Germany’s government plans to pass the cannabis law in the Bundestag this week, reports Stern.
The so-called “traffic light coalition” wants to pass the cannabis law this week, despite all the criticism. “I assume that we will pass the cannabis law in the Bundestag this Friday [23 February] at the latest,” Carmen Wegge, the SPD rapporteur responsible for the law, told Stern. She expects the law to pass the Bundesrat on 22 March and then come into force on 1 April.
The restricted legalization of cannabis for recreational purposes is considered a central project of the traffic light coalition. However, persistent criticism of the project, including within the governing parties, has repeatedly led to consultations and delays. The law was actually supposed to be passed before the winter break in December last year.
The bill provides for the controlled release of cannabis, accompanied by numerous rules and an educational campaign. The personal cultivation and possession of certain quantities of the drug would be permitted for adults, and joint cultivation would be possible in clubs. Cannabis is also to be removed from the list of banned substances in the Narcotics Act.