Justice: “Complete loss of control” – criticism of cannabis plans

Shortly before the federal cabinet planned to deal with the planned legalization of cannabis in Germany, harsh criticism of the project was once again voiced. The police union (GdP) sees a massive need for improvement in the plans. Several CDU politicians also reiterated their reservations.

Entry into force planned for the end of the year

The cabinet of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is expected to launch the bill today. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) wants to present the draft to the public at noon. Later, the Bundestag and Bundesrat will have to discuss it. According to the Federal Ministry of Health, the law does not require the approval of the state chamber. According to the ministry, it is expected to come into force at the end of the year.

According to the plans, cannabis should be removed from the list of prohibited substances in the Narcotics Act. From the age of 18, possession of 25 grams should be allowed in the future. A maximum of three cannabis plants should be allowed to be grown privately. In special associations, so-called cannabis clubs, members should be able to grow the drug together and give it to each other.

Warnings of more work for the police and the judiciary

The GdP federal chairman, Jochen Kopelke, told the German Press Agency that despite widespread criticism, Lauterbach had only made small changes. The best thing would be if the federal government stopped the draft now and gave Lauterbach the task of making massive improvements.

Kopelke criticized the lack of a sufficiently long transition phase, which would “inevitably lead to massive uncertainties, if not conflicts, between the authorities and the population”. The draft will cause major problems for the police. The police and the judiciary would not be relieved, but rather burdened. In an earlier statement, the GdP had also expressed fears that the black market would grow and road safety would suffer.

The interior ministers of North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony, Herbert Reul and Armin Schuster, as well as Hesse’s justice minister Roman Poseck (all CDU) see the draft law of the red-green-yellow coalition critically. “This law will involve a complete loss of control,” Schuster told the editorial network Germany (RND). Reul warned that the traffic light coalition would not burden the police and judiciary less, but more. Poseck accused the traffic light coalition of having made a “rotten compromise” that “entails disadvantages for all sides”.

The German Association of Judges had already stated that the many special rules for cannabis clubs and for the cultivation and sale of the drug, which are to come with legalization, would have to be checked and violations punished. The professional association therefore fears more work for the judiciary.

Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP), on the other hand, told the newspapers of the Funke media group: “I am very confident that a more pragmatic drug policy will lead to relief for the courts.” It will be observed how the law proves itself in practice. “In general, if people can buy and consume cannabis legally, there will be fewer cases that end up in court,” says Buschmann.

Hope for more child and youth protection

The legal policy spokeswoman for the SPD in the Bundestag, Carmen Wegge, spoke out in favor of legalizing the drug. “The advantage of cannabis legalization is that on the one hand we will strengthen the protection of children and young people, that we will prioritize health protection and fight the black market,” she told the German Press Agency.

“We find that the cannabis ban has meant that there is actually no educational work in schools at all.” Young people under the age of 18 who are caught with cannabis should be able to be obliged to attend prevention courses according to the legislative plans.