Germany: Future Coalition Government Urged to Legalize Cannabis
A member of the recently elected German parliament, Karl Lauterbach, who is also a medical professional, addressed the country’s three leading parties with a call to create a regulated cannabis market in the nation.
The Social Democrats, the Free Democrats, and the Greens were the winners of the September election, and all three have spoken in favor of ending the prohibition of the substance and creating the legal framework for its production and sale.
Regulated Product Means Less Safety Hazards
Dr. Lauterbach said that, for years, he had opposed the idea of cannabis legalization. However, he changed his mind when he learned that the criminal gangs controlling the black market adulterated cannabis flowers with other harmful substances.
Now, the MP is in favor of drafting a law that would create a system for the manufacture and distribution of a purer and safer product. Cannabis is an essential part of the debate between Germany’s three leading parties in their ongoing coalition negotiations. Each of the parties has voiced its support for the reform.
Opposition is Still Strong
Experts from other fields still eye the imminent change with distrust. The nation’s police unions have spoken out against it, thinking that decriminalization of the possession and use of the substance is a bad policy. Oliver Malchow, the head of GdP warned against trivializing the dangers of cannabis and urged not to open doors for another drug of abuse in addition to the already legal alcohol.
Heinz-Peter Meidinger, president of the German Teachers’ Union, cited the example of the Netherlands where the liberal policy toward cannabis has blurred the distinction between soft and hard drugs. According to him, the liberalization of cannabis laws in this country led to the increase in the use of even more harmful substances.
And contrary to the opinion of Dr. Lauterbach, his colleague Frank Ulrich Montgomery from the World Medical Association stated that, from a medical standpoint, cannabis should remain illegal.
