Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

You may inhale: German Cabinet backs plan to legalize cannabis

You may inhale: German Cabinet backs plan to legalize cannabis

Germany to run reform plan past European Commission.

The German government backed a plan presented by Health Minister Karl Lauterbach on Wednesday to legalize cannabis, but the European Commission will get a say on whether it can become law.

The fate of the reform is being closely watched around Europe where only a handful of countries, like Portugal, have already liberalized rules governing pot — and by the North American cannabis industry, which has scented a market opportunity.

Lauterbach told reporters that the so-called cornerstone paper details the conditions under which cannabis can be legally produced and sold, and how to regulate possession. He added that he does not want to sell this paper as a “major breakthrough in drug policy” as it still has to be confirmed that this complies with international and European law.

“We want to decriminalize the use of cannabis in order to achieve better protection for children and young people, but also better health protection,” Lauterbach told a press conference, saying that rising consumption was being enabled by a flourishing black market.

The plan approved by Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Cabinet would decriminalize the possession of 20 to 30 grams of cannabis by adults. It would also be legal to cultivate up to three cannabis plants at home, which is more than what an earlier paper that was leaked last week, proposed.

Moreover, a 15 percent limit on the psychoactive substance THC that was included in the earlier leaked draft was dropped. Instead, the paper now states that a limit on THC content would only be set for 18- to 21-year-olds, citing the increased risk of cannabis-related brain damage in adolescence.

Cannabis would be sold in licensed shops and, potentially, in pharmacies. Also under consideration are “specialty stores with consumption options” — or Dutch-style coffee shops. Germany has allowed the sale of medical cannabis in pharmacies since 2016.


Homegrown


The plan proposes that demand should be met by production in Germany, which is likely to disappoint producers from North America looking to supply from their existing production.

Lauterbach also addressed concerns that legalizing cannabis would violate Germany’s European commitments, part of a wider agenda that has until now sought to curb illicit trade in narcotics and drug tourism.

He said the plan would be sent to the European Commission for a preliminary review on whether it is in line with EU law. “If this preliminary examination clearly showed that this path would not be viable for the European Commission, then we would not develop a bill on this basis either,” Lauterbach said.

Depending on the outcome of that review, draft legislation could be readied in the first quarter of next year, he said.

Lawmakers from Scholz’s Social Democrat-led coalition government said that the latest draft represented an improvement on the earlier version. Kirsten Yet Kappert-Gonther, vice chair of parliament’s health committee from the Greens, also cautioned in comments emailed to POLITICO that excessive restrictions on sales risked encouraging the black market for strong cannabis.

Kristine Lütke, drug policy spokesperson for the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), was less positive, saying the draft “falls short of providing effective and good youth, health, and consumer protection, while at the same time reining in the black market.”

Stephan Pilsinger of the Bavaria-based conservative opposition party, the Christian Social Union, said government plan would miss its goal of eradicating the black market and predicted that the European Commision would oppose it.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
×