The German government presented the main lines of the future bill that proposes to decriminalize consumption, purchase and possession of 20 and 30 grams of cannabis, whether in the private sphere or in public spaces.
Likewise, The regulations establish that Its cultivation will be authorized in some “limited quantities“, still to be specified, but what are estimated at “about three floors” per person.
The presentation of this project, which was approved by the Council of Ministers, was carried out by the Minister of Health, Karl Lauterbach.
“It will be, when it ends, the most permissive legislation in the entire European Union”, the minister stated, for whom the main line of the future regulations is not a “liberalization”, according to the Netherlands model, but one “regulation”.
Legalization to protect minors
The objective of the initiative is stifle the black market related to marijuana or hashish and the criminal networks that control it, For which it is expected that its sale will be carried out in premises with the corresponding license., which will not necessarily be pharmacies, according to Lauterbach, looking for a supply “controlled” of cannabis, according to the principle of the regulation sought by the minister.
Lauterbach, Doctor of Medicine and one of the most heard voices in Germany at the height of the pandemic, In the past he was among those opposed to legalization, but he changed his mind before becoming minister.
The head of Health considers that legalizing and regulating access to cannabis is a priority issue for the protection of minors, among which an increase in drug addictions is observed, While “blooms” the black market.
First step: European Commission evaluation
Lauterbach insisted that the first step for this legalization will be to present it to the European Commission (CE) these main lines of the project and submit them to evaluation “in bilateral talks”.
If the initiative receives a positive evaluation from the EC, it will be presented in the form of a bill before the German Parliament., what the minister considers could happen in the first quarter of next year.
According to Minister Lauterbach, This could be a complex process so legalization probably cannot be counted on until early 2024.
