Germany one step closer to legalization

According to a top German official, Germany is one step closer to legalization. The coalition government plans to push ahead with cannabis legalization after receiving “very good feedback” from the European Union (EU).

German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach is confident that Germany will introduce a legalization law “in the next few weeks,” reports the German press.

“We will soon present a working proposal, i.e. one that conforms to European law,” said Lauterbach.

Why Germany needs the support of the EU

Germany took a step closer to legalization last year when it submitted its cannabis legalization draft to the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, for approval.

That’s what Lauterbach meant with the “very good feedback” from Brussels.

But why should a sovereign state be at the mercy of centralized European bureaucrats? Didn’t Germany lose the wars?

Germany has some flexibility in setting its drug policy. However, as an EU member state, they are bound by certain rules and regulations.

The EU adheres to the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, which states that cannabis is highly addictive, prone to abuse and has no recognized scientific or medicinal value.

You might think that the United Nations wouldn’t care if countries stopped following the guideline, which is over 60 years old. But recently, the UN Drugs Committee reinforced its anti-cannabis stance, suggesting that the US federal government should intervene in the rule of law.

As long as the United Nations lists cannabis as a Schedule I drug, EU member states will need to adopt guidelines that reflect this classification. And that typically includes criminalization.

So we have unelected global bureaucrats influencing unelected European bureaucrats influencing politicians who elected other politicians. And with every industry claiming to follow “public health” while pursuing policies contrary to what voters want.

Oh, and defying this system is seen as “hate” and “misinformation.”

Can’t Germany ignore the UN? Note that Canada ignored the Single Convention when legalizing it. Just like Uruguay. And the United States ignored the UN when Bush invaded Iraq.

Of course, ignoring the UN is one thing. Ignoring the European Union when you are a member state has consequences.

But we are talking about Germany here.

Why the EU needs Germany’s support

Germany is one step closer to legalization. But suppose Lauterbach misinterpreted the mood in Brussels and this “very good feedback” comes as a rejection?

As in, sorry German voters, a number of public health busybodies in the EU influence the thoughts and beliefs of the European Commission. You’ve decided that a decades-old convention trumps your universal rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Suppose that happens. So what? What if Germany were to leave the EU? Along with Brexit, one would have to ask what would be left.

Germany has the largest economy in the EU, contributes significantly to the EU budget and subsidizes many poorer EU countries.

The EU could still survive without Germany depending on how and why they left. But it would be a different EU, certainly a poorer one.

Germany one step closer to legalization

Germany may be one step closer to legalization, but what kind of legalization? As we have seen in North America, there are a variety of approaches that can be taken.

There is a laissez-faire model that rewards equal opportunity and freedom of choice.

And then the public health model that does not prevent children from using cannabis. But it is certainly good at increasing the cost of the legal regime, thereby ensuring the survival of illicit markets.

From previous statements, it sounds like German legalization is taking this public health approach. However, “public health” has no objective definition.

Florida or Sweden public health in 2020 should be practicing herd immunity. It was at odds with the rest of the world, but it was the right choice.

How does public health deal with alcohol? In Canada, the federal government imposes excessive “sin” taxes, and many provincial governments still monopolize distribution under old prohibition laws from the 1920s.

But what about Germany?

Beer is cheap. You can consume it in public, including on the street, in the park, or on the beach. The Germans also have many beer gardens, including the famous Oktoberfest. They also set the legal drinking age at 16.

Beer is an integral part of German culture. What would appall the puritans of Canada’s healthcare system elicits no response from Germany’s busybodies.

Will their legal cannabis regime be just as permissive in terms of public consumption and societal acceptance? Or is that just a unique situation they have with beer?

In any case, it shows that these antiquated drug laws are more social and cultural than scientific or rational.

And that applies equally to these “public health” approaches to legalizing cannabis.