Following a pivotal national election in Germany earlier this year, political parties that are cooperating to form a new coalition government have announced they’ll conduct an “open-ended evaluation” of the country’s new marijuana legalization law—meaning that at least for now, officials will allow the policy to stay in place.
Reformers had closely watched how the center-right coalition handled the Legalization Law, which was officially implemented in April last year. Conservative legislators who received the highest number of votes during the recent election expressed their wish to repeal the legalization law. However, they could not convince another party in order to include this plan into the coalition agreement that was announced Wednesday.
According to a translated version, a new 146 page coalition agreement signed by the Christian Democratic Union(CDU), Christian Social Union(CSU), and Social Democratic Party(SPD) states that “in the fall 2025, the Cannabis Law will be evaluated in a way which is open ended.”
Lawmakers who support the marijuana legalization law cheered the new agreement, which for now will leave in place the Cannabis Consumption Act (Konsumcannabisgesetz, or CanG) rather than seek to repeal it.
All those who felt this was important, #CanG remains! Carmen Wegge of the SDP, a politician from the Bundestag in Germany, took to social media following the announcement of the new deal.
The German Hemp Association(DHV) has also welcomed the announcement. You can also contact us for more information..
For now, the CanG reform will continue. the trade group said on social media—an indication of just how concerned legalization supporters were that results of the national election could undo the reform.
Niklas Kouparanis is the co-founder, CEO and founder of German medical marijuana firm Bloomwell Group. He said that the cannabis industry in Germany “is breathing relief.”
Kouparanis stated in a release that “the new government sends a strong message”: Germany’s legal cannabis sector is viable even with a CDU-led chancellor. “Cannabis will draw global investors and interest, creating more jobs. Sales will rise. The state will earn more taxes. And we project that in the near future, over a million people will receive medical cannabis.”
He added that “the Coalition agreement confirms the predictions of many,” and said: “Legal cannabis will be here for a long time.”
Supporters had good reasons to worry. Ahead of last year’s election, two of the parties now in power—CDU and CSU—said in a manifesto that they would be “abolishing the traffic light coalition’s cannabis law,” claiming that the plan “protects dealers and exposes our children and teenagers to drug use and addiction.”
In the lead-up to elections, other parties addressed the cannabis issue.
Starting in April, last year Adults can now possess and cultivate cannabis at home. took effect. Cannabis social clubs Also began opening, allowing members to access legal marijuana products .
In December the Minister of Food and Agriculture signed off on an action plan for Allow for the development of commercial cannabis pilot programs that are based on research Test legalized and regulated cannabis access for consumers.
Frankfurt, Germany announced its plans for a new city plan in late 2017. Five-year program to make adult cannabis products more widely available Hanford is also following a similar strategy. Several other cities have adopted similar plans. Interest in conducting cannabis sales pilot projects.
Despite widespread concern that results of February’s election could spell doom for the legalization law, most Germans— Only 59 percent eligible voters —support allowing adults to purchase cannabis from licensed stores.
In previous polls, Germans’ support was at about 50 percent. In the year that the new marijuana legislation was implemented in the country, the number of people who supported the policy changed.
Notably, respondents who identified as CDU or CSU—two of the three coalition parties behind the new agreement—were the only political affiliations among which majorities of voters supported rolling back the reform law.
German officials invited leaders to a global conference last year. Share your experiences on legalizing marijuana With a special focus on the public’s health and reducing illicit markets.
Burkhard Blienert, German commissioner for addiction and drug issues, invited representatives from Luxembourg, Malta and the Netherlands as well as Switzerland and the Czech Republic to a meeting in Berlin.
Different countries have different cannabis policies. Malta is an example. The first European nation to legalize cannabis in 2021. Luxembourg also followed suit. The reform will officially take effect in 2023 .
The US and other countries also held a meeting in Germany 2023. Discussions on international marijuana policy The host country worked hard to legalize.
Separately, Blienert and a group of German legislators Visited the US to tour California Cannabis businesses in 2022 to inform their country’s approach to legalization.
Top officials from Germany and Luxembourg as well as Malta, the Netherlands, and Malta, made this visit. They held their first meeting of this kind to discuss the challenges they face and plan for the future associated with recreational marijuana legalization in 2022.
Former DEA Officials and HHS Staff Suggest Marijuana Reclassification Could be Delayed indefinitely if Trump does not Proactively Support it