Cannabis legalization in Germany in two steps

In Germany, possession of a maximum of 25 grams of cannabis and the self-cultivation of a maximum of three plants must now be exempt from punishment. In addition, the German government wants to allow the cultivation and sale of the drug in special associations.

Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) and Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) presented details in Berlin on Wednesday.

These are revised plans from the “traffic light” coalition for legalization. The originally planned free sale of cannabis for adults in specialty shops is therefore canceled for the time being. In a second step, it is first tested in model regions with scientific substantiation. The German government agreed to this after consultation with the European Commission.

After the new cornerstones for the legalization project have now been presented, a first concrete bill will be presented in April that regulates property, self-cultivation and associations – the so-called cannabis social clubs. After a vote in the government and a cabinet decision, this must later be adopted by the Bundestag and the Bundesrat.

In their coalition agreement, the SPD, Greens and FDP had agreed to introduce the “controlled sale of cannabis to adults for recreational purposes in licensed shops”. Lauterbach had already submitted proposals for this in the autumn. However, from the start there were concerns that the plans would fail due to international and EU law. (saw/sda/dpa)