Germany Inches Closer To Recreational Cannabis Legalization

Who were your top picks for the next country to legalize recreational cannabis? We’ve had our sights set on Germany for the last year.

The country’s new coalition government comprises the Free Democratic Party (FDP), The Green Party, and the Social Democratic Party (SDP). One of the more exciting parts of the government’s plans was to legalize recreational weed.

And finally, that move should be in action sometime soon.

According to Handelsblatt, a German newspaper, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach told the outlet that cannabis legalization was never on his agenda. But, in recent years, he’s changed his mind. 

“I revised my position about a year ago,” he told Handelsblatt. 

Similarly, Forbes reports that Justice Minister Marco Buschmann is also planning for when Germany launches recreational cannabis legalization. 

He says that a technical preparation and consultation process with the Ministry of Health and other departments will help move the process forward. 

Once Germany creates a regulatory scheme for recreational cannabis, we’ll have a better idea of what’s allowed vs. what’s not. 

There are some talks that personal home cultivation will be allowed, but it isn’t clear just yet. Furthermore, Germany might follow in the United States’ footsteps and cap the amount of THC present in cannabis products. 

However, it’s more likely Germany will adopt a similar plan as Canada, which does not limit the THC content in cannabis products. 

One of the main reasons Germany’s government wants to legalize cannabis is to protect minors from the illicit market. 

Narrowing operations down to legal cultivation sites and retail stores will reduce the illicit market’s impact and hopefully steer people away from illegal sales and products. 

If Germany plans to roll out legalization, it would become the first country in Europe to do so. Thus, making it a hot spot for investors, tourists, partnerships, and collaborations with German-based companies. 

One study by the University of Düsseldorf highlights that recreational cannabis would do the following;

• Create 27,000 new legal jobs in Germany
• Bring in more than $5.3 billion in annual tax revenue

Germany could be Europe’s hub for cannabis once it reaches nationwide legalization.

You might think, what about Amsterdam? Well, the popular Netherlands city known for cannabis and other drugs wants to ban tourists from cannabis cafes.

With news that we may never step foot into an Amsterdam coffee shop again, it’s time we set our sights on another country for cannabis tourism.

Could Germany be it? We’ll have to wait and see.