With the appointment of Prof. Dr. Hendrik Streeck as the new Federal Government Commissioner for Drugs, Burkhard Blienert had to say goodbye to this post.
This means that the cannabis community and the cannabis industry are now seeing a supporter of legalisation replaced by a scientist who became well-known during the coronavirus pandemic to take the helm in drug policy in Germany.
It is known that the CDU politician is not necessarily a friend of the partial legalization initiated by the traffic light government, so it will be exciting to see how the situation develops in the coming months. Will the current approach be maintained, will stronger restrictions be introduced, or will the legalization of cannabis be completely withdrawn, as demanded by conservative party colleagues?
It is already apparent that various forces are already campaigning against the simplified procurement of medicinal cannabis via online portals.
To them, the immense increase in import volumes alone appears to be proof that people can obtain the natural medicine too easily who do not use it to alleviate suffering, but solely for recreational consumption.
Hendrik Streeck is at least aware of how emotional the cannabis debate is in some quarters and would therefore like to approach the topic without ideology. Other important topics for him include media addiction and preventing an opioid crisis in Germany, such as the one the USA is currently experiencing.
Evidence-based and scientifically sound policy
In the past, politicians from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU) have held the post of Federal Drug Commissioner in Germany on more than one occasion.
In most cases, apart from negative statements about the renewable raw material, which is also used as a stimulant, only ridiculous phrases survived their time. The scientist Prof. Dr. Hendrik Streeck, on the other hand, promises that he considers the issue of legal cannabis to be complex and that there are no simple answers.
For this reason, he wants to pursue evidence-based and scientifically sound policies first and foremost. He therefore wants to stick to the agreement between the current coalition partners from the SPD and CDU and await a review of cannabis legalization on a scientific basis, with an interim report expected this autumn.
However, Streeck is also keen to make the critics of cannabis legalization heard again, he explained to RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland. According to the well-known virologist, he is very keen to “include the concerns of parents, police officers, teachers and medical professionals in the discussion about cannabis better than has been done in the past”.
Given that criticism from the judiciary, police and pharmacy associations has been almost omnipresent in the media in the recent past and during the long years of prohibition, this is a somewhat surprising statement from the new Drugs Commissioner.
Final decisions not until next year
It seems obvious that the new government is keen to change the partial legalization of cannabis in Germany. The concerns in conservative circles are still too great, even though data shows that the justice system has been relieved due to the suspended prosecution of regular users.
The fact that the many tons of medicinal cannabis that may be used by recreational users with “sleep disorders” are already missing from the profit margins of black market dealers does not seem to be seen as beneficial. But what exactly will happen cannot yet be predicted under the current circumstances. However, in a discussion format with a party colleague, Hendrik Streeck specifically points out that we first have to wait and see what the evaluation of the Cannabis Act will actually produce.
An interim report will be published in the fall, followed by a final report next spring. It will therefore not be long before we have the first data on what the effects of the partial legalization of cannabis have been for society. Then we would have the basis for a new discussion on where changes should take place.
The Federal Government Commissioner for Drugs clearly states that the question is already being asked as to how a “reversal” could be carried out. In which areas does it seem necessary and how could “we set things up differently”, asks Streeck.
However, the scientist also immediately recognizes in this context that there are sensible areas for the use of cannabis. First and foremost, medicinal cannabis for cancer, pain therapy and epilepsy. Here, there is evidence that the use of the natural medicine can relieve pain and symptoms “if consumed correctly”. A distinction must therefore be made between what is consumed for pleasure and what is really medically useful.
However, Prof. Dr. Hendrik Streeck believes that it is still wise not to go into the details too quickly, but to wait for the results and then deal with them in detail. Personally, he would be much more comfortable only then taking action based on evidence. However, this information already sounds quite obvious like a change in the current situation seems imminent next year.
