Enlarge image
Marijuana Flowers: Not Safe, But Not Dangerous Enough
Photo: Oksana Smith / EyeEm / Getty Images
There is a song by the songwriter Götz Widmann called »The Magic Tax«.
He ponders legalizing cannabis.
The song is from 2002, and on the live recording I own, people laugh especially loudly when Widmann sings, "The police would be exonerated, just like the courts / The exoneration for those affected is a completely different story." .
Activists have been calling for cannabis legalization for decades.
The group grew, it got bigger and bigger.
According to a survey by Infratest dimap, which the institute carried out for the German Hemp Association, 46 percent of the population are now in favor of regulated legalization.
51 percent are against it.
I am for it - but not unconditionally.
Cannabis is not safe
Drug policy in Germany is still mainly used as a deterrent.
Those who smoke weed become dependent and criminal, that is the motto.
The police are following you for your own protection because of the two and a half grams of weed you hid between your sandwiches.
Because whoever is dependent and criminal will sooner or later be hooked.
And dies in the station toilet.
That, roughly, has been the narrative of German drug policy so far.
In fact, cannabis is not safe.
The level of scientific knowledge is shockingly low, but studies already show a correlation between the onset of schizophrenia and psychotic symptoms and regular cannabis use.
According to the journal Nature, the risk is highest for adolescents, pregnant women and people who already have an increased risk of mental illness.
And: contrary to popular myth, cannabis can be addictive.
The law enforcement approach has failed
The legal delivery would therefore have to be strictly controlled. Anyone who sells to people below the legally stipulated age limit (which could be 20 years, for example) in such a system should be severely punished. But legalization also offers opportunities in youth work. Because if the substance is not demonized per se, the dangers can be explained much better. Hopefully there will be fewer grass bags between sandwiches in the future - and if so, then the young people should know exactly who to turn to for help. Drug policy should be health policy.
The law enforcement approach to cannabis has failed. The persecution has risen by 50 percent in recent years, but an increase in consumption could not be prevented, writes the professor of psychiatry and psychotherapy, Derik Hermann, in a statement for the health committee. Two thirds of all "consumption-related offenses", the word from the "Federal Drug Crime Situation Report", concern cannabis. In the case of small quantities of up to six grams, the procedures are generally discontinued nationwide.
The fiscal aspect of the "magic tax" is also noteworthy.
According to a study commissioned by the German Hemp Association, the state could generate income of 650 million euros through a tax in the order of 2.60 euros per gram.
In addition, there would be potential savings through the elimination of criminal prosecution and further tax income through sales tax and wage tax.
According to the study, the state would have an additional 2.66 billion euros available annually.
Or, as Götz Widmann sings: "If you could buy your hash in state-controlled shops / that would be a few billion euros more for work, education, retirement."
Confidence in the decisions of informed adults
In a legal market, the consumer would also have the certainty that the grass has not been mixed with dangerous substances and stretched.
The black market would be seriously weakened.
A final argument in favor of legalization for me is freedom.
Germany is a free country.
Adult people must be informed about the risks of cannabis, they should get help quickly and unbureaucratically if they have the impression that their use is becoming problematic.
But responsible citizens can decide how they want to shape their lives and which luxury goods they consume.
A glass of wine, a piece of chocolate.
Why not a joint too?