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On Wednesday, April 12th, weakened cannabis legalization proposals were made by the health and agriculture ministries of Germany.
The proposal made in October, which called for some of the most lenient cannabis laws in Europe, has been replaced with this one.
Following discussions with the European Commission, the proposal was revised. The German government would only move on with its initial proposal, Lauterbach had said, if it received approval from the EU. In a press conference, he stated that the government’s initial goals for the initiative were unchanged, including safer consumption, ending the black market, and better protecting children.
A non-profit organization would be established in the initial phase of the proposal so that its members may grow the plant for their own use under the supervision of the government. The establishment of these “cannabis clubs” will be governed by a law that MPs must approve.
Each adult was allowed to keep up to 25 grams of cannabis for personal use and grow up to three plants.
The changes will need to be approved by the lower house of the German parliament, but officials emphasized that no approval from the upper chamber is required. That body represents the 16 state governments of Germany, a number of which are governed by the biggest center-right opposition party in the country and have resisted easing cannabis laws.
A coalition of Socialists, Greens, and Liberals dubbed as the “traffic light” alliance, headed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, was lambasted over the proposals on Wednesday by opposition parties.
The minister-president of Bavaria and head of the CSU party, Markus Söder, stated that legalizing drugs is just the wrong strategy:
“The traffic light is, in essence, going in the wrong direction.”
Martin Huber, secretary general of the CSU, also stated that the government’s intention to legalize cannabis would “specifically harm children and young people,” and that it should not be done thus.
In contrast, Özdemir claimed that the new plan from the administration was “coherent and pragmatic”.