Tag: Germany

Germany’s upper house, the Bundesrat (The Federal Council), cleared the way to partially legalise cannabis on Friday 22 March.

Implementation of the law, supported by the government and passed in the Bundestag, could have been delayed by Bundesrat, which is made up of delegates from Germany’s 16 state governments.

Some representatives in the chamber argued about negative consequences of the law, and a motion on Friday to send the law to a mediation committee threatened to delay the enforcement of the law. However, the motion did not receive enough votes, clearing the way for cannabis to become legal on 1 April 2024.

 

In brief, the legalisation includes:

Legal possession and consumption of limited quantities

The law provides for the partial legalization of cannabis. It allows the possession of up to 25 grams of cannabis, and up to 50 grams of cannabis within your own four walls. Growing three cannabis plants in your own home will also become legal, although the cannabis harvested is only intended for personal use and may not be passed on.

The ban still applies to minors

Possession and consumption of cannabis remain prohibited for minors. Adults are also not allowed to consume cannabis in their presence. There is also a ban on consumption within sight of schools and daycare centers as well as in pedestrian zones before 8 p.m.

Growing associations instead of legal buying and selling

The purchase and sale of cannabis also remains prohibited. However, if you don’t want to grow plants yourself, you can do so in growing associations. These are organized as registered non-economic associations or cooperatives and may not have more than 500 members. Minors are prohibited from membership. Adults may only be members of one cultivation association and must actively participate in cultivation. The law does not provide for passive membership that is aimed solely at purchasing cannabis.

Come into effect

After the law has passed the Federal Council, most parts of the law can come into force on April 1, 2024 after it has been drawn up and promulgated.

 

The German parliament’s lower house has adopted a new law to allow the recreational use of cannabis. 407 parliamentarians voted in favor of the new regulation, 226 voted against and four lawmakers abstained.

Possession of up to 25g and smoking will be allowed in public spaces from 1 April 2024. In private homes the legal limit will be 50g. Smoking cannabis in some areas, such as near schools and sports grounds, will still be illegal.

From 1 July, non-commercial members’ clubs, dubbed “cannabis social clubs”, will grow and distribute a limited amount of the drug. Each club will have an upper limit of 500 members, and membership will only be available to German residents. Growing your own cannabis will also be permitted, with up to three marijuana plants allowed per household.

Germany is the third country in Europe – after Malta and Luxembourg – to legalize the drug for recreational use, removing cannabis from the official list of banned substances.

 

As part of a large project on improvement of the national health system, the German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach announced that it would start the legal process for cannabis legalization.

The process for the planned cannabis release is to start with several technical discussions between the Federal Drug Commissioner Burkhard Blienert and national and international experts. A draft law is to follow in the second half of the year, explained the minister. The traffic light coalition wants to introduce a “controlled sale of cannabis to adults for recreational purposes in licensed shops,” as stated in the coalition agreement.

“I’ve changed my mind on that over the past two years,” Lauterbach said. “I’ve always been opposed to cannabis legalization, but I revised my position about a year ago.” He now believes the dangers of non-legalization are greater.