Jenke von Wilmsdorff: “I also had a joint while filming”

Jenke von Wilmsdorff
“I also had a joint while filming”

Jenke von Wilmsdorff (57) deals with a hotly debated topic in his new series of reports: In “Jenke. Report. Cannabis for everyone: Is there a right to intoxication?” (Tuesday, May 30, 8:15 p.m. on ProSieben) his research on cannabis legalization takes him to Thailand, the Netherlands and the USA. In an interview with the news agency spot on news, the journalist reports on his findings.

What were your thoughts on cannabis legalization before and after your research?

Jenke von Wilmsdorff: I was and am in favor of the greatest possible self-determination of the individual, as long as their behavior does not damage those around them.

“Cannabis for everyone: Is there a right to get high?” – What answer did you find for yourself?

Von Wilmsdorff: Of course there is a right to get drunk. Mankind has always been looking for it and there is nothing to be said against it. It played such an important role in our culture that we created a positive word for this state: intoxicated.

How difficult was it for you to tackle this much-discussed topic and examine all sides?

Von Wilmsdorff: It wasn’t difficult at all. It is a hotly debated topic of the moment and those who deal intensively with it also want to talk about it. But in contrast to the USA, it is much more difficult here to get prominent colleagues for an interview. Your fear of speaking out publicly for or against legality seems too great.

They traveled to different countries to get an idea of ​​the legalization there. What were your greatest insights, what disadvantages did you encounter, but also what best practice examples?

Von Wilmsdorff: Unfortunately, the implementation of legalization in none of the countries visited has convinced me 100 percent. Sometimes there were no laws, sometimes there were too many laws. That was very interesting and valuable to see. The golden mean might be the right approach for us.

You’ve spoken to dealers, doctors and cannabis victims. What different opinions have you heard?

Von Wilmsdorff: They ranged from “addictive devil stuff” to “the most valuable plant we have on earth”. Anyone who sees big business in legalization has just as convincing arguments as the addiction expert who works with drug addicts on a daily basis. It’s hard to form your own opinion on that. What I don’t find convincing at all, however, is how Bavarian politicians open the world’s largest folk festival in front of the camera with a liter of beer in their hands, but rail against the legalization of cannabis extremely rigorously. That remains absurd.

What limitations/obstacles did you encounter during your research?

Von Wilmsdorff: There are hardly any obstacles that cannot be cleared; it’s a question of research and the preliminary talks that you have. Current statistics are, as unfortunately so often, a big problem and you have to take a close look at whose interests are behind them.

You are known for your experiments. Have you experienced cannabis yourself for your research?

Von Wilmsdorff: I had already produced a “cannabis experiment” in 2014. We were already discussing legalization in Germany back then. In my new series of reports “Jenke. Report” there are no plans for self-experiments; there are in the experiments. But I also had a joint while filming.

In your opinion, what must be the basis for cannabis legalization to work in Germany?

Von Wilmsdorff: Just like in individual states in the USA, there should be licensed specialist shops nationwide in which controlled cannabis can be sold to adults by trained staff with impeccable reputations. The selling price cannot be higher than that of the black market, which requires constant adjustments. Above all, we must do everything we can to educate children and young people about how to deal with drugs as early as possible. This applies to all common substances. Unfortunately, a few brochures and a police officer visiting the class in uniform is not enough. Education will be expensive and personnel intensive, but its value to our society will be immense.

A free sale in special shops should initially not be planned, instead there should be cannabis clubs with strict rules. What do you make of it? Which rules still have to apply?

Von Wilmsdorff: I don’t think much of the planned cannabis clubs in Germany. This has not been thought through and, as with the Minister of Health’s other proposals, he simply hands over responsibility and control to the federal states or the club operators. His arguments are often far from reality. That’s why I asked him: When was the last time you spoke to a pothead off the street?

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