CANNABIS POSSESSION FOR PERSONAL USE IS LEGALIZED IN GERMANY DESPITE OPPOSITION

Sun 24 March 2024:

In a historic decision, the German parliament authorized the partial legalization of cannabis for personal use, giving the nation some of the most liberal cannabis laws in Europe.

The much-debated bill was finally passed by the Bundesrat, or upper house, on Friday. It will allow people to possess up to three plants at home and obtain up to 25 grams (0.88 ounces) of cannabis per day for personal use through regulated cannabis cultivation associations. The new regulations go into effect on April 1.

The new law, which still prohibits possession and use of the drug for anyone under 18, will leave Germany with some of the most liberal cannabis laws in Europe.

Proponents of the law, such as the German Cannabis Association, say black market cannabis can include sand, hairspray, talcum powder, spices or even glass and lead. Cannabis can also be contaminated with heroin or synthetic cannabinoids that are up to 100 times stronger than natural psychoactive cannabinoids, experts have said.

Steffen Geyer, director of Berlin’s Hemp Museum, expressed relief at the law, saying Germany had become “a little bit more free and tolerant”.

“This is the first step on the road to a rational and science-based drugs policy,” he said.

Health experts opposing the law warned that cannabis use among young people can affect the development of the central nervous system, leading to an increased risk of developing psychosis and schizophrenia. Sustained use has also been linked to respiratory diseases and testicular cancer.

“Chronic cannabis use makes you stupid, to put it bluntly, and can also cause psychosis,” Thomas Fischbach, president of a German federation of doctors for children and adolescents (BVKJ), told the Die Welt newspaper.

“Cannabis use among young people will increase because such substances are always passed on to younger people,” he said. “This could have serious consequences for young people’s physical and mental health.”

The German public is divided on the new law: according to a YouGov poll published on Friday, 47 percent are in favour of the plans and 42 percent are against.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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