(de-news.net) – This Friday, the Bundestag will vote on the partial legalization of cannabis. The law, which would allow the possession of 25 grams of the drug per day for adults, will come into force on April 1 should there be a majority in parliament. Non-commercial associations should then have the right to sell cannabis.
After a possible electoral success in the next Federal Election, the CDU-CSU wants to reverse the law, which Union politicians called “irresponsible” towards the public and a “bureaucratic monster.” The Union faction has requested a non-anonymous, roll-call vote for the forthcoming vote. The CSU justified its position by saying that the government was neglecting youth protection.
There was criticism of the project even within the ranks of the traffic light coalition. The Criminal Policy Spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group, Fiedler (SPD), expects a “significant double-digit number of SPD MPs who will vote no.” The department of Federal Interior Minister Faeser (SPD) also expressed concerns about organized crime at the end of last year. The interior ministers of the Federal States warned that organized crime, the protection of minors, health protection and traffic safety were being ignored.
On his part, the President of the German Teachers’ Association, Düll, said: Cannabis is seen by advocates as harmless, “but the effects, especially on the still developing brain,” could be “serious.” An alliance of representatives of the medical profession, teachers, police and science, which was formed following an initiative by the German Medical Association, spoke of a “drug policy bankruptcy” and referred to major health risks.
Meanwhile, some Federal States have already moved ahead with the announcement that, after the proposed law has been passed, prisoners will be exempt from punishment and released from prison if the conviction involved the sale of the small amount of 25 grams of cannabis. However, this would involve ““”tremendous effort,””” according to Lower Saxony’s Justice Minister Wahlmann (SPD).
According to a media report, the president of the Professional Association of Pediatricians and Adolescence Doctors, Hubmann, fears that adults could pass the drug on to children. The German Association of Judges came out to emphasize that the judiciary would be unduly burdened with difficult manual evaluation by retroactive provisions on penal remissions, for which more than 100,000 files had been accumulated nationwide, while the Association of German Criminal Investigators warned of an enforcement deficit for the judiciary and the police if the law should be implemented.
Federal Health Minister Lauterbach (SPD), however, argued that the black market would be dried out thanks to the proposed partial legalization. The Federal Government’s Drug Commissioner, Blienert (SPD), made a similar statement, hoping an end to the stigmatization. This week, 30 experts, including professors, called for an end to law enforcement measures against small quantities of cannabis, in an open letter. They referred to experiences from other countries. The addiction and drug policy spokeswoman for the FDP parliamentary group, Lütke, warned last year against over-regulation in the implementation of the new law.
Lauterbach expects that the Federal Constitutional Court will be referred to after the partial legalization, but described the law as “legally firm.” The sale of cannabis should remain prohibited within 100 meters of schools. According to Lauterbach, the effects of the proposed, liberal regulation will be reviewed after 18 months. The law does not require approval from the Federal Council.
The umbrella organization of German Cannabis Social Clubs expects up to 4,000 clubs, currently supported by around 350 groups all over Germany, that could sell cannabis and are calling for even more comprehensive legalization with a view on legalization. The traffic light coalition is proceeding “half-heartedly”, the organization added.
The partial legalization of cannabis is part of the the coalition agreement on the federal level. According to a survey from August 2023, a majority of Germans reject the partial legalization of cannabis. 71 percent of Green Party supporters were in favor of partial legalization. For example, it was 51 percent for the FDP and 46 percent for the SPD, while 71 percent of voters from both Union parties rejected the new law.