As of: February 2, 2024, 12:59 p.m
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A woman holds a joint in her hand: Cannabis is being removed from the list of banned substances.
© Annette Riedl/dpa
The traffic light had actually already agreed on the release of cannabis in the autumn.
Then concerns came from the SPD.
Now the coalition is letting white smoke rise - figuratively speaking.
Berlin - After a long struggle, traffic light coalition factions have agreed on the final details for the legalization of cannabis.
“The law can therefore come into force on April 1st,” said the deputy parliamentary group leaders Dagmar Schmidt (SPD), Maria Klein-Schmeink (Greens) and Konstantin Kuhle (FDP) after a final round of negotiations in Berlin.
“The regulations are a real milestone for a modern drug policy that strengthens prevention and improves health, child and youth protection.”
The law is now scheduled to be passed in the Bundestag in the week starting February 19th.
With the agreement between the traffic light groups, approval is considered certain.
The Federal Council is then expected to deal with the law on March 22nd.
However, his consent is not necessary.
The regional chamber can only lodge an objection.
Since at least one traffic light party is represented in every state government except the Bavarian one, an objection is considered unlikely and the law will come into force on April 1st is almost certain.
It changes
On this day, the cannabis ban that has been in force for more than 40 years will be lifted.
Sales and cultivation were prohibited by law in the 1970s and early 1980s.
Now cannabis is to be removed from the list of banned substances in the Narcotics Act on April 1st.
Home cultivation and possession of certain amounts of the drug will be permitted for adults from April 1, 2024.
Clubs for collective cultivation should be possible on July 1st.
A long back and forth
The government factions had actually already agreed on the draft law at the end of November.
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) later spoke of a “new approach to keep adolescents away from the drug as much as possible, to curb the black market and to control the substances.”
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However, SPD domestic politicians expressed concerns shortly after the agreement.
This involved, for example, smaller minimum distances from schools and daycare centers when consuming cannabis.
The SPD domestic politician Sebastian Fiedler complained in the “Rheinische Post” that the effects of the law would be noticed very quickly in everyday life, “because weed can be smoked literally on every corner, for example in street cafes”.
However, the legislative package was not reopened in the coalition talks.
The only change was made when checking the effectiveness.
Instead of only after four years, it should now take place gradually.
There should be an initial evaluation after one year, a second after two years and a final evaluation after four years.
The expertise of the Federal Criminal Police Office should also be included.
dpa