The government hopes to “guarantee health protection and stop organized crime as well as the black market”. The reform must be approved by the European Commission.
Le Monde with AFP
Germany wishes to decriminalize the consumption of cannabis. The German government granted itself, Wednesday, October 26, on a framework for the legalization of cannabis for recreational use for adults, subject to the approval of European law, announced the Minister of Health, Karl Lauterbach.
The main lines of the project aim to place the production and trade of cannabis under “public control” and to authorize in particular the purchase and possession “of a maximum quantity of 20 to 30 grams” for consumption Personal, detailed the minister at a press conference.
The document provides “public control of the supply chain” in cannabis with the objective of “guaranteeing health protection and stopping organized crime as well as the black market”. He organizes “the production, delivery and trade of recreational cannabis in a state -controlled licenses”. Use by those under 18 continues to be rigorously prohibited.
The Minister of Health justified this reform, which would make Germany one of the most liberal countries in Europe on the subject, by the desire “to obtain better protection of children and young people”, Judging that the policy in the matter has so far been “not really effective”. “If all is well, I think that legalization could take place in 2024,” said the social democratic minister. But everything will depend on the European Commission exam.
“We are in a phase where we examine whether the main lines that we have developed in this document are compatible with international and European law,” said the Minister.
In case the European Commission does not grant its approval, the document will not succeed in a law, he said.
Legalization of cannabis is a flagship reform promised by the coalition government between social democrats, green and liberals of the FDP during its training a year ago. If the project succeeds, Germany would join the club of the rare countries to have gone to legalize this drug, like Malta in Europe, or Canada and Uruguay on the American continent.
In the Netherlands, pioneering country, owning, consuming and selling up to five grams of cannabis, has been tolerated since 1976 in the coffee shops.
Many states have declined cannabis consumption – their consumers no longer encourage prison sentence – or have admitted their consumption for medical purposes.