German Scientists Call For Further Development Of Legalization
Roughly a year after Germany’s government implemented the first provisions of a national adult-use cannabis legalization measure, members of Germany’s scientific community are urging lawmakers and regulators to make further improvements to the nation’s legalization model.
“In light of the evaluation of the cannabis law announced in the coalition agreement, experts from health and legal sciences are clearly speaking out against reversing partial legalization, according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung.” the German Cannabis Business Association (BvCW) stated in a recent newsletter (translated from German to English).
“They recommend maintaining decriminalization, legally protecting cultivation clubs, and scientifically investigating the long-term effects of the law. Legalization limited to personal possession and acquisition without a legal production and distribution system makes neither health nor security policy sense.” BvCW wrote in its newsletter.
“Instead of commercialization following the North American model, they see the German model as an opportunity to research distribution through cannabis clubs—for the first time on this scale worldwide—and thus gain reliable new insights for evidence-based cannabis policy.” BvCW also stated.
Cannabis is currently legal for adult use at a national level in Uruguay, Canada, Malta, Luxembourg, Germany, and South Africa. Additionally, regional adult-use cannabis commerce pilot trials are operating in the Netherlands and Switzerland, and two dozen states in the U.S. have adopted recreational legalization.
Out of all of the legal recreational jurisdictions on the planet, none of them have the exact same legalization model. Current European Union agreements prohibit member nations from allowing robust adult-use cannabis sales like what is found in the Western Hemisphere.
However, EU agreements do permit member nations to allow adult-use cannabis activity to boost public health and research efforts. As of April 1st, 2024, adults in Germany can cultivate, possess, and consume a personal amount of cannabis. They can also join one of the nation’s licensed cultivation associations, and soon, they will be able to enroll in a regional adult-use pilot trial.
