Germany is set to legalise recreational cannabis following a coalition party agreement.
The “traffic light” coalition of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and The Greens reached the agreement to legalise recreational cannabis during negotiations, according to die Funke Mediengruppe.
After years of prohibition of the sale and consumption of the plant, German citizens will soon be able to buy and consume cannabis for recreational purposes
Negotiations for the first traffic light coalition at the federal level in Germany began in October following the country’s federal election in a bid to form a government by Christmas. The coalition established 22 working groups to discuss issues and come to policy agreements – with the Coalition Working Group for Health and Care agreeing on the legislation for recreational cannabis legalisation.
According to Der Spiegel, the working group’s paper states that the controlled distribution of cannabis to adults for “pleasure purposes in licensed shops” will be introduced. Spiegel also highlights that the reason for the agreement is not related to finance, but due to the fact that controlling sales of cannabis dries up the black market – better protecting minors and preventing addiction.
However, the FDP’s 2021 electoral manifesto highlights that whilst taxing cannabis could generate up to a billion euros, “an excessively high tax and thus a correspondingly high price will not effectively contain the black market”, adding that “The prohibition of cannabis criminalises countless people, ties up immense police resources and makes it easier to get into harder drugs through illegal contact with dealers.”
Currently, Germany has the biggest medical cannabis programme in Europe, according to New Frontier Data, which has stated that Germany has been positioned to take the lead in Europe for cannabis liberalisation. The sales of medical cannabis products in Germany are allowed through pharmacies and the country has a total of 84,237 medical cannabis patients – a number which is expected to grow to 260,000 by 2025.
The move aligns with recent decisions from other countries in Europe including Luxembourg and Switzerland. In Switzerland, the Social Security and Public Health Commission of the Council of States (CSSS-E) recently announced it will be lifting the ban on cannabis. The CSSS-E will also be reviewing regulations relating to cannabis cultivation, production, trade and consumption. Furthermore, Luxembourg announced that citizens would be able to cultivate cannabis at home for personal use.
Der Spiegel also reported that, according to die Funke Mediengruppe, the coalition intends expand drug checking and harm reduction measures that would allow consumers to check illegal substances for dangerous ingredients.
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