If successful, Germany would be the largest European country to legalize the plant

Germany has plans to legalize cannabis in a move promised by Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government. According to news outlets, the country plans to decriminalize the purchase and ownership of recreational cannabis.

Presented by health minister Karl Lauterbach, the plan would allow adults to purchase and possess up to 30 grams of cannabis for their own recreational consumption. The main purpose of decriminalizing cannabis was to better protect young people, who were already consuming the drug in increasing numbers after obtaining it on the black market.  “We don’t want to expand cannabis consumption but to improve the protection of youth and health,” Lauterbach said. Roughly 4 million people in Germany have tried cannabis at least once over the past year.

The government would regulate cannabis production, sale, and distribution as part of legalization efforts, and cultivation would be limited to two or three plants per person. Sales will also be limited to specialist stores. According to plans, advertising and marketing of cannabis products will be banned.

According to Deutsche Welle, the proposal makes for the most liberal legalization of cannabis in Europe, as well as its most regulated market. Health minister Lauterbach has approved the legalization under a “safety first” approach, which acknowledges the drug’s health risks and continued use, believing the approach could be a model for Europe. It’s important to note that a small number of European countries have decriminalized recreational cannabis and only one, Malta, has legalized it. 

If the plan becomes successful, Germany still has a long way to go. It will likely be a lengthy process to legalize cannabis. Because the nation is a member of the EU, German laws must also comply with European legislation, and lawmakers fear a poorly-crafted framework could be crushed by the European Court of Justice.