The incoming governing party in Germany officially announced on November 24 that they entered a formal agreement to legalize recreational cannabis. This would make Germany the first country in Europe to offer legal recreational cannabis and the third in the world, following Canada and Uruguay. 

The governing coalition, the Fraktion der Freien Demokraten, is working on legal recreational cannabis reform along with other measures, such as drug policy harm reduction. The coalition is made up of members from the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), the Free Democratic Party (FDP), and the Greens. Together, they will be leading Germany after the general election in the country this past September. 

“We are introducing the controlled supply of cannabis to adults for consumption in licensed stores,” the coalition said in their new 178-page agreement, according to a translation by Cannabis Business Times. “This controls the quality [of marijuana], prevents the transfer of contaminated substances and guarantees the protection of minors.”

Additional Measures

One way would be opening safe consumption sites like those in Canada. Drug policy harm reduction measures take priority.  Individuals can consume drugs in a supervised area with uncontaminated drugs. Plus, trained staff are present at all times. They can respond to any overdose incidents and save lives quickly with an anti-opioid drug called naloxone. 

Finally, one new program from the new coalition would establish drug-checking services. This service would provide testing for drugs individuals bring in to check for any harmful contaminants such as fentanyl. Consumers can also have their drugs tested without fear of facing criminal charges. This service would also be provided at safe consumption sites.

Response

Surprisingly, adults in Germany are split 50/50 when it comes to cannabis legalization. This is very different from the atmosphere in the U.S. At least 57 percent of adults favor recreational cannabis legalization. However, there is still some push back from several individuals and organizations who remain against legalization. For example, the German Police are warning people against recreational cannabis legalization. 

“There must finally be an end to trivializing the joint,” explained Oliver Malchow, the head of the Germany police union (GdP), according to a translation. With “legal but dangerous” alcohol already causing enough trouble, he argued, it made no sense to “open the door to another dangerous and often trivialized drug” like cannabis.

However, officials say taxes from recreational cannabis sales would bring in over € one billion annually. These sales would only take place at licensed facilities, similar to dispensaries in the U.S.

Future

The incoming governing party of Germany announced a deal for recreational cannabis. The proposed deal will still need to go through the country’s legislative process. As more information becomes available, we will update you with the latest.

Make sure to check back for more cannabis, hemp, and psychedelic related news.