In Germany, the possession of up to 25 grams of cannabis and the cultivation of a maximum of three plants should be exempt from punishment in the future. In addition, the German government in Berlin wants to allow the drug to be cultivated and sold in special associations. Germany’s Health Minister Karl Lauterbach and Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir presented less far-reaching plans for the legalization project than originally planned in Berlin today.
For the time being, the planned specialist cannabis shops, in which intoxicating products can be freely sold, will not exist. This is only to be tested in a second step and only in a few model regions – with scientific support. The government agreed on this after talks with the EU Commission, it said.
Lauterbach and Özdemir fundamentally defended the legalization plans and reinforced the government’s argument that the plan was intended to curb the black market and cut crime. “Nobody should have to buy from dealers without knowing what you’re getting,” said Özdemir. Lauterbach spoke of a controlled supply of cannabis to adults “within clear limits (…), flanked by preventive measures for young people”. The previous cannabis policy had failed.
