Adult cannabis enthusiasts can now possess, consume and cultivate it under conditions limited by law. At midnight, the time of the first legal “joints”, some 1,500 people celebrated this change in plumes of smoke in front of the emblematic Brandenburg Gate, in the heart of Berlin, noted an AFP journalist.
One of the most liberal law enforcement systems in Europe
In the middle of a young and cheerful crowd, Niyazi, aged 25, says he sees decriminalization as “a little extra freedom”. This is “the end of the criminalization of several million people in Germany”, welcomed Torsten Dietrich, a legalization activist for several decades.
After the decriminalization initiated by Malta in 2021 and Luxembourg last year, Germany is applying one of the most liberal laws in Europe: the possession of 25 grams of dried cannabis is authorized in public places, as well as home cultivation, up to 50 g and three plants per adult.
An approach diametrically opposed to that of France and different from that of the Netherlands, where the consumption of hashish is not legal but tolerated, in particular through “coffeeshops”.
Distribution from July 1
Distribution will take place, from July 1 only, via “cannabis clubs”. These non-profit associations will be able to sell to their members a maximum of 25 grams per day and no more than 50 grams per month.
Hence the warning from Georg Wurth, representative of the German hemp federation: until then, “the consumer must not tell the police where he bought his cannabis”, he explains to AFP , since there is not yet a legal circuit.
Shared cannabis gardens
The clubs, a sort of shared cannabis garden, will be able to cultivate the drug. Controlled by the authorities, each association will be able to accommodate, for a contribution, a maximum of 500 people who have been residing in Germany for at least six months.
Many representatives of health professionals said they feared an increase in consumption, particularly among young people. Up to the age of 25, cannabis use carries increased risks for the brain that is still forming, according to experts.
According to the government, the new legislation, ardently desired by environmentalists and liberals in the coalition of Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz, should make it possible to fight more effectively against trafficking.
Cannabis “leaves the taboo zone”, welcomed Monday the Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach, a professional doctor, on the social network for the fight against the black market (…)”, he added.
Prohibited under 18
He promised increased means to educate young people about the dangers of cannabis, without announcing precise amounts. Consumption, reserved for adults, is prohibited within a radius of 100 meters around schools, nurseries and playgrounds.
The police fear a “bureaucratic monster with a lot of piecemeal regulations”, according to the president of the branch union (DPolG), Rainer Wendt. “From April 1, our colleagues will find themselves in conflict situations with citizens, because uncertainty reigns on both sides,” explains the vice-president of the police union (GdP), Alexander Poitz .
A “one-off increase in workload”
The Federation of German Judges (DRB) anticipates additional work: due to the amnesties resulting from the law for cannabis-related crimes, more than 200,000 cases will have to be re-examined. The transition phase will lead to a “punctual increase in the workload” for the police and justice, but in the long term, it “will be reduced”, promised the Minister of Justice, Marco Buschmann, in an interview on Monday at RND media group.
According to him, the repressive policy has “imposed a heavy burden on the police and prosecutors but in reality has done little to prevent consumption, pushing consumers towards dealers of poor quality products and hard drugs”.