The German government is planning to legalize the sale and consumption of cannabis.
According to the plans presented today in Berlin, an amount of up to 30 grams is expected to be allowed.
“In the future, adults will be allowed to buy and possess quantities of up to 30 grams of cannabis, and to a limited extent cultivation for personal use will also be allowed,” said the Minister of Health, Karl Lauterbach, during the presentation of the draft law.
The coalition government reached an agreement last year to introduce legislation during its four-year term to allow the controlled distribution of cannabis in licensed shops.
Many European countries, including Germany, have already legalized cannabis for limited medical purposes.
The use of cannabis for medical purposes has been legal in Germany since 2017.
Others have decriminalized its general use, while not making it legal.
The government also plans to introduce a special consumption tax, as well as develop educational and prevention work related to cannabis.
Legalizing cannabis could bring Germany annual tax revenue and cost savings of around 4.7 billion euros and create 27,000 new jobs, a survey found last year.
About 4 million people used cannabis last year, 25 percent of whom were between the ages of 18 and 24, Lauterbach said, adding that legalization would squeeze the cannabis black market.
Germany will submit the document to the European Commission for pre-assessment and will draft a law only after the Commission gives it the green light.
