Özdemir sees great interest in cannabis legalization: "Farmers are in the starting blocks"
Created: 12/26/2021 Updated: 12/26/2021, 6:39 PM
Cem Özdemir, (Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen) Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture.
© Kay Nietfeld / dpa
Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir is certain that many farmers are ready to grow cannabis.
He defends legalization.
Berlin - The new Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir sees great interest among farmers in Germany in the legalization of cannabis.
"Many farmers are in the starting blocks to grow hemp," said the Green politician of
Bild am Sonntag
.
Then he continued with a swipe at the CDU, which had ruled for 16 years: “As soon as the Bundestag has passed the law of the Minister of Health, agriculture will also grow these crops.
The CDU can no longer forbid us to do so. "
Cannabis legalization: Özdemir defends traffic light project
The Ampel-Coalition is planning a “controlled distribution of cannabis to adults for consumption in licensed shops”. This would "control the quality, prevent the transfer of contaminated substances and ensure the protection of minors," says the coalition agreement. The cultivation of hemp plants has so far been allowed for medical purposes. Özdemir rejected criticism of the legalization plans of the substance, which was previously classified as an illegal drug but still consumed in large parts of the population. "Nobody should smoke their pear away, but I'm happy that the madness of the cannabis ban is finally ending," he told the newspaper.
Anyone who buys from an illegal dealer does not know what is contained and possibly has side effects.
“Legalization, as we are now planning, strengthens youth and consumer protection - and it relieves our police, who can concentrate on the black market with hard drugs,” he argued.
The police unions have expressed skepticism about this in the past.
The Union parties are also strictly against cannabis at the counter and refer to the risks.
(dpa)
