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Dispute over legalization
Traffic light coalition wants to pass cannabis law this week
August 2023: Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, SPD, stands in front of the poster for an awareness campaign about the dangers of cannabis
© Kay Nietfeld / DPA
The traffic light coalition is expected to pass the cannabis law in the Bundestag this week – despite warnings. The state interior ministers recently expressed clear criticism. There is also still resistance in the SPD.
Despite all the criticism, the traffic light coalition probably wants to pass the cannabis law this week. “I assume that we will pass the cannabis law in the Bundestag by this Friday at the latest,” said the SPD reporter Carmen Wegge, who is responsible for the law star. She expects the law to pass the Federal Council on March 22nd and then come into force on April 1st. The Green health politician Kirsten Kappert-Gonther made a similar statement. “Nothing formally stands in the way of the law being passed,” said the chairwoman of the health committee star. “I am optimistic that the Bundestag will pass the cannabis law this week.”
The limited legalization of cannabis for recreational purposes is considered a central project of the traffic light coalition. However, ongoing criticism of the project, including within the government parties, repeatedly led to consultations and delays. The law was actually supposed to be passed before the winter break in December last year.
The final vote in the Bundestag is not yet on the agenda for the current session week. According to reports, the 2nd/3rd Reading of the cannabis law will be put on the agenda on Tuesday.
Cannabis law should allow home cultivation
For SPD domestic politician Wegge, the law represents a “milestone in German drug policy” and a significant improvement in the current situation. Green health politician Kappert-Gonther said: The reform “moves away from the ineffective and harmful prohibition policy towards a policy that focuses on the protection of young people and health.” This is an “overdue step”.
The traffic light bill provides for the controlled release of cannabis, affected by numerous rules and an educational campaign (the star reported). Adults should be allowed to grow and possess certain amounts of the drug themselves, and joint cultivation should be possible in clubs. Cannabis should also be removed from the list of prohibited substances in the Narcotics Act.
The traffic light plans are causing strong criticism, not just from the opposition. The state interior ministers recently spoke out against the planned legalization in a letter to the government factions and warned of the possible consequences. The letter states that there are to be feared “serious negative effects on the fight against organized crime, the protection of children and young people, and health protection.” which the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” first reported.
“I do not share the concerns of the interior ministers,” said SPD politician Wegge. The figures from other countries that followed the same path as Germany would not confirm the fears raised. In both Canada and the USA, the number of young people using drugs would decline, and the black market would also decline significantly. “Nevertheless, we are starting the first evaluation after 18 months to address these concerns,” said Wegge.