As of: March 27, 2024, 3:18 p.m
By: Philipp Bräuner
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The Cannabis Act must be signed by the Federal President before it comes into force.
However, he is on Easter vacation.
Berlin - The Federal Council has just voted for the controversial cannabis law, and the Union senses its next chance to perhaps stop the law after all.
Because it still has to go to the Federal President for signature.
However, he said goodbye on Monday for his Easter vacation.
Steinmeier on vacation – Schwesig takes over business, including signing laws
But in order to come into force as planned next Monday, April 1st, it must be signed this week.
And so it probably ends up with Frank-Walter Steinmeier's representative and, of all people, on the desk of the woman who presided over the vote in the Federal Council: Federal Council President and Prime Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Manuela Schwesig (SPD).
Federal Council President Manuela Schwesig is expected to receive the Cannabis Act for signature on behalf of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
© Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa
She was never one of the ardent supporters of the project like her party colleague, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD).
She also criticized the law in its current form in an interview with Die
Welt
immediately after the vote because it did not prevent large-scale plantations.
Nevertheless, it is almost impossible that she would refuse to sign the law.
The Cannabis Act is currently being examined in the Federal President's Office
According to reports, the law is currently being examined in the Federal President's Office, especially with regard to its correctness from a formal point of view.
For such a reason, Steinmeier himself had already refused to sign a law to combat right-wing extremism and hate crime in 2020.
At that time it was out of concern that some of it might be unconstitutional.
He then signed the revised version.
But there is actually no reason for concern from this perspective either.
In its most recent cannabis ruling from June 2023, the Federal Constitutional Court confirmed the legislative power to decide on partial legalization and decriminalization.
After the Federal Council vote, the CDU is still hoping for a no from the Federal President
Nevertheless, the health policy spokesman for the CDU and CSU faction in the Bundestag, Tino Sorge, expressed his hope after the Bundesrat vote that the law could still be stopped by the Federal President.
He told the
RND
: “The law should be stopped for now after the chaotic debate.”
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Apparently he shouldn't hope for support from Schwesig in this project.
“It is not about the personal position of the President of the Federal Council, but about the question of whether the law was passed in accordance with the provisions of the Basic Law,” the government spokesman for Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania told
Spiegel
.
The President of the Federal Council will also follow the corresponding technical recommendation.
(
pkb
)
Transparency note: In an earlier version of the text we referred to Manuela Schwesig as Prime Minister of the state of Schleswig-Holstein. Ms. Schwesig is of course MP in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. We ask for apology
.