Germany Approves Legalization Of Cannabis Usage For Recreation: Here Are The Rules For Usage, Planting To Other Provisions

Marijuana illustration. (Unsplash/@budding)

JAKARTA - The German government approved a draft law on Wednesday that legalizes the purchase and ownership of marijuana for recreational use, implements consumption restrictions to planting, warding off criticism that comes against the plan.

The law will allow adults to own up to 25 grams (0.9 ounces) of marijuana and plant up to three plants for personal use.

In addition, individuals will also be allowed to join a non-profit "cannabis club" consisting of up to 500 people, of which the plant can be legally cultivated and purchased.

However, the bill still has to be approved by members of the German Parliament, who will only convene again after the summer holiday on September 4.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said the bill was a "turn point" in Germany's stance on marijuana.

He explained in a press conference in Berlin, this provision will intersect directly with the black market and drug crimes, ease the burden of law enforcement and allow safer consumption of marijuana.

In addition, minors will remain barred from using the drug, and the government will launch a campaign warning of health risks for young people, he added.

"The concept we offer is one of the controlled legalizations," he told reporters, launching France 24 from AFP August 16.

"We want to limit consumption and make it safer," Lauterbach said.

This cannabis legalization bill is Chancellor Olaf Scholz's leading centre-left coalition program, leaving Germany with one of Europe's most liberal marijuana policies.

However, the bill is less ambitious than what was previously imagined.

Plans to allow widespread marijuana sales in licensed stores were canceled in April, after the European Commission voiced concern.

However, the bill still received strong opposition from conservative politicians, doctors and law enforcement officials.

Bavarian Regional Health Minister Klaus Holetschek of the opposition party, the centrally literate CDU Party, called the plan "irresponsible". According to him, examples from abroad have shown liberalization has not helped much against the black market.

The Pediatrician Professionals Association in Germany issued a joint statement with youth health care associations, "firmly" condemning the plan, saying it could encourage marijuana consumption among young people.

Likewise, the police union and judges who also criticized the law for being too bureaucratic, feared it would add to the pressure on the justice system rather than ease it.

In response, Lauterbach said he welcomed "controversial discussions" triggered by the plan, but said critics did not provide any solution.

He said drug decriminalization while imposing a number of restrictions and explaining the dangers of using marijuana "will work".

The government's public health campaign will specifically highlight the dangerous effects of regular use of marijuana on the brains that are still developing in people under 25, Lauterbach added, a topic he said was still "gray" among parents and in schools.

The law also prohibits the use of marijuana within 200 meters (218 yards) from schools, youth organizations, playgrounds, sports fields, or "cannabis clubs".

If this bill is passed, the government will review the social impact of this new law after four years.

It is known, a number of countries have relaxed the rules regarding the use of marijuana.

Uruguay became the first country in the world to legalize cannabis production, distribution and consumption in 2013.

In the United States, dozens of states including California, have changed their laws in the past decade to allow people to smoke.

Malta became the first EU member to legalize marijuana for recreation in 2021, while the Netherlands has tolerated the sale and use of marijuana in coffee shops since the 1970s.

After studying examples from other countries, Lauterbach said he believed Germany's plans in its present form were "the best attempt in the cannabis law so far".