Germany’s health minister Karl Lauterbach – who until last year was opposed to cannabis legalisation – said Germany’s coalition government will begin the legal process for cannabis legalisation sooner than planned.
Speaking to the German newspaper Handelsblatt, Karl Lauterbach said the government plans to accelerate a number of projects that have been stalled due to the pandemic, including the legalisation of cannabis which formed part of the government’s political agenda announced in 2021.
“I’ve changed my mind on [cannabis reform] over the past two years,” Lauterbach told the newspaper. “I’ve always been opposed to cannabis legalisation, but I revised my position about a year ago.”
Christian Linder, Germany’s Finance Minister, echoed Lauterbach’s statements with a Tweet reading: “A question that many people keep asking me: ‘When will Bubatz [slang term for cannabis] be legal?’ I would say soon.”
The German federal government announced it would be putting plans in motion to legalise cannabis in November 2021. The process has since been delayed due, in part, to the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
Up until now, it has been rumoured that plans for cannabis reform would be pushed back to Autumn, but Karl Lauterbach said he wants it to be included in the government’s summer agenda along with several other health policy reforms including the digitisation of the health system and hospital structure reform.
The process of legalisation will begin with the drug commissioner discussing the technicalities with experts, Handelsblatt reported.
“The time over the summer must be used to vigorously push reforms that could no longer be pushed to the autumn,” said Lauterbach.
Michael Sassano, CEO & Founder of European cannabis manufacturer Somai Pharmaceutical, said the health minister’s change of position has “sent positive shock waves” to every health minister in Europe.”
“[Lauterbach’s] position brings more credibility than any politician’s words. His participation now indicates that cannabis will be treated as a narcotic. The cultivation and manufacturing will likely stay at the same high level of EU GMP pharmaceutical grade, creating a significant entry barrier compared to novel food products,” Sassano told Cannabis Wealth.
“Distribution is expected to continue through pharmacies, but additional cannabis-only dispensaries and social clubs have a high probability of expanding the availability and footprint of sales outlets to increase adoption. Germany clearly sees that the risk of non-regulated and non-taxed cannabis products consumed by Germans that cannot get a prescription from their doctor is much more significant than reducing the burden and indications to purchase cannabis.”
