Under the failed leadership of highly unpopular Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Germany’s decadence has become an unavoidable issue, even in the MSM.
You can find The Economist asking itself, Is Germany once again the sick man of Europe? Or the Financial Times warning that Germany faces the threat of creeping deindustrialization.
There’s also Bloomberg predicting that Germany’s Days as an Industrial Superpower Are Coming to an End, and the Associated Press noting that Germany’s economy is seen shrinking again in the current quarter as business confidence declines.
So, in this bleak outlook, the fabled German ‘geniuses’ come up with an ‘innovative’ idea: legalizing pot. That’ll turn things around and put the country on a path to development and harmony, right? <insert facepalm>
In a step toward the legalization of cannabis – and after facing strong opposition from lawmakers inside their own ruling coalition, Germany is set to approve the decriminalization of cannabis for recreational use tomorrow (23).
The measure is expected to take effect – of all days – on April Fool’s Day.
Forbes reported:
“The law, according to Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, will allow adults to cultivate as many as three plants for private consumption and carry up to 25 grams of the herb.
It also regulates the cultivation and consumption of marijuana at nonprofit cannabis social clubs limited to 500 members that would start in July. These associations will be allowed collective. non-commercial self-cultivation and to carry out controlled distribution of the cultivated cannabis among its members.”
Cannabis consumption would continue illegal for those under 18.
“Lauterbach, who has been leading the effort to pass the plan, explained during a radio interview on Tuesday that the government hopes that legalization will curb the black market, tackle drug-related crime and protect users against contaminated products.
[…] He used Canada’s example and cited studies to argue that the law will effectively remove two-thirds of the illegal market for cannabis and help to prevent toxic products being sold by dealers: ‘The likelihood that the black market for cannabis will significantly shrink is very high’.”
The opposition alleges that decriminalizing weed ‘will be harmful to young people and increase the burden on police.’
Marijuana right now is legal in Germany for limited medical contexts and illegal for recreational use.
A study by the Heinrich Heine University in Duesseldorf projects that the German recreational cannabis market could reach as high as $4.2 billion.
The new legislation is expected to be approved in the Bundestag, and fundraising for businesses in the sector is growing.
“Germany’s marijuana partial legalization follows that of neighbouring Luxembourg that last year passed a law permitting the growth of up to four cannabis plants per household but restricted consumption to the place where it was grown.
The sale of cannabis in that Grand Duchy, though, remains illegal as well as using weed outside the home. Meanwhile, penalties for that offense have been reduced from €2,500 before the law to €145 for those caught with up to three grams of cannabis. The offense will not result in criminal prosecution.”
Germany and Luxembourg will have cannabis laws that, while ‘watered-down versions of fuller legalization’ are still initiatives that trigger international criticism and disapproval within the European Union.
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