Germany, one of Europe’s largest countries, may soon legalise cannabis for recreational use
Planning your next holiday? Love a bit of the green stuff? Well, there might soon be a new destination to add to your list of weed-friendly countries. Germany has announced it intends to fully legalise the sale and possession of cannabis for recreational use.
Germany’s new cannabis policy would see anyone over the age of 18 allowed to possess up to 30 grams of the stuff and grow up to three plants at home. Adults would also be allowed to buy cannabis at licensed outlets. In other words, weed in the country could soon be properly legal.
The German government is justifying its new weed laws by saying they’ll be effective in cutting down on black market activities and organised crime. The government says it’ll be mainly focused on regulating the quality of cannabis in the country (rather than the price) and that the new weed market will be both one of the most liberal and tightly regulated in Europe.
There are only one or two other places where you can smoke marijuana legally in Europe. Malta legalised recreational use of the drug last year, becoming the first European country to actively legalise (rather than just decriminalise) weed.
But across the rest of Europe, decriminalisation of cannabis and hash is much more common than full-on legalisation. Possession of certain amounts of the drug for personal recreational use is decriminalised in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Estonia, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain.
Famous cannabis hotspot the Netherlands has decriminalised possession of up to five grams, but technically only tolerates the drug’s sale and consumption. And the country may actually be tightening its attitude, with Amsterdam planning to ban tourists from its cannabis coffeeshops.
Most of the details for Germany’s legalisation of weed haven’t yet been ironed out. Full legalisation is pending approval from the European Commission and a date for when they might come into effect hasn’t been announced. And it also hasn’t been revealed whether Germany’s new cannabis laws will apply to visitors. Stay tuned for more
