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Did I hear correctly? Cannabis has been legalised in Germany?

Here's the whole story. Looks interesting, but it still needs work.

ASSOCIATED PRESS
German lawmakers on Friday approved a government plan to liberalize rules on cannabis, paving the way for the country to decriminalize limited amounts of marijuana and allow members of “cannabis clubs” to buy it for recreational purposes.

Parliament’s lower house, or Bundestag, backed the legislation, a prominent reform project of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s socially liberal governing coalition, by 407 votes to 226. There were four abstentions.


Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said the government’s aim is to “fight the black market” and better protect young people. He said current laws in the European Union’s most populous nation have failed, with consumption rising and increasing problems with contaminated or overly concentrated cannabis.
“Whatever we do, we can’t carry on like this,” he told lawmakers. “You can stick your head in the sand … but we won’t solve a single problem that way.”

Lauterbach, who noted that he himself long opposed legalizing cannabis, argued that addiction researchers say removing the taboo around marijuana and giving information on its risks is the right approach.

The bill foresees legalizing possession by adults of up to 25 grams (nearly 1 ounce) of marijuana for recreational purposes and allowing individuals to grow up to three plants on their own. That part of the legislation is supposed to take effect on April 1.
German parliament votes to legalise cannabis possession
German residents who are 18 and older would be allowed to join nonprofit “cannabis clubs” with a maximum 500 members each, starting July 1. The clubs would be allowed to grow cannabis for members’ personal consumption.

Individuals would be allowed to buy up to 25 grams per day, or a maximum 50 grams per month — a figure limited to 30 grams for under-21s.

Membership in multiple clubs would not be allowed. The clubs’ costs would be covered by membership fees, which would be staggered according to how much marijuana members use.

The government plans a ban on advertising or sponsoring cannabis, and the clubs and consumption won’t be allowed in the immediate vicinity of schools, playgrounds and sports facilities. An evaluation of the legislation’s effect on protection of children and youths is to be carried out within 18 months of the legislation taking effect.

The main center-right opposition bloc vehemently opposes the change.

“You’re asserting here in all seriousness as health minister … that we will curb consumption among children and young people with the legalization of further drugs,” conservative lawmaker Tino Sorge said to Lauterbach. “That’s the biggest nonsense I’ve ever heard.”

Lauterbach told reporters after the vote that “dealers have no reason at all to celebrate.” He noted that, under the new legislation, dealers who are caught selling to children or youths can expect to face a sentence of at least two years.

The plan falls significantly short of the government’s original ambitions, which foresaw allowing the sale of cannabis to adults across the country at licensed outlets. The project was scaled back following talks with the European Union’s executive commission.

Parliament’s upper house, which represents Germany’s 16 state governments, could in principle delay the legislation, though it doesn’t formally require the chamber’s approval. Bavaria’s conservative state government has said it would examine whether legal action against the liberalization plan is possible.

The legislation is one of several that Scholz’s coalition, which has since become highly unpopular as a result of economic weakness and persistent infighting, pledged when it took office in 2021.

It has eased rules on gaining citizenship and ended restrictions on holding dual citizenship. Among other policies, it also plans to make it easier for transgender, intersex and nonbinary people to change their gender and name in official registers.


AzLaker

AzLaker wrote: Sat 24th Feb 2024 01:47 pm Here's the whole story.

That article pretty much sums it up. I wouldn't call it legalisation, it's more of "partial decriminalisation". The law basically starts by saying: "Owning, buying, handling, even thinking about Cannabis is illegal, with the following exceptions" But IT IS a step forward. Germany currently opens up 300 legal prosecutions for Cannabis possession PER DAY.

It's in the little things. A bit of smell in the house will no longer be sufficient grounds for a search warrant, for example. When a neighbor spots and reports a cannabis plant on your balcony, that's no longer sufficient grounds for a visit from police. Also totally legal to order seeds from EU countries. With established and trustworthy online seed shops mostly in the Netherlands, Spain and Austria, that will work fine. When one does get one's smoke from the black market, the way home with up to an ounce will be much more relaxed. Yeah, an ounce Actually: Up to 25 grams it will be completely legal. They have added a safety margin by making 25g up to 30g a misdemeanor. Above 30g: Expect the same bullshit as before.

ALSO important: The law explicitly states that import, export and transit of the good stuff is NOT ALLOWED. So, technically, you can't bring 25g, bought legally in the Netherlands, with you to Germany, where you are allowed to carry 25g. I guess if you get stopped far enough away from the border, you could argue that you got it in Germany. Police will certainly know that you crossed the border (on the Autobahn, camera monitoring), but they probably can't prove you had it with you at the time of border crossing. If you get checked on the train immediately after the border, I'd guess you're screwed.

dude65 wrote: Sun 25th Feb 2024 01:03 pm

AzLaker wrote: Sat 24th Feb 2024 01:47 pm Here's the whole story.

That article pretty much sums it up. I wouldn't call it legalisation, it's more of "partial decriminalisation". The law basically starts by saying: "Owning, buying, handling, even thinking about Cannabis is illegal, with the following exceptions" But IT IS a step forward. Germany currently opens up 300 legal prosecutions for Cannabis possession PER DAY.

It's in the little things. A bit of smell in the house will no longer be sufficient grounds for a search warrant, for example. When a neighbor spots and reports a cannabis plant on your balcony, that's no longer sufficient grounds for a visit from police. Also totally legal to order seeds from EU countries. With established and trustworthy online seed shops mostly in the Netherlands, Spain and Austria, that will work fine. When one does get one's smoke from the black market, the way home with up to an ounce will be much more relaxed. Yeah, an ounce Actually: Up to 25 grams it will be completely legal. They have added a safety margin by making 25g up to 30g a misdemeanor. Above 30g: Expect the same bullshit as before.

ALSO important: The law explicitly states that import, export and transit of the good stuff is NOT ALLOWED. So, technically, you can't bring 25g, bought legally in the Netherlands, with you to Germany, where you are allowed to carry 25g. I guess if you get stopped far enough away from the border, you could argue that you got it in Germany. Police will certainly know that you crossed the border (on the Autobahn, camera monitoring), but they probably can't prove you had it with you at the time of border crossing. If you get checked on the train immediately after the border, I'd guess you're screwed.

The remark gives interesting explanation on recent cannabis legal revisions, illustrating Germany's trend to partial decriminalization. The emphasis on legal details, such as the loosening of search warrant conditions and the legality of ordering seeds, represents a shift toward a more pragmatic approach. However, the reference of continuous legal ramifications for possession above a particular level highlights the ongoing difficulties of drug policy. Overall, it provides an insightful and fair perspective on the changing landscape of cannabis law in Germany.story saver

New elections will be held in Germany in ten days' time, which will presumably also have an impact on the issue of cannabis there. The probably strongest party after the election, the Christian Democrats, have written it into their election manifesto that they absolutely want to reverse cannabis legalization in Germany after one year.

Whether this will actually happen remains to be seen, as they will definitely have to form a coalition with one of the parties that decided on legalization. However, since such a coalition is always a kind of horse-trading, where you give up your own positions in favor of your partner if you get your wish in return, it is questionable how steadfast the parties are that passed the law at the time.

For legal reasons alone, there will probably not be a complete ban on cannabis again, so HomeGrow will presumable remain allowed, but the planned further legalization via official stores will certainly not take place in the next 4 years. It is also questionable whether more cannabis clubs will be approved with a new government.

As good as it was for the country that the previous completely divided coalition has come to an end, this development is bad for the issue of cannabis. Germany would have had the chance to be the first European country to do it consistently and effectively , as in the USA, by completely legalizing everything from cultivation to sale to consumption and thus drying up the black market. It's a pity that these plans, which have already been finalized, will probably disappear into a drawer for the next few years.

Kimble wrote: Fri 14th Feb 2025 02:49 pm As good as it was for the country that the previous completely divided coalition has come to an end, this development is bad for the issue of cannabis. Germany would have had the chance to be the first European country to do it consistently and effectively , as in the USA, by completely legalizing everything from cultivation to sale to consumption and thus drying up the black market. It's a pity that these plans, which have already been finalized, will probably disappear into a drawer for the next few years.

Unfortunately, that's not the case here in the U.S.A. While many states are legal, whether it's medical, recreational, or both, not ALL states are legal. I live in Arizona, and we still have a healthy black market. Same as the other western states. Just ask California. Now, once the federal government legalizes it, and the banks accept credit cards instead of cash. Maybe, just maybe, the black market will slowwwly dry up. But I doubt it. Nice thought though.

AzLaker

You're right, I've simplified things a bit. I've also heard that even in the US states where cannabis is legal, not everything is perfect. But it's definitely much better than in Europe. I've planned a two-week cannabis trip to California with a friend this fall to visit stores and farms, I hope I'll be a bit smarter after that

The problem with cannabis legalization in Germany is that three steps were actually planned by the legislature, but due to the premature end of the government and the new elections, only one has now been carried out, which makes the rules partly crazy and contradictory. Here are two examples:

You are allowed to possess 50 g of cannabis, regardless of the form, i.e. whether marijuana, hash or rosin. This means that if you have 300g of dried flowers, you are an illegal drug dealer, but if you have pressed them into 50g of rosin a few minutes later, you are a legal consumer.

If you buy 25g of cannabis in Holland, it is of course legal. It is also legal to have it in the car up to 1 m before the border. It is still illegal to drive across the border with it. But 1 meter after the border it is legal again, because the origin of the cannabis does not matter in Germany.

There are plenty of other examples, but I think that shows that this half-finished solution is not something that anyone really wanted for another four years. On the other hand, there are worse things when Holland is your direct neighbor.

Cannabis stays legal – because no one wants to deal with it

So, it’s official: The new coalition agreement in Germany is out today, and guess what it says about cannabis? Pretty much nothing. Just a vague “open-ended evaluation” scheduled for fall 2025 – which, by the way, was already part of the original law.

The conservatives would love to roll things back, the moderates want to keep things as they are, and together they’ve found a brilliant middle ground – do absolutely nothing. Political zen.

What does it mean for Germany?
No rollback, no new restrictions, no reason to panic. Clubs are starting up, homegrow stays allowed, and everything else? Well... just sitting there, waiting. Legal stores? Maybe someday. But for now? Nah. Let’s just see how things “develop.”

Legal stays legal. Not because of bold leadership – but because nobody has the energy (or political courage) to touch it. And honestly? That might be the best outcome we could’ve hoped for.