- German cabinet agreed plan for cannabis to be made legal, health minister says
- People will be allowed to possess up to 1oz of the substance for recreational use
- Adults will be able to buy cannabis from licensed sellers under the proposal
- However, plan must first be approved by EU courts before it comes into law
Germany plans to legalise the possession of small amounts of cannabis for recreational use as well as its sale and production.
Under a proposal agreed today by the cabinet, possession of up to 1oz of the substance will become legal, health minister Karl Lauterbach said.
Adults will be allowed to buy cannabis from dispensaries, people will be allowed to grow up to three plants at home, and farmers will be allow to cultivate it for sale.
Germany plans to allow adults to possess up to 1oz of cannabis for recreational use, as well as licensing traders to sell and produce the drug
However, the plan faces multiple hurdles before it can come into effect including approval by the EU courts to make sure it complies with European law.
If Brussels gives the thumbs up then the plans will go back to Germany for parliamentary debate, which may not come until 2024.
But the fact it is even being discussed represents a sea-change from current German laws that allow it only for medical use - and even then, only for the terminally ill.
Mr Lauterbach described the plan as creating 'the most liberal legalization of cannabis in Europe' while also building 'the most-regulated market'.
The hope is that it will create a model that other European states can follow, Mr Lauterbach added.
It is thought the plan would ban the import of cannabis - meaning plants consumed in Germany would have to be grown in Germany - and ban advertising.
Marijuana sold in dispensaries or pharmacies would be limited to a THC content of no more than 15 per cent, with a 10 per cent cap for customers aged 18 to 21.
And sellers would have to be located away from schools, children's facilities or youth clubs.
Legalising controlled sales of cannabis is one of a series of reforms outlined in last year's coalition deal between the three socially liberal parties that make up Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government.
They said the plan would ensure quality control while also protecting young people, and agreed that the 'social effects' of the new legislation would be examined after four years.
Source : Daily Mail online