The planned legalization of cannabis in Germany will pass fairly quickly, said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, answering questions from citizens in Magdeburg, reports Spiegel.
Scholz said that while he does not believe marijuana use has no health consequences, he has advocated its legalization.
He acknowledged that there are people “who have had their brains cut off and suffered serious psychological damage” because of cannabis, but it was because they abused it. Most still have a “half-civilized” attitude toward marijuana, so the legalization process should go quickly.
The decision to legalize marijuana in Germany was made by the new government last November. The parties that formed the government published a coalition agreement in which they explained that such a measure would control the quality, prevent the appearance of dangerous substances in it and guarantee the protection of minors from using the drug. Cannabis would only be sold to adults in licensed stores.
The parties have agreed that in four years the coalition government will evaluate what social effect the adoption of such a law has had. At the same time, mechanisms for drug testing and harm reduction from cannabis use are to be expanded in Germany. In addition, the government felt that the rules for the sale of alcohol, tobacco products and marijuana should be tightened, and the regulations adopted in this area should be based on the most recent scientific research and aligned with health measures.
In January 2017, the German parliament already allowed marijuana for the seriously ill and terminally ill and created a special agency to regulate the medical use of the drug. It oversees the cultivation, distribution and consumption of medical marijuana. Patients can buy marijuana at a pharmacy with a doctor’s prescription and can be reimbursed by health insurance.
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