According to Germany’s health minister, legalising adult possession of up to 30g of cannabis for recreational use as well as up to three plants for private cultivation might establish a precedent for the rest of the European Union.
Karl Lauterbach, the minister of health, unveiled a cornerstone paper on proposed laws to regulate the sales and use of cannabis for adult recreational use.
20 to 30 grammes of recreational cannabis for individual use would likewise be permitted to purchase and possess.
At a news conference in Berlin on Wednesday, Karl Lauterbach said, “If this law passes, it would be the most liberal proposal to legalise cannabis in Europe, but it would also be the most regulated market.” It might serve as a model for Europe.
The Social Democrat lawmaker stated that the main objective of legalising cannabis in Germany was to better protect young people who were already using the drug in increasing numbers after obtaining it on the illegal market.
Instead of increasing cannabis use, Lauterbach added, “our goal is to strengthen youth and health protection.” He stated that the existing prohibitionist strategy “isn’t working” because 4 million Germans have tried cannabis at least once in the last 12 months.
Lauterbach omitted to provide a timetable for the scheme.
Several nations in the region, notably Germany in 2017, have already legalised cannabis for specific medical uses. Others have reduced the penalties for using it in general but have not legalised it.
Lauterbach estimated that 4 million people in Germany used cannabis last year, 25% of whom were between the ages of 18 and 24, and that legalisation would drive down the criminal market for the drug.
According to the minister, Germany will submit the paper to the European Commission for preliminary evaluation and won’t begin drafting legislation until the Commission has given its approval.
“If Germany’s existing strategy is rejected by the EU Commission, our government should look for alternatives. Niklas Kouparanis, CEO of Bloomwell Group, one of the biggest cannabis companies in Germany, remarked that it would be inappropriate to merely state: “Well, we tried our best.
Lauterbach predicted that legalisation would reduce the drug’s black market because 4 million people in Germany smoked cannabis last year, 25% of whom were between the ages of 18 and 24.
German lawmakers won’t start drafting legislation until the European Commission has approved it, the minister said. Germany will submit the paper to the Commission for a preliminary assessment.
“If the EU Commission rejects Germany’s current plan, our government needs to consider alternatives. One of the largest cannabis businesses in Germany, Bloomwell Group CEO Niklas Kouparanis said it would be unacceptable to merely state: “We did our best, I guess.
All federal states have not supported the legalisation agenda. For instance, the health minister of Bavaria issued a warning against drug tourism to Germany.
However, the Green Party of Germany claimed that decades of cannabis prohibition have simply made the hazards worse.
