Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach does not want to become “a consumer” if cannabis is legalized. The SPD politician told the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger”. However, he did try the hemp product “to get an idea of what I was able to do”. Lauterbach emphasized that the federal government’s planned law on legalization “must not be misunderstood as advertising for smoking weed”.
At the end of October, the federal cabinet decided on the key points of Lauterbach for legalization. Cannabis and the active ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) should therefore no longer be legally classified as narcotics in the future. The acquisition and possession of up to 30 grams of cannabis should go unpunished, private cultivation should be allowed to a limited extent and sale to adults in “licensed specialist shops” and possibly also pharmacies should be possible. However, Lauterbach only wants to introduce a law if the plans initially stand up to an examination in Brussels under European and international law.
“If there were a clear no, we will certainly not repeat the mistake that was made with the motorway toll for cars,” Lauterbach told the newspaper. “We focus on health protection. That can also convince Brussels.”
The Union had sharply criticized the government’s plans. The German Medical Association also rejects it and warns against trivializing the health risks of cannabis consumption.
