The Federal Council approved the controversial cannabis law on Friday. The professor of psychiatry at the University of Ulm, Carlos Schönfeldt-Lecuona, considers the step to be dangerous.
The Ulm professor of psychiatry Carlos Schönfeldt-Lecuona considers the cannabis law in its current form to be dangerous. Schönfeldt-Lecuona said this in an interview with SWR. Possession and consumption will be legal from April under certain conditions. According to critics, this partial legalization was not thought through to the end. The Federal Council approved the law with effect from April 1st.
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Fear: Young curiosity could lead to more cannabis consumption
The Ulm psychiatrist fears that young people will have more to do with cannabis and that they might try using it out of curiosity. He firmly expects to have to deal with cannabis use disorders such as psychosis more frequently in the future than today. This has also been shown by experience in countries where cannabis was legalized years ago, such as Uruguay, Canada and the USA. Disorders caused by cannabis use have not become less, but rather more.
Psychiatrist describes the cannabis law as not being thought through to the end
The doctor does not want to expressly describe the decision as a mistake. The question of right or wrong is difficult; there is no general answer. “We are now in a phase that doctors call an experiment,” said Schönfeldt-Lecuona. He assumes that legalization will not have good consequences for doctors. However, he does not know of a perfect solution for legalization without risks.
According to the psychiatrist, doctors were asked for their opinion, but were not properly heard. They spoke out against legalization in its current form. It does not make the situation any easier for people suffering from cannabis in Germany. The drug is not dangerous for everyone, but for many.