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Germany just legalized recreational marijuana
- Slava_Propanei 3y ago[dead]
- weinzierl 3y agoIt is pretty unlikely that this will stay. The next federal elections are almost exactly one year from now and the opposition parties are by and large against the law. Also, as the article says the law mandates a re-evaluation after 18 months, so even in the unlikely event that the current government continues it is far from certain, that this law survives.
- 082349872349872 3y agoI was taking the train south to north through Switzerland about 20 years ago (back when they still had smoking cars) and the kids in the Abteil in front of me were smoking some kind of funny smelling cigarettes that didn't stay lit. The conductor came stamping down the aisle, with a grim look upon his face, and started to chew the kids out. They apologised, and he left, whereupon they continued to kiff but promptly put newspapers down on the seats across, protecting them from their shoes while they had their feet up...
- Kelteseth 3y agoWe'll see. I'm hopefully optimistic that will show that cannabis is far less dangerous than alcohol.
- 082349872349872 3y agoMy (US) colleagues were bitterly disappointed that although the tracks on DTH's 1998 christmas album are available via YouTube, they were missing out on the liner note recipe for Christstollen nach Alice B. Toklas'r Art: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wir_warten_auf’s_Christkind#Artwork https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wir_warten_auf’s_Christkind#Ar... ; don't germans have at least a half century experience with cannabis v. alcohol by now? EDIT: even Duden knows how to kiff (schwaches Verb; Perfektbildung mit „hat“), see https://www.duden.de/konjugation/kiffen https://www.duden.de/konjugation/kiffen
- lambdaba 3y agoIt's also far less dangerous for general health than sugar, which is ubiquitous and fed to children with no restraints. There is no argument for health to restrict cannabis for adults, the risks are well-known, and people are engaging in it, particularly in abuse, with full knowledge. Even the dangers of sugar are still not so well-known, as supermarket shelves demonstrate.
- WA 3y agoTHC is a hallucinogen. It can trigger psychosis. I know a person who committed suicide because of this. I know more people who kinda threw their lives away and became total slackers, because they were high all the time in their late teens. A single dose is probably irrelevant for health. But I’d argue that (mental) health would suffer way more than compared to all health effects of sugar. I’m not against legalizing cannabis, but the cannabis community downplays the risks of regular consumption a lot.
- rpdillon 3y agoTHC is not a hallucinogen, it's a cannabinoid. How do you know the cause of your acquaintance's suicide?
- ofrzeta 3y agoObviously the re-evaluation will show no positive effects on the black market because there's no legal way to buy your drugs (aside from home-grown or cannabis social clubs).
- iknowbettah 3y agoSo there's a giant black market in spain? No. Everyone just goes to a fucking social club down their street.
- iknowbettah 3y agoOnly the right are against it and if we vote for them we have much bigger problems like mass deportation and more policing...
- weinzierl 3y agoThat is not true, support in the current coalition is already weak. There is a reason why this law took almost until the end of the election period to come to pass. Especially our current health minister, who is responsible for the law, is well know for being against legalization. He only bowed to the pressure of the coalition.
- arrrg 3y agoDon’t underestimate the power of status quo. Also, how unpopular it is to criminalize things. Also, Germany has coalition governments. As long as there is no CDU/CSU and AfD coalition (and then Germany would have worse problems than recreational marijuana) at least one of the currently governing parties will be part of the next coalition. Given that together with how hard the status quo is to change I’m relatively optimistic. Even though the conservative highly irrational, science and fact denying course is deeply worrying. So they might be ready to govern with fascists. But then, as I said, recreational marijuana is not my most pressing worry.
- weinzierl 3y agoThat is very true but I am still doubtful for the future of this law even in the light of a new coalition, because the support for this law specifically or legalization in general or both in the current one is already weak.
- chiefalchemist 3y agoLegal? Or simply decriminalized? I ask because here in the USA most people say leglized when it's simply decriminalized in some states. Weed is still illegal at the federal level and because of that there are numerous behind the scenes issue. For example, banks won't accept deposits from weed businesses.
- jowdones 3y agoSuddenly working for some German employer (so I can get free trips there) sounds much more attractive.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- ofrzeta 3y agoThis doesn't make a lot of sense. Now you can legally carry 25 grams of weed (or 50 grams at home) while there is no legal way to obtain it. The only way is to grow your own with up to three plants (that must be kept in a closet so that kids don't have access). Or some cannabis social club that is burdened with a lot of bureaucracy. The pronounced aim to curb the black market can't be achieved because obviously for most people the black market is still the best way to get their weed. (In earlier drafts of the law there was a way to buy weed through channels such as pharmacies but this is not possible due to EU legislation, so it got removed from the law).
- iknowbettah 3y agoGerman here. Very true, it's weird. But after all these years, it's a big step. Social clubs work well in other countries, we'll get it working here too. Also, I hope medical weed is easier to get prescribed now, it has very good infrastructure. As in, you see which pharmacy has which strain online in many cases, etc. I for one hope that a few lawsuits and stuff will make this much less bureaucratic, but whatever. This is a huge step in the right direction.
- junto 3y agoAnother German here. Small “Vereine” are the backbone of our love for bureaucracy and order.
- xbcivuv6 3y agoThe goal is to stop locking up users. Nobody cares if dealers get jailed.
- gryzzly 3y agoI think it’s wonderful it didn't go the way of only allowing big-pharma and special pharmacies to distribute it, making big players pocket all the money. I think self-growing is an excellent way of obtaining it. Social clubs to distribute is also great, let’s see just how much bureaucracy will be involved. The fact it’s not a commercial legalisation is excellent – it means there are no agents with extreme financial interest hurrying to make a big buck from promoting it in dishonest ways, making it ubituqios, push it on kids etc. etc. etc.
- IlPeach 3y agoAnother link in English https://www.dw.com/en/germany-approves-partial-legalization-of-cannabis-from-april/a-68641043 https://www.dw.com/en/germany-approves-partial-legalization-...
- heisig 3y agoLet me summarize the key points of this law: - Starting from April 1, German adults can legally possess a certain amount of weed (25 grams on the move, 50 grams at home), and they may consume it unless they are within 100 meters of a school or kindergarten. - This is just the first stage of that law, where the only way to actually obtain weed (other than for medical purposes) is to grow it yourself, or to form a collective of growers. Either way, the maximum number of plants per person is three. Commercially trade of weed is planned for later, as a second stage of the law. - While this law legalizes weed for adults, it further prevents access for minors. The law raises the penalty for selling weed to minors to a minimum of two years in prison, and people that grow their own plants must ensure that minors cannot access them. People aged between 18 and 21 are only allowed access to weed with a THC content of less than 10%. The reasoning behind all this is that weed severely impairs the brain development of young people. - Driving while under the influence is still a crime. - The stated goal of this law is to eliminate the black market and to stop the growing trend of minors smoking weed. A review is scheduled in 18 months, determine whether the law in the current form achieves that goal or whether it has to be tweaked further. This law is obviously a compromise between all the parties of the German government, EU law, scientific consensus, and practicability. What I like about the law is how carefully it weighs health issues and individual liberty. All the limits (legal age, grams of possession) have a solid scientific basis.
- stavros 3y agoThese sound like eminently reasonable restrictions, I can't imagine that many people will have a problem with them, beyond "drugs are bad mmkay". Well done, Germany, I hope it sticks.
- illiac786 3y agoI think keeping the sell illegal is not helping, it makes it look paradoxical: so what, I can own it but no one can sell it to me? Great. Second side effect I see is that people which are occasional users (once a week, once a month) will end up having to invest in plants or membership in a club to be able to legally consume it, and that’s obviously driving higher consumption… it’s just a theory but it seems stupid to push occasional users to become regular users.