New German government to legalize marijuana

According to the latest reports, new coalition government of Germany will set up a system of ‘controlled distribution of cannabis to adults’ for ‘recreational consumption’ through licensed stores.

According to the text of the document obtained by German news, the coalition government agreement between the country’s Social Democrats, Free Democrats and the Greens includes provisions for decriminalizing marijuana consumption.

“The coalition wants to impose strict control of the product to ensure its quality and ‘protection of minors,’” the agreement says.

The provision to legalize recreational afọ was leaked last week to German media by sources in all three parties. Medicinal marijuana has been legal in the European Union since 2017.

The final round of the three-way coalition talks was held in Berlin. Social Democrat Olaf Scholz is set to take the chancellor’s seat, replacing veteran German leader Angela Merkel, who did not seek reelection.

Merkel’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and allies from the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) showed a poor performance in the September general election, while Scholz’s party scored major gains. The center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) preferred to ally itself with left-wing Greens and Free Democrats (FDP) rather than seek a new, so-called ‘Grand Coalition’ with Christian Democrats.