Germany has announced plans to legalize the sale and cultivation of marijuana as well as the possession of small amounts of it for personal use.
Karl Lauterbach, the minister of health, announced that possession of up to one ounce of the drug will be legal as a result of a cabinet agreement on a proposal on Wednesday, October 26.
The German health minister said at a press conference in Berlin on Wednesday that “If this law comes to pass, it would be the most liberal project to legalise cannabis in Europe, but also the most regulated market. It could be a model for Europe.”
The Social Democrat politician stated that the main objective of legalizing cannabis in Germany was to better protect young people who were already using the drug in increasing numbers after getting it on the black market.
Lauterbach said, “We don’t want to expand cannabis consumption but to improve the protection of youth and health.”
He added that the current prohibitionist model “isn’t working” because 4 million Germans have tried cannabis at least once in the previous 12 months.
Adults will be able to purchase cannabis from authorized locations, and Mr. Lauterbach added that the market would be strictly controlled.
According to Mr. Lauterbach, legalization will take place if Brussels gives the go-ahead.
When Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition took office at the end of the year, it announced its intention to legalize cannabis for recreational use, but progress has been slowed by concerns that such a move would violate European Union law and international treaties.
