Create “clear conditions”.
Bavaria bans cannabis at Oktoberfest and in beer gardens
April 16, 2024, 2:46 p.m
Markus Söder and the Bavarian state government regularly make it clear how little they think of the partial nationwide legalization of cannabis. While beer is still allowed to flow unceasingly at folk festivals, smoking weed is generally prohibited there.
In Bavaria, smoking weed is completely banned at folk festivals and in beer gardens, as well as in the English Garden in Munich. The cabinet in Munich decided this, putting the corresponding plans from the previous week into action. In addition, municipalities should be given the opportunity to prohibit cannabis consumption in certain areas, for example in outdoor pools and amusement parks. Health Minister Judith Gerlach announced this.
“Our goal is to limit cannabis consumption in public. This is important for health protection – and especially for the protection of children and young people,” she said. This creates “clear conditions despite a completely botched law from the Federal Minister of Health”. Despite long and bitter resistance, Bavaria was ultimately unable to prevent the partial nationwide legalization of cannabis on April 1st.
Among other things, smoking weed at folk festivals in Bavaria, especially the Oktoberfest, is now completely banned on the entire site. The aim is to create clear and comprehensible rules that can be implemented by organizers and the police, emphasized Gerlach.
Cannabis ban also in the beer garden
According to the federal cannabis law, smoking weed in the immediate presence of minors is prohibited – which in fact means a ban on public festivals, at least during the day, because children and young people regularly spend time there. Festival operators and showmen had nevertheless complained about a gap in the regulations.
In addition, cannabis products in Bavaria should generally be included in the legal smoking ban, which anyway applies indoors in public buildings, restaurants and cultural and leisure facilities. In addition, the state government wants to ban smoking weed even in designated smoking rooms and smoking areas – and especially in outdoor areas of restaurants and cafés as well as in beer gardens. In addition to burning, the ban should also apply to heating and vaporizing cannabis products. This also creates legal certainty for innkeepers and beer garden operators – because the requirements in federal law are completely inadequate and not practical.