The measure still has to wait for the green light from the European Commission, but the German government has made its choice: it wants to legalize the production and trade of cannabis – for adults – by placing them under state control, and authorize the possession of up to 30 grams.
The German government agreed on Wednesday 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.
A maximum quantity of “20 to 30 grams”
The main lines of the project aim to place the production and trade of cannabis under “public control” and in particular authorize the purchase and possession “of a maximum quantity of 20 up to 30 grams” for personal consumption, detailed the Minister during a press conference. The document provides for “public control of the cannabis supply chain” with the objective of “guaranteeing health protection and curbing organized crime and the black market”.
It organizes “the production, delivery and trade of recreational cannabis under state-controlled licensing”. Use by those under 18, however, continues to be strictly prohibited.
Offer “better protection to children and young people”
The Minister justified this reform, which would make Germany one of the most liberal countries in Europe, by the desire “to obtain better protection for children and young people”, judging that the policy in this area does not had so far “not really been effective”. “If all goes well, I think that legalization could take place in 2024”, underlined the social-democratic minister. But everything will depend on the examination of the European Commission.
“We are in a phase where we are examining whether the main lines that we have drawn up in this document are compatible with international and European law,” he underlined.
In the event that the European Commission does not grant its approval, the document will not result in a text of law, he specified. The legalization of cannabis is a flagship reform promised by the coalition government between Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals of the FDP when it was formed a year ago.
