four million users
At a press conference, the minister tried to eliminate some bottlenecks. For example, no outlets are allowed near schools. According to Lauterbach, 4 million adult Germans use cannabis and the drug policy needs to be modernized because the current one is no longer working.
The SPD, the Greens and the liberal FDP had already provided for the legalization of cannabis in their coalition agreement presented in November. The idea is to disrupt the black market and thus put a stop to drug criminals. There is also talk of a special cannabis tax. Several companies have already made plans to enter the future legal German cannabis market.
Source: NOS
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