Now pediatricians are sounding the alarm

The pediatricians are demanding better protection for minors in the planned cannabis legalization law. The human brain is not yet fully grown at the age of 25, said the head of the professional association of pediatricians, Thomas Fischbach, of the Rheinische Post on Thursday. “Regular cannabis use can cause irreversible brain damage in adolescents and young adults, including permanent impairment of intellectual capacity and social skills.”

The protective measures for under 21s should be much stricter than for older adults, Fischbach said. The cornerstones of cannabis legalization presented on Tuesday by Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (59) offer consumers under the age of 21 the opportunity to investigate a possible upper limit for the active ingredient of cannabis. Fischbach said he hopes this will result in a need for age differentiation.

The head of the association also called for a regulation to prevent the transfer of legally obtained cannabis to young people under the age of 18. With legalization, this would happen much more often – with dramatic consequences for the health of young people. “We as pediatricians would prefer it if cannabis legalization didn’t come,” Fischbach added.

Investigators argue for legalization

Unlike the pediatricians, the Bund Deutscher Kriminalommissari (BDK) applauds the government’s plans. “We fundamentally support the decriminalization of consumers of all narcotics,” BDK chairman Dirk Peglow told the Funke media group newspapers. However, there are still many unanswered questions about the key points of SPD politician Karl Lauterbach.

According to Peglow, one of the unanswered questions is how to tell police officers during a stop if the cannabis they found was legally purchased. In addition, the protection of minors must be ensured. If adults could legally buy cannabis, illegal dealers would increasingly target young people as customers, Peglow says. “These are things that need to be clarified before a law is passed.”

According to Peglow, police resources released through legalization should be used to combat organized drug crime. The illegal trade represents “a business worth hundreds of millions of euros a year”. For Peglow, it’s clear, “Those who run these businesses won’t just give up.”

Lauterbach defends against criticism

Lauterbach said in the RTL Direkt program about the possible price of cannabis that can be bought legally in the future, one gram currently costs about ten euros on the black market. The price for the legal product should not be “much higher and not much lower”. However, it is not yet possible to predict how the price will change. Lauterbach expects that legalization could come in 2024.

Lauterbach defended his plans against criticism. An unregulated product, such as that which is now available on the black market, with a sometimes toxic dosage, only has disadvantages, he said in the ARD Tagesthemen on Wednesday. According to Lauterbach, last year 25 percent of 18 to 25-year-olds smoked weed. Legalizing cannabis with a low THC dose is therefore the better way compared to completely uncontrolled trade, as is currently the case.

Lauterbach’s concept states that acquiring and possessing a maximum of 20 to 30 grams should be punishable. Supply and distribution may only be permitted within a licensed and government-controlled framework. (AFP/bab)