Partial legalization
Expert: Restaurateurs decide whether to smoke weed in bars
From April 1st there will be partial legalization of cannabis. photo
© Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa
Stoner room instead of smoking room? Partial legalization is likely to also concern restaurants. According to an expert, restaurateurs should be able to decide for themselves whether to allow joints in their smoking bars.
From the partial legalization of cannabis on April 1st, restaurateurs in smoking bars will be able to decide for themselves whether in theirs You can smoke weed in pubs. “Where smoking is still permitted according to the legal regulations of the federal states, cannabis consumption is also generally permitted,” explained Jürgen Benad, legal expert and managing director of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA), when asked by the German Press Agency.
Only in North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria and Saarland are there strict smoking bans for restaurants. Here smokers have to go outside the door to smoke. In the remaining federal states there are at least exceptions – so cannabis consumption in the catering industry is likely to become an issue.
“One thing is clear: every restaurateur is allowed to prohibit guests from consuming cannabis – even in smoking bars – based on their house rules. This also applies to outdoor catering,” emphasized lawyer Benad. As soon as underage people are in the immediate vicinity, consumption is definitely illegal.
The same state rules apply to discos as to restaurants, and here too it remains to be seen what the owners will decide regarding cannabis consumption. Whether bars, restaurants and clubs will develop special instructions for their indoor and outdoor areas, hang signs or order stickers, and how the intoxication effect in a crowded bar with lots of stoners affects the surrounding area is still completely open.