German cabinet approves plan to liberalize cannabis laws

Germany took a major step toward marijuana reform on Wednesday when the country’s cabinet passed a bill liberalizing its cannabis laws.

The approval comes a month after the country’s Department of Health released the draft bill for the new marijuana regulations.

After Wednesday, the measure still has to be approved by the German Bundestag before it comes into force, but it represents a significant step.

As the Associated Press put it, the cabinet’s approval “paves the way for the most populous member of the European Union to decriminalize possession of limited quantities and allow members of ‘cannabis clubs’ to purchase the substance for recreational use.”

“The law is the first step in a two-part plan and still needs parliamentary approval. But the government’s approval is progress for a significant reform project by Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s social-liberal coalition, albeit well below original ambitions,” the Associated Press reported on Wednesday. “The bill, which the government hopes will come into force later this year, would legalize the recreational possession of up to 25 grams (almost 1 ounce) of cannabis and allow individuals to grow up to three plants to grow yourself.”

According to the AP, German residents “aged 18 and over would be permitted to join non-profit ‘cannabis clubs’ with a maximum of 500 members each,” while “clubs would be permitted to grow cannabis for members’ personal consumption.”

The reform effort has taken months, with Germany’s Health Minister Karl Lauterbach leading the way.

“This is an important piece of legislation that will change drug policy for the long term,” Lauterbach said on Wednesday, as quoted by the New York Times.

In April, Lauterbach and other German officials presented a significantly reduced cannabis reform proposal than originally planned.

The original proposal, announced by Lauterbach last fall, “was to allow the sale of cannabis to adults across the country in licensed stores,” the Associated Press reported.

The revisions to the cannabis proposal came after a meeting between German officials and the European Union. EU laws always pose a potential obstacle to reform efforts.

German Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir said that European law “sets us limits that we have to respect, but I also say that we apply pressure,” as quoted by the Associated Press.

Nevertheless, the reform is important for Europe’s largest economy.

The New York Times has more background on how the weaker measure was presented to Cabinet on Wednesday and what obstacles were overcome in the process:

“The social-liberal coalition announced its intention to legalize recreational marijuana when it took office in 2021, and quickly found a consensus on an issue that Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government has opposed for years. But implementation proved difficult. A version of the plan put in place by Mr. Lauterbach last year would have allowed marijuana to be distributed through commercial stores. This idea was scrapped after meeting opposition from the European Union’s executive branch, the European Commission. Instead, the law passed on Wednesday allows distribution through the formation of licensed private growers associations with no more than 500 members. Members are allowed to buy up to 25 grams – a little less than an ounce – each day, but with a limit of 50 grams per month. The German government also plans to launch a series of regional pilot programs that would allow the sale of cannabis through a small number of licensed specialty stores to gather more information on the impact of allowing individuals to purchase marijuana commercially.”