(de-news.net) – The German Bundestag has decided to partially legalize cannabis. According to the new legal provisions, adults will in future be allowed to possess 50 grams of the drug for their own use. What is more, the cultivation of three plants in the apartment should be allowed. The vote ended with an absolute majority: 407 MPs voted for the law and 226 voted against the legal project.
Federal Health Minister Lauterbach (SPD) explained that the new reality will limit the black market and lead to better protection for children and young people, while the CDU announced that it would ban cannabis once again if it wins the election next year.
Criticism also came from medical associations. Cannabis consumption is particularly harmful up to the age of 25, according to the President of the German Medical Association, Reinhardt. The German Association of Judges emphasized that the judiciary could be overburdened by retroactive sentences, and the Association of German Criminal Officers was generally positive about decriminalization, but warned against petty trafficking. A part of the SPD from the area of domestic policy had also spoken out against legalization.