Luxembourg legalizes weed for personal use

Luxembourg lawmakers on Wednesday approved a measure to legalize marijuana for personal use, becoming only the second country in the European Union to take such a step.

According to Forbes, “On Wednesday, a majority of 38 lawmakers voted in favor of a bill legalizing the home cultivation and possession of recreational cannabis, while 22 lawmakers voted against.”

More from the outlet on the new law:

“The legalization of cannabis for adults in Luxembourg allows the possession, use and cultivation of up to three grams. However, the possession, use, transport and purchase of cannabis in public spaces remains prohibited. Penalties have been reduced, ranging from €25 to €500 for amounts up to three grams. However, if possession exceeds three grams, criminal prosecutions range from eight days to six months, with fines ranging from €251 ($273) and 2,500 euros ($2,722). As for cultivation, households are allowed to grow up to four plants as long as the cultivation is not visible from the outside.”

Legalization in Luxembourg, a small country of about 660,000 that borders France, Belgium and Germany, has been a long time coming.

Back in 2018, the country’s government promised to lift the ban by 2023. In 2021, officials in Luxembourg released a plan that would allow individuals to grow up to four plants in their own homes. That same year, the government announced that Luxembourg’s marijuana laws would change.

“We thought we had to act, we have a problem with drugs and cannabis is the most commonly used drug and accounts for a large part of the illicit market,” Luxembourg Justice Minister Sam Tamson said at the time. “We want to start by enabling people to grow at home. The idea behind this is that a consumer is not in an illegal situation when consuming cannabis and we do not support the whole illegal chain from production to transport to sale where a lot of misery is involved. We want to do everything we can to keep escaping the illegal black market.”

Luxembourg lawmakers’ vote on Wednesday makes the country the second country in the EU to legalize marijuana, after Malta to legalize recreational cannabis in 2021.

Unlike Malta, Luxembourg has not established a framework for cannabis social clubs.

“Luxembourg has therefore adopted a more restrictive legalization model that allows cannabis users to consume cannabis under certain rules without the risk of fines and criminal charges,” said Forbes. “With the current legal framework in the EU prohibiting member countries from establishing a legal market for adult-use cannabis, it is expected that EU member countries looking to regulate cannabis are likely to adopt a similar model to Luxembourg become.” and Malta.”

More from the outlet:

“This is the case in Germany, which has faced high expectations regarding the legalization of cannabis. Originally, Germany wanted to create a legal market for the sale of cannabis products. However, due to European legal restrictions, it has had to back away from its original plan and instead develop a framework focused on legalizing cannabis for personal use. This framework includes provisions for personal use, possession and cultivation, as well as the establishment of cannabis social clubs. In addition, it is expected that a pilot program for the sale of adult-use cannabis will be introduced in certain cities at a later date. A bill to legalize cannabis for personal use in Germany is expected to be presented in mid-August. The reason that European countries that have regulated cannabis have stricter regulations compared to the US states that have established legal markets for the sale of cannabis products in recent years is mainly due to the risk of violating international conventions and Violating European laws prohibiting the regulation of recreational cannabis.”

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