Status: 26.10.2022 8:58 a.m
According to the will of the federal government, cannabis should soon also be legal in Germany – today the cabinet will be discussing the project. The first contents are already known. Pharmacists are critical of the plans.
The traffic light government plans to legalize cannabis in Germany. Now the Federal Cabinet is dealing with the project. It is not yet about a concrete legislative procedure, but initially about the adoption of so-called key points, i.e. the basic features of the project. A concrete draft law is only to come when it becomes apparent that there are no legal objections from the EU to the planned release of cannabis – which is by no means certain.
The key issues paper presented by Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach and agreed internally in the government is available to the dpa news agency. According to these, the acquisition and possession of a maximum quantity of up to 30 grams of recreational cannabis for personal consumption can be left unpunished. The plan is therefore to allow the production, supply and distribution of cannabis within a licensed and state-controlled framework. In the course of the European vote and in a possible legislative procedure for the cannabis law, many details can still change.
Warning from the Pharmacist Association in North Rhine-Westphalia
The North Rhine Pharmacists’ Association reprimanded Lauterbach’s plans. “The Drug Commission of German Pharmacists has clearly spoken out against the legalization of cannabis for recreational purposes and has warned of the health risks of cannabis consumption,” said association leader Thomas Preis of the “Rheinische Post”.
The pharmacies see themselves in a professional conflict, said Preis. Due to their professional expertise, they are ideally suited to meet the necessary high quality standards in delivery and advice. “On the other hand, pharmacists are health professionals,” emphasized the head of the association. Accordingly, a “possible competitive situation with purely commercial providers is viewed particularly critically”. In any case, Preis does not assume that cannabis will be legalized in Germany any time soon. “Because the biggest hurdle remains international and EU law,” he said.
Bavaria: “Dangerous signal”
Criticism also came from Bavaria’s state government. “The federal government’s legalization plans are a dangerous signal not only for Germany, but also for the whole of Europe,” Health Minister Klaus Holetschek told the “Augsburger Allgemeine”.
Consumption harbors “significant and sometimes irreversible health and social risks”. Holetschek also expressed the fear that legalization in Germany would also attract cannabis fans from other European countries. “Therefore, the federal government must ensure that there are no incentives for drug tourism to Germany.”