Germany's parliament is expected to partially legalize cannabis today after a heated debate over the pros and cons of allowing easier access to the drug, the Guardian reports.
Under the new legislation, which will make Germany the third country in Europe to legalize the drug for personal use, cannabis will be removed from the official list of banned substances. Adults will be allowed to own 25 years of it at a time.
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said he expected the new legislation to enable the market to be recaptured from drug dealers who supply many of the estimated 7 million Germans who regularly use cannabis. The government said many users rely on the drug for medical reasons and that the new law will also improve the quality of cannabis consumed by more and more young people.
"The protection of children and young people is at the heart of the purpose of this law," Lauterbach said before the February 23 vote. "During the last decade, consumption by children and youth has been steadily increasing." He said the law would shrink the underground market and help control the spread of the drug.
Doctors opposed to the change in the law warned that, on the contrary, it would endanger the health of young people by making the drug more accessible and thereby increasing the risk of addiction.
The tripartite coalition led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, which includes the Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business FDP party, agreed in November to push ahead with the reform by including it in its power-sharing coalition agreement.
From April 1, adults will be allowed to grow up to three plants and possess small amounts of cannabis, and three months later it will also be available in licensed non-profit clubs set up to grow and distribute the cannabis plant.
The consumption of cannabis by under-18s will continue to be prohibited, and those aged 18 to 21 will only be allowed to buy up to 30g of cannabis with a maximum THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) content of 10%.
Some of Lauterbach's fellow party members have also issued warnings, particularly about the use of cannabis in schools. The Minister, in turn, stated that smoking cannabis within 100 meters of educational institutions will be prohibited by law.
Police authorities said they would struggle to enforce the rules. But Lauterbach replied that the police protection of the hidden market was also problematic./BGNES
