The planned cannabis legalization of the traffic light coalition is slowly taking shape. The federal government's drug commissioner, Blienert, wants to make the release subject to conditions. He suggests an upper limit for the psychoactive compound THC.
Before the legalization of cannabis in Germany, the federal government's drug commissioner, Burkhard Blienert, calls for a debate on an upper limit for the psychoactive substance THC. "The THC content has tripled on average in recent years. A joint from the 70s can no longer be compared to today's," Blienert told the "Welt am Sonntag". One must "seriously discuss" whether a THC upper limit for cannabis recreational use should be introduced in the course of legalization.
According to Blienert, opponents of an upper limit argue that this will not curb the black market. Proponents cited the risks of potent cannabis in particular. "I think both arguments are understandable. We'll see where we end up at the end of the process," said the drug commissioner. The Federal Chamber of Psychotherapists had recently spoken out in favor of a THC upper limit.
A series of expert hearings on the subject ended on Thursday. After that, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach defended the planned legalization of cannabis for recreational purposes. The "benefits" of legalization provided that controls and quality assurance were "clearly outweighed," said the SPD politician on the "RTL Direkt" program. "If we want to gain control and bring security into it, then legalization is better," emphasized the minister. He expects that legalization could fight the black market.
The traffic light parties had agreed on the controlled release of cannabis in their coalition agreement. They want to present a bill by the end of the year; the results are to be evaluated after four years. Most federal states already waive criminal prosecution for the possession of small amounts of cannabis.
