As of: February 2, 2024, 4:50 p.m
By: Laura May
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Press
Split
The traffic light is delayed in agreeing on the cannabis legalization set out in the coalition agreement.
Criticism comes especially from Bavaria.
Berlin – From April 1st, smoking weed will no longer be a criminal offense.
The traffic light coalition has agreed on a law to legalize cannabis.
This was announced by the deputy parliamentary group leaders Konstantin Kuhle (FDP), Maria Klein-Schmeink (Greens) and Dagmar Schmidt (SPD) on Thursday evening (February 1st) in Berlin.
The next hurdle for the law is the Bundestag and Bundesrat.
The possession of three plants or 25 grams of cannabis should then be permitted.
“The regulations are a real milestone for a modern drug policy that strengthens prevention and improves health, child and youth protection,” they told the
dpa
.
The aim of the law is to decriminalize consumers and combat the black market more effectively.
Cannabis legalization was an election promise - but there were still doubts from the SPD
With the reform, the traffic light coalition would keep an election promise.
Cannabis will be removed from the list of prohibited substances in the Narcotics Act, home cultivation and possession will be decriminalized, and marijuana clubs modeled on other countries such as Spain will become possible.
The law was recently delayed, and the SPD in particular had concerns.
Cannabis remains taboo for young people under the age of 18.
The political groups have now agreed to evaluate the effects of legalization on child and youth protection as well as on organized crime “in a timely manner”.
The three parliamentary group vice-presidents explained that the expertise of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) should be included in particular.
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) announced that the law would be passed in parliament for the week of February 19th to 23rd.
Bavaria wants “maximally restrictive enforcement of the cannabis law”
In addition to voices from the SPD, medical associations and the judiciary, criticism of cannabis legalization comes primarily from Bavaria.
The Bavarian Health Minister Judith Gerlach (CSU) reacted directly with criticism to the traffic light government's agreement and, according to
epd,
speaks of a “dangerous project”.
She explained that the Bavarian state government wanted to take “with all its might against this irresponsible policy”.
In addition, Gerlach has already made hints towards a special Bavarian path.
She spoke of a central Bavarian control unit that should curb consumption as much as possible “through the most restrictive enforcement of the cannabis law”.