BERLIN - “We took the Dutch model as an example of how not to do it,” German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) told NOS shortly after Germany announced its plans to legalize cannabis. Germans will soon be allowed to grow and buy weed in small quantities for their own consumption, either at home or in associations set up for the purpose. Germany will also launch an experiment for commercial cannabis cultivation later this year.
Lauterbach knows how the Dutch tolerance policy worked out, he said. The Netherlands allows the sale and consumption of cannabis, but the production and supply go through the black market, he pointed out. “A combination of disadvantages.”
Lautenbach said that his country doesn’t want anything like coffeeshops, with salespeople interested in selling as much cannabis as possible. He also wants tighter control over the strength and purity of cannabis and hashish than the Netherlands has.
The German government’s goal is to legalize the black market, where there is no control over the safety of the products and the buyers. “The consumption of cannabis is a social reality. We shouldn’t close our eyes to that,” Food and Agriculture Minister Cem Ozdemir said when announcing the plans. “The goal of keeping people away from cannabis has never been achieved.”
Cannabis cultivation and smoking will be subject to many rules in Germany. The country will set up Cannabis Clubs to manage this. These associations can have no more than 500 members, all of whom must be 18 or older, and they can’t sell cannabis for a profit. Members can take up to 25 grams of cannabis per day and no more than 50 grams per month. Home cultivators can have a maximum of three female flowering plants.
The second part of the plan is an experiment with commercial cultivation. The German government wants to allow a limited number of companies to grow cannabis and sell it for a profit in their own region during a five-year trial period. Scientists and the government will supervise the experiment. Germany hopes the trial will provide enough information to develop a model for legalizing commercial cannabis cultivation throughout Europe.