drug consumption
Lauterbach accuses Bavaria of hypocrisy when it comes to cannabis
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach criticized the Bavarian ban on smoking marijuana at folk festivals and in beer gardens during a citizens’ dialogue in Berlin. Photo
© Matt Masin/Zuma Press/dpa
One person drinks his after-work beer, the other smokes his after-work joint. That is now legal. But in Bavaria, the CSU is torpedoing the legalization of cannabis. An announcement is coming from Berlin.
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has accused the CSU-led state government in Bavaria of hypocrisy regarding drugs such as Cannabis and alcohol were also accused. When asked about the numerous bans on smoking weed in public, such as at the Munich Oktoberfest, the SPD politician in Berlin said that this made politics very untrustworthy. “On the one hand, it is being acted as if federal laws do not apply in Bavaria. And that is not the case – 75 years after the Basic Law.”
“Secondly: the key word is hypocrisy. If you work with beer mugs of this size and people are so drunk that they can no longer make their way to the toilet on their own, then the drunks are basically lying in the dirt, if you like, then in my view the odd joint would no longer matter,” said Lauterbach to applause from his audience. The Health Minister, together with Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens), answered questions from citizens about cannabis at the democracy festival marking 75 years of the Basic Law.
The CSU-led state government in Bavaria had strongly opposed the cannabis law until it came into force on April 1. Since then, it has been creating more and more bans on cannabis consumption in public spaces, such as at folk festivals. It also pushed ahead with a catalogue of fines.
Bavaria’s Health Minister Judith Gerlach described Lauterbach’s accusation as “absurd” and defended the Bavarian course. It was right that Bavaria had exhausted the framework provided by the federal government for cannabis fines, said the CSU politician. “We are sending a clear signal that we put youth protection before drug consumption. On the other hand, it is completely absurd that the federal government continues to downplay the risks of cannabis.”
No taxes on cannabis
Lauterbach made it clear that no taxes would be levied on cannabis – unlike tobacco or alcohol. “That is not planned.” They had long considered whether cannabis could be sold in shops like cigarettes. But that is not possible under European law. In addition, marketing would create an incredible market, which is not what they want.
A cooperative model was therefore chosen for the cultivation associations. The cooperatives only grow cannabis for their members’ own use, make no profits and pay no taxes. “Our colleague Lindner – that hurt us particularly because we value him very much – our colleague Lindner is getting nothing,” Lauterbach joked in the direction of Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP).