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German lawmakers on Friday approved the legalization of limited quantities of cannabis for recreational purposes, moving the country one step closer to becoming one of the few, and by far the largest, legalizing countries in Europe.
“By legalizing cannabis, we are removing it from the taboo zone,” Karl Lauterbach, who as health minister is largely responsible for the law, said on public television before the vote.
In the end, 407 councilors voted in favor of the proposal and 226 voted against it. The plan now needs to be approved by Congress. That vote is scheduled for next month.
Several other European countries, perhaps most notably the Netherlands, have tolerated the use of cannabis, but legalization is rare. Malta and Luxembourg are the only countries in the European Union that have gone that far. Medical cannabis has been legal in Germany since 2017.
If the law passes Congress and is signed by the president, it would take effect in two phases. First, adults will be allowed to carry up to 25 grams, possess up to 50 grams and grow up to three plants for their own consumption. Adults in Germany will then be allowed to form social clubs with up to 500 members who can grow and distribute marijuana.
The law, passed on Friday, was first announced in 2021 when Prime Minister Olaf Scholz’s three-party government first took office. Prior to that, cannabis legalization had been blocked for years by former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Conservative Party.
There are no immediate plans to allow commercial sales of the drug, which remains illegal under European Union rules, but dozens of cannabis startups founded in Germany are hopeful that the new law in Europe’s largest economy will be final. believes it has the potential to lead to the decriminalization of cannabis. A large and lucrative legal drug market.
Niklas Koupalanis, chief executive officer of Bloomwell Group, said: “We are coming to the end of an era of dysfunctional and unjustified prohibition in our country, and Germany could serve as a model for other countries considering legalization measures.” There is a gender,” he said. statement.
German citizens are divided on this proposal. A poll released Friday found 42% of people support legalization, while 47% oppose it.
Critics oppose the new law, saying it could normalize drugs and make them more accessible to minors. But Lauterbach framed the new law as an attempt to protect youth from illegal drug use.
“This will only work if we also have a proposal to counter the black market,” he told lawmakers before Friday’s vote.
The law includes provisions to protect minors, such as banning drug consumption near schools and places where young people congregate, and stiffening penalties for drug dealers caught selling to minors. It is.
States have warned that legalization will place an additional burden on police, as the number of people driving under the influence and other drug-related crimes on German roads is expected to rise.
“The same argument was used against mandatory seatbelt use,” Lauterbach said in a public television interview Friday.
“We have a duty to monitor every time an important and important law is passed, especially at the beginning,” he added.
Opposition at the state level will be important because the proposal must pass a federal council made up of state leaders. The council could send the bill back to an arbitration panel, which could delay implementation of the law. But with a majority in Congress, Congress cannot block the law indefinitely.
The law includes amnesty provisions for people convicted of minor drug possession offenses before the law took effect. A group of judges had previously warned that having to review these cases could strain the judicial system.
In an interview with a local newspaper, Sven Leben, director of the German Federal Judges’ Association, said in an interview with a local newspaper: “Judiciary authorities need to ensure that more than 100,000 files nationwide will be reexamined if retroactive sentencing reductions for cannabis offenses are planned.” I look forward to it.” Leben estimated it would take a full year for a panel of judges to review old cases and consider whether they should be overturned.
But others celebrated the decision, pointing out the importance for Germany of adopting a modern approach to the drug.
“This is an important milestone on the road to meaningful narcopolitics,” said Andreas Müller, a youth judge who has fought for years against unjust drug policies that unnecessarily interfere with Germany’s courts.
“This is a day of vindication for all those who have been victims of Prohibition’s failed drug policies over the past 50 years,” Judge Mueller said in a telephone interview from outside Congress celebrating the verdict. said.
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