The legalization of recreational cannabis in Germany, which was still the subject of dissension within the tripartite government of Olaf Scholz, will come into force on April 1, MPs from the ruling coalition announced on Friday.
Adopted in August by the Council of Ministers, the text continued to be discussed at the level of the Bundestag between the parliamentary groups of the chancellor’s Social Democrats (SPD), where resistance appeared, from the Greens and the liberals of the FDP, allied to the government .
The deputies thus agreed on a “rapid” evaluation of the effects of legalization in terms of the protection of children and adolescents, as well as on organized crime, which will also take into account the expertise of the judicial police, indicated the vice-presidents of the three parliamentary groups.
The reform constitutes “a major step forward for a modern drug policy”, they underlined in a joint declaration.
It must also, according to the government, make it possible to fight more effectively against the black market, a point contested by the conservative opposition, the police unions and certain SPD deputies.
With this new law, a flagship project of Olaf Scholz’s government, Germany will adopt one of the most liberal laws in Europe, following in the footsteps of Malta and Luxembourg, which legalized recreational cannabis respectively in 2021 and in 2023.
The regulations provide for authorizing the purchase of cannabis in limited quantities, i.e. 25 grams per day maximum, through non-profit associations. It will also be possible to grow up to three plants for your own use.
However, the possession and consumption of this drug will remain strictly prohibited for young people under the age of 18.