Germany Looks To Legalize Cannabis

The bill will allow individuals to possess 20 to 30 grams for consumption. People in Germany will also be allowed to grow privately under regulations. Criminal cases involving cannabis would all be dropped. The government will implement a tax on cannabis as well as provide cannabis-related education.

“The biggest question in the current legislative proposal is and remains the interpretation by the European Commission,” said CEO of Bloomwell Group, Niklas Kouparanis. The Bloomwell Group is one of Germany’s largest medical cannabis operators. “If the Commission says no to Germany’s current approach to cannabis legalization, our government should seek alternative solutions”.

Co-founder of the Bloomwell Group Anna-Sophia Kouparanis would like to eradicate the THC limits on products and provide assistance to those in custody over cannabis to transition into the cannabis legal business. “It would be optimal to also extend considerations to the players in the current illicit market and help them transition into the legal adult-use market,” said Kouparanis.

The policy was brought up a year ago by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who intended to become one of the first European countries to legalize weed. Instead, legislation was passed to allow the controlled distribution of cannabis products in licensed shops. Although the country is taking its time to legalize recreational use, they have found some advantages to legalizing cannabis. The pros to legalization could lead close to 5 Billion dollars in profits for Germany and create close to 30,000 new jobs.

Even with the upside to legalizing cannabis, some states in Germany are totally against it. For example, Bavaria’s Health Minister doesn’t want Germany to become a “drug tourism” destination. He feels it could affect the country’s identity to the rest of the world. However, there are political parties that advocate for legalization. The Green Party, the Social Democrats, and the Free Democrats have been vocal advocates of legalization and are currently drafting their proposals. The country will present the legislation to the European Commission and from their assessment, it will be decided. Health Minister Lauterbach is hopeful the bill will get passed in 2024.