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26th Oct 2022

Germany to legalise recreational use of cannabis

Charlie Herbert

Germany to legalise recreational use of cannabis

People will also be allowed to grow their own cannabis

Germany has announced plans to legalise the recreational use of cannabis as well as its sale and production.

The country’s health minister Karl Lauterbach said that, under a plan agreed by the cabinet on Wednesday (October 26), the possession of up to 1 oz of cannabis will become legal.

Adults will also be allowed to buy cannabis from licenced premises, with Mr Lauterbach saying the market will be tightly regulated.

But there is still some uncertainty over whether the plans will go ahead as the government needs to check it is compatible with European Union law.

If they get the green light from Brussels though, then the plans will go ahead, Lauterbach confirmed.

Although the exact plans have not been laid out, leaked documents suggested that people would be allowed to grow their own cannabis at home but would be limited to two plants.

The German health minister Karl Lauterbach said the plan is designed to combat black market sales but must first be approved by EU court (Getty)

Marijuana sold in stores would be limited to a THC content of no more than 15 per cent, with a 10 per cent cap on those aged 18 to 21, the Mail reports.

Any cannabis sold in the country would need to have been grown in Germany, and imports of the drug will be banned.

It would also still be illegal to market or advertise cannabis, and dispensaries will be forced to locate themselves far from schools, nurseries or youth clubs.

https://twitter.com/samgadjones/status/1585205654092156929

Last year, the government confirmed its intentions to legalise cannabis as part of a series of reforms, announced in a coalition deal between the three socially liberal parties that make up Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government.

Germany’s position on the legalisation of the drug couldn’t be much further from that of the government here in the UK.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman recently said she would believes cannabis should be a Class A drug like cocaine or heroin.

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