The planned partial legalization of cannabis can come. The federal cabinet has passed the draft law by Health Minister Lauterbach. The new regulations were heavily criticized in advance, especially by the Union and associations.
The federal cabinet has approved a bill to partially legalize cannabis cultivation and consumption. The draft by Health Minister Karl Lauterbach provides, among other things, that the possession of 25 grams of cannabis should not be punishable by adult private individuals. In addition, private individuals can grow cannabis themselves with up to three plants.
In addition, clubs of up to 500 people that are to be founded should be allowed to grow cannabis for private consumption. Members should be limited to 25 grams per day and 50 grams per month. However, the federal states decide for themselves whether they allow such cultivation groups. Transport Minister Volker Wissing wants to present upper limits for the consumption of the intoxicant while driving.
Strong criticism from Union and associations
After the decision in the cabinet, the law still has to be passed by the Bundestag and Bundesrat. According to the Ministry of Health, however, it is not subject to approval in the state chamber. The ministry expects it to come into force by the end of the year.
The draft law was hotly debated in advance. Between the traffic light parties and the opposition Union as well as some Union-led countries, it is disputed whether partial legalization promotes cannabis consumption or merely takes it out of illegality. In addition, the question of sufficient prevention of addiction risks and a possible further burden on the judiciary is controversial.
CDU fears “complete loss of control”
In the run-up to the cabinet decision, Saxony’s Interior Minister Armin Schuster from the CDU even warned the editorial network Germany of a “complete loss of control” that the planned law could entail. In their criticism, the Christian Democrats primarily point to a greater risk for minors and a possible overload of the judiciary and authorities.
In the past few weeks, CDU politicians have repeatedly warned of the negative effects of legalizing cannabis – albeit limited – by which young people are not warned about drug use, but actually introduced to drugs, as deputy leader of the Union faction Dorothee Bär put it.
In the joint morning magazine from ARD and ZDF CDU health expert Simone Borchardt also warned against cannabis as a “gateway drug”, which is often downplayed. She warned of impending health damage, especially for younger people, since the human brain is only fully developed at the age of 25.
Bushman defends legislative plans
Lauterbach himself promoted his draft law with the strict conditions it contained in matters of youth protection and emphasized that partial legalization could even relieve the judiciary. Not only because fewer offenses become criminal offenses, but also financially. After all, his ministry expects billions in relief for law enforcement agencies, courts and prisons.
Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann also defended the plans again in an interview with the Funke media group: “I am very confident that a more pragmatic drug policy will lead to relief for the courts.” He dismisses the objections of the CDU, which are also shared by the German Association of Judges, with the argument that “there are generally political reservations about this project”.
From the Bushman’s point of view, the repressive drug policy of the past decades “didn’t curb consumption, it pushed countless people into crime and created a flourishing black market”. “We have to combine realism with prevention,” demanded the FDP politician, referring to the guidelines contained in the draft law, which are intended to guarantee “education and prevention” for young people.
drug officer calls for more funds for prevention
One of the supporters of Lauterbach’s draft law is the federal government’s addiction and drug commissioner, Burkhard Blienert. However, he also makes the protection of children and young people the most important basic requirement. The funds for comprehensive prevention would have to be increased for this. “The new policy will only really succeed if a central component is considered and implemented from the start: prevention and a look at the additional protection of minors,” Blienert warned against “Zeit Online”.
From Blienert’s point of view, detailed prevention and education should be part of every school. This is precisely why the “red pen mentality” must end – “not only because of cannabis, but also”. But the drug commissioner also conceded that any form of prevention has its limits: “To be honest, a school without drugs is both a dream and an illusion, and certainly not reality.”
Grote fears “cannabis-surveillance bureaucracy”
But not everyone in the ranks of the traffic light coalition supports the partial legalization of cannabis. “If we don’t need anything now, it’s this law,” said Hamburg’s Interior Senator Andy Grote NDR. The SPD politician fully agrees with the criticism of the CDU. “Experiences from other countries show that consumption increases significantly with legalization – with all the risks and side effects,” he warned and doubted that the illegal trade in cannabis could be curbed by limited legalization. “It is to be feared that illegal cannabis will be in high demand due to higher efficiency and lower prices and that the black and legal markets will mix here,” emphasized Grote. The fight against this black market and a simultaneous control of the legal cannabis associations threaten to degenerate into an “extensive cannabis surveillance bureaucracy”.