The German federal cabinet approved a draft bill legalizing marijuana, referring the first part to the nation’s legislative body for consideration.
After discussing the measure in a Wednesday meeting, members of the cabinet voted to advance the legislation spearheaded by Health minister Karl Lauterbach.
was announced last month and would allow adults to possess cannabis legally. They could also cultivate up to three plants for their own use. The bill would also allow social clubs to distribute marijuana. For those over 21, the limit is 25 grams per day, up to 50 grams in total per month. For those aged 18-21 the limit is 30 grams per monthly.
These facilities were not allowed to be within 200 meters from a school. Each city or district was limited to one club per 6,000 residents. There would also be a 500-member limit for each club. The permit for a social club would be valid up to seven-years, with an option of extending it after five years. The draft bill stipulates that membership in the clubs must last for at least two month.
Lauterbach told during a press event that the proposal is a “turning-point in a cannabis drug policies that has unfortunately failed.”
He said that “the protection of children and youth is at the heart of all legislative projects.”
Cem Ozdemir, the Minister of Agriculture, also praised the plan. He said that cannabis legalization was coming and that it would mean “cannabis club instead of drug gangs, legal self-cultivation in place of overtime for police.”
: “I look forward to the autumn deliberations of parliament,” said.
,,Unsere Politik passen wir mit dem #Cannabis-Gesetz an die Realitat an, entkriminalisieren den Cannabiskonsum fur Erwachsene und entziehen gleichzeitig dem illegalen Handel den Boden. Danke an @Karl_Lauterbach & @BMG_Bund fur die gute Zusammenarbeit!” – @cem_oezdemir pic.twitter.com/xFKeQyWHmp
— BMEL August 16, 2020 HTML0
The bill, which has been approved by the cabinet, will now be sent to the Bundestag – the national parliament of the country – where the lawmakers will decide whether or not the reform is implemented.
A summary outlines the estimated costs for implementing and regulating this program as well as the savings that will be made from reduced enforcement. New revenue is also expected through wage taxes on people who work at cannabis clubs.
Officials plan to introduce a second complementary measure, which would create pilot programs for commercial sale in all cities across the country. This legislation will be revealed in the second half after it has been submitted to the European Commission to review.
As described previously by officials, the measure would allow cannabis to be sold at retail outlets in selected jurisdictions as part the pilot program. This would allow the country the opportunity to evaluate further reforms over a five-year period. Officials would specifically study the impact the shops have on consumption patterns and the illicit drug market. Localities must opt-in to allow these stores to operate.
The health minister has stressed that this reform will be accompanied by a “major public education campaign” in order to inform the public of the dangers of cannabis use.
first shared details of the revised legalization plans in April. distributed the legislative text in April to cabinet officials.
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Officials were working to update the framework to avoid any potential conflicts with international law. This timeline was originally set for the end of the 1st quarter of 2023. However, it was extended due to “scheduling reasons”.
The government’s announcement in April laying out its policy proposals for cannabis legalization was mostly welcomed by lawmakers who have pushed the government to adopt sweeping policies. However, some pointed out areas that they would like to improve.
Kristine Lutke, a Bundestag member, said on Wednesday that the latest version still needed several changes. These included provisions relating to a THC limit for young adults, and those establishing a “strict prohibition on consumption near cannabis clubs.”
She said, “This is only way to create a law that’s practical and meaningful.”
Das #Cannabis-Gesetz kommt – doch es braucht noch weitreichende Anderungen im #Bundestag:
1 KEINE Besitzobergrenze
2 KEIN striktes Konsumverbot um Cannabis-Clubs
3 KEINE THC-Obergrenze fur junge Erwachsene
Nur damit schaffen wir ein praxistaugliches & sinnvolles Gesetz!— Kristine Lutke (@kristine_lutke). 16 August 2023
In March, the health minister stated that German officials received “very positive feedback” from EU regarding the previous reform framework.
The German Federal Cabinet approved an initial framework of a legalization initiative late last year. However, the government wished to receive the EU‘s approval to make sure that the reform would not violate their international obligations.
The framework is the result of months of discussions and reviews within the German government and its “traffic-light” coalition. Last summer officials began a series hearings to inform legislation that would end the prohibition of cannabis in Germany.
Last year, a group of German legislators, including Narcotics Drugs Commission Burkhard Blienert , visited California and visited California cannabis businesses to help inform their country’s legalization approach.
The visit took place two months after the first meeting of its kind between top officials from Germany and Luxembourg, Malta, and the Netherlands to discuss plans and challenges related to recreational marijuana legalization.
In 2021, the leaders of the coalition government announced that they had agreed to end cannabis prohibition as well as enacting regulations for a new legal industry. They first revealed certain details of this plan last year.
In a new international survey released last year , the majority of respondents in Germany and other key European countries supported legalization.
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The article Germany’s Federal Cabinet Approves Marijuana Legalization Bill and Sends It to Lawmakers for Enactment first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
