According to Germany’s psychotherapists, beer, schnapps and wine should be restricted to licensed shops. With cheap offers should be an end. At the traffic light, their position meets with approval.
Germany’s psychotherapists are calling for alcohol to be made more expensive and cannabis legalized. Like all other legal intoxicants, both should also only be sold in licensed shops, according to the Federal Chamber of Psychotherapists in a statement published in Berlin on Thursday. The therapists received support for their basic course from the traffic light coalition.
“Yes, as a society we have to talk about alcohol prevention,” said health politician Linda Heitmann (Greens) in Berlin. “High-proof is currently easy to grab and buy for a few euros at every supermarket checkout.” The MP said: “It needs to increase the price and improve youth protection.”
At the same time, the chamber advocated a minimum age of 18 for the purchase of all legal drugs. The levy on minors must be sanctioned more than before.
“No drug policy can prevent drugs from being tried and used,” said Chamber President Dietrich Munz. “Therefore, adults and young people should also learn to use drugs in such a way that they do not endanger their health and the risk of abuse and dependence remains low,” says the psychotherapist from Stuttgart.
According to the chamber, there should be new hurdles for the millions of people who regularly drink beer, schnapps and wine. The psychotherapists are demanding higher alcohol taxes and a minimum price for alcohol.
“Alcohol is significantly more dangerous than cannabis,” states the Federal Chamber of Psychotherapists. Almost one in five people in Germany drink a dangerous amount of it. Alcohol can be deadly. Cannabis, on the other hand, is considered a moderately harmful drug.
