The Federal Minister of Health is determined when it comes to the cannabis law. He continues to follow the agreed timetable.
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) is sticking to the planned legalization of cannabis despite resistance from the ranks of the traffic light coalition. “I continue to assume that the cannabis law will be passed in the Bundestag in the week from February 19th to 23rd and can then apply from April 1st. The discussions on this are going well,” he told “Welt am Sonntag “. SPD domestic politicians had previously expressed concerns.
At the end of November, the traffic light coalition factions agreed to remove cannabis from the list of banned substances in the Narcotics Act. Home cultivation and possession of certain amounts of the drug will be permitted for adults from April 1, 2024. Clubs for collective cultivation should be possible on July 1st. Legalization is a project from the traffic light coalition agreement.
There were repeated calls from the federal states – for example from CSU-led Bavaria – to stop the project. SPD domestic politicians also expressed concerns. This involved various relaxations, such as smaller minimum distances from schools and daycare centers when consuming cannabis. Lauterbach said: “We don’t want cannabis to be smoked in front of schools and daycare centers. For this reason, we have defined a distance of 100 meters as a prohibited zone. I think this is a decision with a sense of proportion.”
It is of course true that such a requirement must be monitored and not every individual violation can be punished, Lauterbach admitted. “But that’s the case with every law. Incidentally, we already have a considerable control effort with the black market.”
