Luxembourg Plans To Be The First Cannabis Legal Country In Europe
An announcement made back in 2017 opens the possibility for Luxembourg to become the first European country to legalize recreational cannabis by the end of 2022. Back in 2017, Luxembourg announced the country was planning to legalize recreational cannabis but nothing came out of it so no one was really sure if the government had plans to continue working on the newly announced policy.
It May Take A Few Years For The Regulation To Take Effect
In 2018 the plan to change the country’s cannabis policy was reannounced and even the Health Minister at the time claimed that the drug policy they have at the moment was from over 50 years ago and it clearly didn’t work because it was evident that forbidding cannabis use made it more interesting, especially to young adults and teenagers, and affirmed that they were actively working on it.
A couple of years passed since the first announcement was made and no one was really sure what was going to happen, especially with the ongoing pandemic but, yet again, the Health Minister announced that the plan is continuing its course, reporting that a lot of work has been done since 2018 and there are a lot of professionals working on the regulations and laws, which are estimated to be presented in the next couple of years.
These announcements offered relief to consumers who were looking forward to a legal cannabis market in Luxembourg, which would become the first European country to fully legalize cannabis for recreational use, however, this isn’t a huge surprise.
The country decriminalized the possession and use since 2001, and reports show that medical cannabis use almost tripled, with an average of 40 grams per patient, more than 140kg of cannabis was prescribed for medical use in 2020.
Restrictions On Cannabis Tourism
But, not everything is as it seems; Despite legalizing the use of recreational cannabis, Luxembourg will not be following the same path as other countries. Now, this may change as the country continues working on the laws and regulations but, according to reports made available in 2019, the country’s legalization would come with restrictions on tourists that want to buy cannabis in the country.
It’s believed that restrictions such as this one are being thought out to avoid the same kind of cannabis tourism you see in places like Amsterdam in the Netherlands; It’s estimated that more than 200,000 people who travel back and forth to work from neighboring countries will not be allowed to purchase legal cannabis, not only to avoid cannabis tourism but also to ease the concerns of said countries.
If you live in Luxembourg and have more information, feel free to share it in the comment section below!
