The recreational use of cannabis will be legal in Germany by the end of this year, the country’s agriculture minister, Cem Ozdemir, said on Wednesday.
Ozdemir was speaking in Berlin alongside Health Minister Karl Lauterbach when the government laid out its plans for a partial legalization of the drug.
Plans to legalize cannabis have been watered down, with the government introducing legislation that would allow private cultivation and distribution through non-profit groups, but not the widespread sale of the drug in stores.
Under the new law, individuals could acquire up to 25 grams of recreational marijuana per day and a maximum of 50 grams per month. For young people under 21, the monthly limit would be 30 grams.
“The previous cannabis policy failed – now we have to follow new paths,” said Health Minister Karl Lauterbach.
Wednesday’s announcement by the health, justice and agriculture ministries came after Berlin held talks with the European Commission over a document the German government issued in October.
The document outlining the plans mentioned a provision to regulate cannabis sales in licensed stores in the European Union’s most populous country, but that appears to have been scrapped after negotiations with the EU executive.
The bill, however, provides for a pilot project for a small number of licensed stores in some regions to test the effects of a commercial recreational cannabis supply chain on public health, the protection of minors and the black market.
Many European countries, including Germany, have already legalized cannabis for limited medicinal purposes. Others have decriminalized its general use, like the Netherlands, but have stopped short of making it fully legal.
Source: CNN Brasil
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