Germany: approval of guidelines on cannabis consumption.

Modified on: 29/01/2024

Cannabis: possession, quantity, cultivation: these are the key points to the legalization in Germany

You have probably heard that Germany gave the green light to cannabis cultivation, which has been much talked about in recent days.

So, does this mean that it is now possible to consume cannabis freely?

Well, not exactly. Or not yet.

In this article we are going to shed light on the current situation, regarding the legalization of cannabis in Germany, remembering it is legal to buy in our website : Justbob!

Germany: Green light to personal consumption of cannabis

The legalization of cannabis in Germany is coming: the key points were presented and approved in October 2022.

Let’s see what will happen next.

In Germany, it is still illegal to buy or sell cannabis, as well as its cultivation and possession. It is different with CBD flowers, that are totally legals!

But apparently, marijuana will soon be freely bought and consumed for personal use, up to a maximum of thirty grams. The federal government consisting of Social Democrats (SPD), FDP Liberals and Greens has already agreed on this: citizens aged 18 and over will only be able to buy the weed at specialized shops.

In fact, the treaty deals with ‘controlled distribution of cannabis to adults, for recreational purposes’, with the aim of protecting the health of young people.

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What will become legal after the legalization of cannabis in Germany

So far, the possession, trade and cultivation of cannabis are prohibited in Germany, even though those who carry a small amount are not usually prosecuted. However, this is interpreted quite differently in Bavaria, such as in Berlin: in fact, since 2017, it is possible to get cannabis, if prescribed by a doctor.

Consequently, cultivation is also only permitted for medical cannabis.

In November 2021, the ‘traffic light’ government consisting of the SPD, FDP and Greens agreed in its coalition agreement to introduce the distribution of up to thirty grams of cannabis to citizens of legal age for personal use in licensed shops.

Following Canada’s example, the cultivation, processing and trade of cannabis will be legalized in parallel.

The aim?

Preventing marijuana from being marketed under-the-table and people from being harmed by unhealthy and poor-quality products.

Indeed, uniform quality controls must ensure that all German citizens of legal age can obtain a reliable drug; this means that only authorized persons will be allowed to cultivate and sell cannabis.

But when will this law take effect?

It is still unclear at the moment. Still, in 2024 in Germany, it won’t be possible to ‘smoke weed’ legally, for two reasons:

the legislative process takes about 175 days.
other pressing issues currently concern the country.

This means that it may be necessary to wait until 2024 for the legalization of cannabis (CBD Cannabis is yet legal) .In fact, the plan is to test the social effects four years after the law is passed.

But that’s not all.

In an analysis, from CSU politician Stephan Pilsinger’s point of view, the Scientific Service lists the European treaties to which Germany is bound and which hinder the legalization process.

The good news? The preparations for the legislative procedure are currently ongoing.

The Federal Commissioner for Drugs, Burkhard Blienert (SPD), had announced at the beginning of 2023. Members of the Bundestag Health Committee are travelling to the United States and Canada to inquire about the situation in countries, where legalization has already taken place.

Legalization of cannabis in Germany: since when?

As we said, the effective date of the entry into force is not yet known, but it is clear that it must first be approved in the legislature of the traffic light government.

However, the release of cannabis will not happen too quickly, even because the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis are the most pressing and compelling issues at the moment.

It is not known how soon the government will turn its attention to the licensing of cannabis, but one thing is certain: legalization is not a top priority. For example, in an interview with the legal journal LTO, the federal government’s commissioner for addiction and drugs, Burkhard Blienert, mentioned ‘two acute crisis situations that have political priority’: the war in Ukraine and the coronavirus pandemic.

But as we anticipated, these are not the only factors that will slow down the legalization process.

In Germany, it takes on average about 175 days to complete the entire legislative process and bring a law into force. Based on these timeframes, some experts consider the beginning of 2024 to be the first realistic date for legalization, although Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FPD) has considered the prospect of introducing the measure starting from 2023.

However, the pressure on Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) is also growing within the government coalition. The politicians in charge of the Health Ministry’s budget want to convince Lauterbach to quickly implement the legalization of cannabis with an unusual means: a resolution of the budget committee, an amount of one million euros was blocked for the public relations work of the ministry, up until the presentation of the cannabis control law agreed in the coalition agreement.

This is what Paula Piechotta, a Green Member of the Bundestag, said. However, if the law is not presented in the second half of the year, the funds will lapse.

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Conclusions

In this article we tried to give an overview of the legalization of cannabis in Germany.

Presumably, from 2024, German adults will be able to purchase, possess and consume cannabis up to a maximum of thirty grams and only at authorized retailers.

However, Federal Health Minister Lauterbach acknowledges the importance of the decision, but assures that the release will be strictly regulated.

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