When Germany’s new coalition included the legalization of recreational cannabis in its political agenda in late 2021, there were few details on how to regulate the industry.
However, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach announced last week that it would start the legal process for cannabis legalization soon.
He told German newspaper Handelsblatt he changed his mind on legalization over the past two years, and he now believes the dangers of non-legalization outweigh the risks of recreational cannabis legalization.
“I’ve always been opposed to cannabis legalization, but I revised my position about a year ago,” he said.
In addition, Finance Minister Christian Lindner confirmed that the process of legalizing recreational cannabis has started.
“A question that people keep asking me: ‘When will Bubatz [German street slang for cannabis] be legal? I would say: soon,” he wrote in a tweet on April 6.
Justice Minister Marco Buschmann announced on the same day that he is planning a comprehensive technical preparation to legalize cannabis through a consultation process together with the Ministry of Health and other departments.
The process will also involve the federal states, municipalities, associations, science, and civil society players.
According to Lauterbach, the technical talks will likely start this summer, and a draft bill is expected to follow in late 2022. [Read more at Forbes]
The post Germany Speeds Up The Process To Legalize Recreational Cannabis appeared first on Cannabis Business Executive - Cannabis and Marijuana industry news.
Copyright
© Cannabis Business Executive
