AFP
Recreational cannabis becomes legal in Germany despite criticism
Since Monday, Germany has authorized the highly regulated use of cannabis, becoming the largest country in the EU to legalize this substance with a reform that raises as many expectations as fears. Adult cannabis enthusiasts can now possess it, consume it, cultivate it under conditions limited by law. At midnight, the time of the first legal “joints”, some 1,500 people celebrated this change in plumes of smoke in front of the emblematic Brandenburg Gate, in the heart of Berlin , noted an AFP journalist. In the middle of a young and joyful crowd, Niyazi, aged 25, said he saw in decriminalization “a little extra freedom”. It is “the end of the criminalization of several million people in Germany”, greeted Torsten Dietrich, campaigner for legalization for several decades. After the decriminalization initiated by Malta in 2021 and Luxembourg last year, Germany is thus applying one of the laws the most liberal in Europe: the possession of 25 grams of dried cannabis is authorized in public places, as well as cultivation at home, up to 50 g and three plants per adult. An approach diametrically opposed to that of France and different from that of the Netherlands, where the consumption of hashish is not legal but tolerated, in particular through “coffeeshops”. Distribution will take place, from July 1 only, via “cannabis clubs”. These non-profit associations will be able to sell to their members a maximum of 25 grams per day and no more than 50 grams per month. Hence the warning from Georg Wurth, representative of the German hemp federation: until then, “the consumer must not tell the police where he bought his cannabis”, he explains to AFP , since there is not yet a legal circuit. – Shared cannabis gardens – The clubs, a sort of shared cannabis garden, will be able to cultivate the drug. Controlled by the authorities, each association will be able to accommodate, in return for a contribution, a maximum of 500 people who have resided in Germany for at least 6 months. Many representatives of health professionals have said they fear an increase in consumption, particularly among young people. Up to the age of 25, cannabis consumption carries increased risks for the brain which is still forming, according to experts. According to the government, the new legislation, ardently wanted by environmentalists and liberals from the coalition of Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz, should make it possible to fight more effectively against trafficking. Cannabis “leaves the taboo zone”, greeted Monday the Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach, a doctor by profession, on the social network to drug addicts, for prevention among young people and for the fight against the black market (…)”, he added. – Prohibited to under 18s – He promised reinforced means to raise awareness among young people of dangers of cannabis, without announcing precise amounts. Consumption, reserved for adults, is prohibited within a radius of 100 meters around schools, nurseries, playgrounds. The police fear a “bureaucratic monster with many fragmentary regulations”, according to the president of the branch union (DPolG ), Rainer Wendt. “From April 1, our colleagues will find themselves in conflict situations with citizens, because uncertainty reigns on both sides,” explains the vice-president of the police union (GdP), Alexander Poitz .The Federation of German Judges (DRB) anticipates additional work: due to the amnesties resulting from the law for cannabis-related crimes, more than 200,000 cases will have to be re-examined. The transition phase will lead to a “punctual increase in the workload” for the police and justice but in the long term, it “will be reduced”, promised the Minister of Justice, Marco Buschmann, in an interview on Monday with the group of RND media. According to him, the repressive policy has “imposed a heavy burden on the police and prosecutors but in reality has done little to prevent consumption, pushing consumers towards dealers of poor quality products and hard drugs”. clp-smk/ref
2024-04-01 11:32:23
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