(Frankfurt) Pro-marijuana activists in Germany lit celebratory joints Monday as the country relaxed its cannabis rules to allow possession of small quantities.
The German Cannabis Association, which campaigned for the new law, held a “smokehouse” at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate when the law came into force at midnight. Other public consumption events were planned throughout the country, including in front of Cologne Cathedral and others in Hamburg, Regensburg and Dortmund.
The new law legalizes adult possession of up to 25 grams of marijuana for recreational purposes and allows individuals to cultivate up to three plants. This part of the legislation came into force on Monday.
From 1er July, German residents aged 18 and over will be allowed to join non-profit “cannabis clubs” each with a maximum of 500 members. Individuals will be able to purchase up to 25 grams per day, or a maximum of 50 grams per month – a figure limited to 30 grams for those aged under 21 for whom membership in multiple clubs will not be permitted.
Club costs will be covered by member dues, which will be scaled based on the amount of marijuana consumed by members.
The legislation also provides for an amnesty under which sentences for cannabis offenses that will no longer be illegal will be revised and, in many cases, canceled. Regional authorities fear that the judicial system will be overloaded with thousands of cases.
The law was passed by the current coalition of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats, against opposition from some German federal states and the center-right Christian Democrats. Christian Democratic leader Friedrich Merz has promised his party will reverse the legislation if it wins national elections scheduled for fall 2025.
Major gardening stores surveyed by the German news agency said they would not add cannabis plants to their horticultural offerings, and the German Medical Association opposed the law, saying it could have “serious consequences” on the “development and life prospects of the country’s young people”.