A new law was passed in the German Parliament that allowed the use of cannabis for recreational purposes. According to this law, those Germans who are over 18 will have permission to possess a set amount of cannabis, but the rules for purchasing the drug have been made strict. From April 1, 2024, the smoking of cannabis in different public places will be legal.
Privately, a person will be allowed to possess 50 grams of cannabis, while in public spaces, he or she will be allowed to have an amount equivalent to 25 grams.
Although, according to the law of Germany, any person who possesses cannabis can be prosecuted as the consumption of this drug is illegal by law, police in certain areas of the country, like in Berlin, ignore people who smoke in public and break this law.
Karl Lauterbach, the German Health Minister, who is behind the instigation of these reforms, says that there has been a continuous increase in the number of young people who consume drugs and ignore the existing law. He said, “The number of consumers aged between 18 and 25 has doubled in the past 10 years.”
So, the health minister has decided to do the business of supplying these drugs on the black market with different organized criminal gangs. He also wants to protect young people who smoke from purchasing contaminated cannabis from different sources.
In Germany, the debate about making cannabis legal has been going on for several years. The conservatives claim that liberalization will cause an increase in drug usage, and doctors continuously express their concerns about the young people who are going to consume cannabis. Therefore, the legal cafés serving cannabis will take time to establish in the country.
After a long discussion in the parliament of Germany, which is called the Bundestag, the bill to legalize cannabis won by 407 votes. Those against the reforms were only 226 in number.
The opposition member Simone Borchardt declared this a “completely unnecessary, confused law” by the government.
The growing of cannabis will also be permitted, and each house will be allowed to grow up to three weddings of plants. The government will assess the effect of this law, and after making desirable calculations, it will allow the sale of cannabis with a license.
