Date is fixed
Traffic light defuses cannabis law
November 27, 2023, 5:20 p.m
The consumption and cultivation of cannabis is not yet permitted in Germany. The factions of the traffic light coalition have already agreed on comprehensive relaxations of the planned law. In this way, the taboo zones around daycare centers and schools are being reduced, while at the same time the permitted amount of possession is being increased.
The parliamentary groups of the traffic light coalition have agreed on the final version of the law on the legalization of cannabis. Home cultivation and possession of certain amounts of cannabis will be permitted for adults from April 1st next year. Cannabis clubs for collective cultivation should then be possible on July 1st. According to the resolution, the law will be less strict than previously planned. According to Green health politician Kirsten Kappert-Gonther, the permitted amount of dried cannabis should be doubled from 25 to 50 grams for home cultivation. The taboo zone for cannabis consumption around daycare centers, playgrounds or schools will be reduced from 200 to 100 meters.
“In the negotiations, we managed to find practical regulations that guarantee the protection of young people and health and make the decriminalization of adult consumers a reality,” said Kappert-Gonther in Berlin. Anyone who wants alternatives to the black market should not set the bureaucratic hurdles too high.
According to them, the proposed criminal provisions will also be relaxed so that if the possession limits are slightly exceeded, there is no immediate risk of criminal liability. Originally, criminal liability was planned for quantities of more than 25 grams. Quantities of between 25 and 30 grams of cannabis in public areas and between 50 and 60 grams in private areas should now be treated as an administrative offense. Only then does possession become a criminal offence.
The possible fines should also be reduced from a maximum of 100,000 to a maximum of 30,000 euros for reasons of proportionality. Experts from the Federal Ministry of Transport should propose a THC limit for road traffic by the end of March. THC is the active ingredient in the cannabis plant that is primarily responsible for the intoxicating effect.
The law is due to come into force in the spring
Cannabis legalization is a project from the coalition agreement of the traffic light coalition. The associated draft law has been discussed for some time. The traffic light’s original plan to offer cannabis for sale in licensed shops will not initially be implemented. In a first step, the drug should be removed from the list of banned substances in the Narcotics Act.
Adults aged 18 and over should be allowed to own a certain amount. A maximum of three plants may be grown privately. In cannabis clubs, club members should be allowed to grow the drug together and distribute it to each other. The original plan to offer cannabis for sale in licensed shops will not initially be implemented. The law was originally supposed to come into force at the turn of the year. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach recently confirmed that this can no longer be achieved.