The traffic light releases the hemp, no joke! Smoking weed is set to become legal in Germany on April 1st. While Berlin is celebrating a “milestone” in modern drug policy, Interior Minister Poseck sees difficult times ahead for Hesse.
The planned legalization of cannabis in Germany is scheduled to come into force on April 1st. The traffic light factions sorted out the last differences on Friday and now want to get the law underway quickly, as representatives of the parties explained together in Berlin. Among other things, it stipulates that adults are allowed to possess up to 25 grams of cannabis. The planned reform is “a real milestone for modern drug policy.”
Hesse’s Interior Minister does not share this elation: Roman Poseck (CDU) described the plans as a “wrong signal”. Poseck said in Wiesbaden that he expects the step to lead to an expansion of the black market. “This would have serious consequences for the fight against organized crime, could lead to an increase in youth crime and affect road safety.”
Poseck fears advantages for dealers
Given the experience of the police, it can be assumed that long-standing and professional actors in the organized drug trade will not stop their activities after cannabis is legalized, explained Poseck.
Since they do not have to adhere to state controls and tax requirements like legal producers, they can bring their products onto the market more cheaply and thus profitably for them, the minister warned, citing illegal cigarette smuggling and trading as an example.
Hessian justice system: 15,000 cases in just one year
According to the Ministry of the Interior, cannabis offenses have made up a large proportion of all drug-related offenses in Hesse in recent years. In the police crime statistics, more than 15,028 crimes related to the drug were registered across Hesse in 2022.
While supporters of legalization argue that a large part of this flood of proceedings could be eliminated, in the past the German Association of Judges had also feared further burdens in the event of the legalization of cannabis, such as high levels of regulatory control. The police union had also expressed criticism in advance.
Legalization on April 1st is considered likely
After a long struggle, the traffic light coalition factions agreed on the final details of the legalization of cannabis this week. The law is now scheduled to be passed in the Bundestag in the week starting February 19th, and the Bundesrat is expected to deal with the draft on March 22nd. The regional chamber can only lodge an objection.
Since at least one traffic light party is represented in every state government except the Bavarian one, this is considered unlikely. It is now almost certain that it will come into force on April 1st.
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What do scientific experts say?
The dangers and addiction risks of cannabis have been discussed for years. Last year, the Federal Ministry of Health commissioned a study from the Institute for Interdisciplinary Addiction and Drug Research (ISD). This recommended effectively regulating the legal market and strengthening youth protection. Regarding possible negative effects, it said that a slight increase in the number of traffic accidents could be expected in some regions. There is no evidence of a short-term increase in psychoses, reports the SWR.
The Tagesschau has in this post Questions and answers collected on the topic.
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