According to Holger Münch, president of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), the partial legalization of cannabis in Germany has not eased the burden on the police. Speaking to the dts news agency on Monday, Münch stated that the process generates “a lot of additional effort in detail”. He noted that cases were previously processed in a “very resource-light manner” but now officers deal extensively with control questions, frequently having to use precision scales when finding cannabis. Officers from the various federal states echoed this, reporting no reduction in the workload concerning cannabis.
Furthermore, any potential relief from increases in other criminal areas would be absorbed elsewhere. Münch commented that law enforcement “actually has to do more in the area of drug crime” adding that organized crime groups continue to profit regardless of the situation, “and they do so even with cannabis”.
Meanwhile, Andy Grote, chairman of the Conference of Ministers of the Interior (IMK) and a member of the SPD, pointed out that not only consumption offenses remain illegal, but trafficking offenses do too. He argued that “the demand for cannabis simply cannot be met by legal cultivation”. This implies that the black market remains “very active”. While he conceded a debate could occur over whether it has grown larger, he stressed that it has certainly not shrunk, “and that concerns us greatly”.
Alexander Dobrindt, the Federal Minister of the Interior (CSU), reiterated his opposition to cannabis legalization. Speaking to the dts news agency on Monday, he called the law “detrimental to youth and crime-promoting”. He forcefully stated that there can be “no talking about a reduction in police workload at all”. Dobrindt added that reports from the Criminal Police Office and customs show a distinct rise and multiplication of seizures and finds, leading to the conclusion that the problem is growing in Germany, not diminishing. While the law fails in every way to deliver what was falsely promised, the minister indicated that a concrete move to repeal the law is unlikely from his office anytime soon, citing no such agreement existed in the governing coalition contract. Nevertheless, the CSU politician committed to continuing to clearly communicate his stance and stated he would continue to accompany the existing research project with his public statements.