Germany waters down cannabis liberalization after EU meeting

Germany’s cannabis liberalization plans won’t be as comprehensive as people had hoped. At least for now, Amsterdam-style coffee shops could be a pipe dream after talks with the EU. Instead, the Associated Press reports that the watered-down plan will use state-controlled nonprofits. If you live in Germany and are at least 18 years old, you can join one and buy up to 25 grams per day (or up to 50 grams per month). However, if you are in the 18-21 age group, that number is capped at 30 grams for adults under the age of 21.

Germany has allowed the sale of cannabis for medical patients since 2017. The cannabis liberalization plan is one of many social reform projects proposed by the three-party governing coalition of social-liberal German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, which is expected to come into force when she takes office in December 2021.

Additionally, these cannabis clubs each have a set maximum of 500 members. Clubs can grow their own cannabis for their members. Individuals can also grow, but it is limited to three plants per person. You are only allowed to join one club and the authorities can limit the number of existing clubs. Club expenses are covered by membership fees, which are tiered based on members’ cannabis use.

German officials also plan to set up regional testing projects to sell cannabis through “commercial supply chains,” Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said. The completed proposal is a watered-down proposal originally proposed in October that would allow cannabis to be sold to adults across the country on licensed vessels.

German ministers say the scaled-down liberalization plan is the result of EU restrictions. Not everyone is ready to embrace the brave new world of cannabis legalization. Just like across the pond in the US, conservative politicians oppose cannabis liberalization, saying relaxing restrictions is dangerous, the BBC reports. For example, Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder tweeted that legalizing drugs was “simply the wrong way to go,” adding that “drug clubs” don’t solve problems, they create new ones. As a result, Germany had to compromise on an understandable result.

While Germany’s new cannabis plan isn’t the ideal outcome of a pro-cannabis advocate, it’s still a big step in the right direction. 25 grams is almost an ounce of cannabis. With the liberalization of the German cannabis laws, an attempt is made to stop the black market. However, the country is advised to look to places like California, where the illegal market continues to thrive due to government bureaucracy and high barriers to entry into the legal market. If any country or state really wants to eliminate illegal weed, it would be best to create a realistic plan that meets consumer desires.

The reduced plan comes after meetings with the European Union (EU) Executive Board. The Associated Press reports that Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir said EU law “sets us limits that we must respect, but I will also say that we are moving forward”. Özdemir also noted that the draft law will be finalized this month and that “consumption will be legalized as early as this year”. The next step is to conduct five-year tests of regulated commercial supply chains in selected regions, which have yet to be selected.

The plans still have to be approved by the lower house of the German Bundestag (the approval of the upper house is not required). This chamber represents Germany’s 16 state governments, including the country’s primary and more conservative centre-right opposition bloc opposed to liberalizing cannabis laws. However, the health minister argued that existing German policies had failed, adding that their goal was to create safer products. “We won’t create a problem,” said Lauterbach. “We’re trying to solve a problem.”