This Friday, February 23rd, the Bundestag finally gave the green light for the legalization of recreational cannabis and passed a key law for the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Despite everything, the text still gives rise to controversy and its application raises questions.
Published on: February 23, 2024 – 7:18 p.m
3 mins
This Friday, the Bundestag decided: From April 1, 2024, recreational cannabis will be legalized in Germany. It was a key social reform from the German government. It took longer than expected to come to light: legal obstacles as well as heated debates and disagreements within the governing coalition explain this delay.
“Who will go to the retailer to buy products of uncertain quality? » In the last few days, the Health Minister has defended his draft law with all his might on the podium of the German Bundestag, against attacks from the right (CDU) and the far right (AfD). For Karl Lauterbach, “the current situation is not acceptable”: the black market and crime are increasing, and consumption by young people is also increasing significantly.
So this reform must make it possible in order to combat the black market more effectively, according to the government. In a vote in the German Bundestag, the text was approved with a large majority of 407 yes votes and 226 no votes.
German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach speaks in the Bundestag on February 23, 2024 in defense of his bill to legalize cannabis. AP – Serhat Kocak
50 grams of cannabis per person per month
From April 1st, it will therefore be possible to have a maximum of three cannabis plants for personal consumption at home, with the quantity limited to 50 grams per person per month, or having to identify with “an association”, explains our correspondent in Berlin, Pascal Thibaut.
Cannabis production on a larger scale, always for non-commercial purposes, is permitted for members of these “cannabis clubs”, a German peculiarity. Up to 500 adults per month and only members of these clubs are allowed to consume their product. These clubs are also responsible for distributing cannabis seeds and cuttings to their members for home cultivation, a maximum of seven seeds or five cuttings.
For private individuals, a total of 25 grams per day – which corresponds to 75 joints – and a total of 50 grams per month can be purchased through non-profit associations. These measures only apply to people over the age of 18 and the ban remains in effect for younger people.
As the Bundestag explained, awareness campaigns about the dangers of cannabis for young people are being carried out and consumption near minors, schools, kindergartens and sports facilities remains prohibited.
Third European country to legalize cannabis
With this new law, Germany adopts one of the most liberal legislations in Europe in this area, following in the footsteps of Malta and Luxembourg, which legalized recreational cannabis in 2021 and 2023, respectively. It is also the ninth country in the world to decriminalize crime. Recreational use of this drug is also legal in some Australian and American jurisdictions.
The new text is a central promise from the government but causes controversy, especially from medical associations and the judiciary. Doctors, for example, denounce the addiction caused by cannabis, while others in the legal world complain about the impossibility of controlling its use. On the political side, for CDU MP Simone Borchardt, this law is “a pole that is being held out to every dealer”. The Greens, for their part, also called for the “legalization of hemp,” a long-standing demand from certain factions of the party.
The number of Germans who use cannabis is estimated at 4.5 million. Despite everything, the latter seem to be rather divided on the issue of legalization: according to a YouGov poll published on Friday, 47% of respondents are in favor of legalization, 42% are against it.
Read alsoGermany: The future liberalization of the cannabis market is attracting investors
(And with AFP)