Germany’s governing coalition has approved a plan to legalize recreational cannabis use among adults.
Individuals will be allowed to possess a maximum of 30 grams of the drug. It will also allow stores and pharmacies to sell it.
The plan, which is supported by the European Commission, must be approved by Parliament.
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach confirmed that government plans could become law by 2024.
No country in the European Union has legalized the recreational drug cannabis, with the exception of Malta.
Even the Netherlands has stopped short of planning, as the German government does, to legalize the sale of the drug. They only tolerate the sale of small amounts of cannabis, in coffee shops.
According to the German plan, each adult will be allowed to grow 3 cannabis plants at home.
The plan was announced last year in the corridors of Germany’s ruling coalition led by the Social Democratic Party.
Several countries have legalized the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes, while Canada and Uruguay allow recreational use.
In the United States, 37 states allow the medical use of cannabis, while 19 states have approved its recreational use, which means that about 40 percent of the US population is allowed to legally use cannabis for various purposes.
The German ban did not work
Presenting the plan, Lauterbach said that decriminalizing cannabis use would help protect the health of young people because its ban had not been successful in recent years.
He also made observations that rates of cannabis use are increasing, as well as the proportion of drug addicts among adults, saying, “We want to legalize it and monitor the market firmly.”
He added that the government would consider the possibility of restricting the concentration of cannabis in products sold to people under the age of 21, and this could include limiting the concentration of THC, the main psychoactive substance in the drug.
He pointed out that the German government sent its plan to the European Commission, to ensure its compatibility with the founding treaties of the Union.
Several agreements, including “Schengen”, regulate mobility laws between 26 EU member states, some of which require travelers to present a medical certificate authorizing them to use cannabis for medical purposes.
Medical studies have linked strong types of cannabis to the occurrence of psychological disorders, especially among young people. But there is still controversy over the existence of medical advantages for its restricted use.
There is scientific evidence to suggest that regular cannabis users may become addicted.
According to the German plan, it remains prohibited to promote or advertise cannabis, as well as to send it to home users. The government is also planning to launch a publicity campaign to inform about the harms of cannabis, and the dangers of its use, especially among young people.
The government will impose taxes on cannabis sales.
But the conservative local government, in Bavaria, attacked the plan. The project “sends a dangerous message, not only to the interior of Germany, but to all of Europe,” said Klaus Holzczyk of the Christian Social Alliance party.
Holzczyk also warned that legalizing cannabis use could lead to a boom in drug-related tourism in the country.
Cannabis in Europe
Holland: Cannabis can be used in coffee shops. The government tolerates this, but it remains illegal in public places, and adults can buy 5 grams per day from outlets in coffee shops, and smoke cannabis in them. However, commercial and recreational cannabis cultivation is not permitted by law.
Switzerland: Decriminalized cannabis use and possession in small quantities with a concentration of THC not exceeding 1% for personal use. But at the same time, cannabis is allowed for medicinal purposes, and doctors can prescribe it to patients.
Italia:It tolerates possession of about 1.5 grams of cannabis, for personal purposes, and is also permitted to consume it for medicinal purposes, although it has not legalized the use of cannabis for recreational purposes.
France: It does not allow any use of cannabis, and considers it illegal. But last year, it began experiments with the aim of studying whether to allow it to be used for medicinal purposes.
Portugal: The criminalization of cannabis in small quantities and for personal purposes was decriminalized in 2001, as well as all explicit drugs. However, it is not allowed to trade it on a commercial level, and of course you allow its use for medicinal purposes.