Germany recreational cannabis legalization bill clears last hurdle
Germany’s landmark recreational cannabis law will go into effect on April 1 after clearing the final regulatory hurdle on Friday.
Germany’s landmark recreational cannabis law will go into effect on April 1 after clearing the final regulatory hurdle on Friday.
Germany’s chief legislative body on Friday approved a landmark recreational cannabis bill that’s being simultaneously hailed as a generational milestone and “quasi legalization” because the new law stops short of implementing a framework for the distribution and retail sale of adult-use products.
Germany’s health minister believes marijuana legalization will become a reality in the country this spring.
Germany’s parliament won’t have an opportunity to put the first phase of the country’s pending cannabis legislation to a vote this year.
A vote on Germany’s watered-down bill to legalize some recreational cannabis use has been delayed until at least December.
Insurance reimbursements for medical cannabinoid products in Germany continued to grow in the first quarter of 2023, showing that Europe’s largest economy continues to see a gradual expansion of its cannabis industry – now one of the largest in the world.
Germany’s cannabis ambitions could still be partially incompatible with European Union law, even though Berlin significantly scaled back the initiative, according to the country’s parliamentary research unit.
The German government published the draft law for the first pillar of its cannabis legalization process that will govern private and communal marijuana cultivation for recreational purposes.
Germany intends to split its planned cannabis reforms into at least two separate draft laws, the first of which is expected to reach the federal Cabinet in mid-August.
The German government is preparing a draft law that would highly regulate so-called cannabis clubs – associations that would not produce profits – potentially leaving very little room for making money for even ancillary businesses.
The German government is backpedaling on its plan to implement nationwide recreational cannabis legalization, instead opting for a two-track, scaled-down approach with limited commercial opportunities – for now.
The German government might be having second thoughts about its plans to pursue full-fledged adult-use cannabis legalization in Europe’s largest economy.