Is smoking smoking allowed?: Union urges changes to the Cannabis Act

From the perspective of Union politicians, the partialization of cannabis, which is decided by the traffic light coalition, should be reformed or even completely rewritten. “As a Union, we will do everything we can to stop the negative effects of cannabis legalization, combat drug crime and strengthen the protection of minors,” says CDU legal politician Günter Krings of the German Press Agency.

The Cannabis Act of the traffic lights is “a dangerous wrong path” and must be “reversed”, emphasizes the group of health policy of the parliamentary group, Tino Sorge. “Ultimately, the future government constellation will depend on what exactly a solution looks like,” says the CDU politician with a view to the exploratory talks between the Union and the SPD. New study results from Canada showed a worrying increase in psychoses after the legalization of cannabis. These results should not be ignored. At the same time, he emphasized that a good care of patients with medical scannabis must continue to be ensured.

The police union (GdP) definitely does not want to go back to the old legal situation. However, it speaks for several concrete changes.

Traffic lights argued with relief from the police

Since April last year, the non -medical cannabis consumption for adults with numerous restrictions has been legal in Germany. The cultivation of up to three plants in private apartments is allowed. You can keep up to 50 grams of cannabis. In addition, non-commercial “cultivation associations” with license is allowed to shape cannabis for your own consumption. The former coalition of the SPD, Greens and FDP has pursued four major goals with the reform:

The controlled handling of cannabis with a well-known efficiency and without poisonous additives should protect the health of consumers. STREGENGE Age limits and THC restrictions are intended to preserve minors and young adults from the psychological, physical and social effects of cannabis consumption. This is supposed to make it easier to do so, and also hoped to contain the black market by legal alternatives.

For Union politicians Krings, it is already clear that these goals have been missed. He says: “The legalization only expanded the black market and the judiciary and police were heavily burdened.”

Despite the decriminalization of the smoke in relation to adults, the GdP also sees no relief effect for the police. It refers to the control effort by monitoring consumption ban zones, as set up in some municipalities permanently or temporarily – for example at folk festivals – and increased controls in road traffic.

Higher demand and larger quantities

Alexander Poitz, criminal officer and deputy GdP federal chairman, does not speak of successful containment of the black market. He says: “Increased demand, new target groups, larger quantities, prices, availability and consumer tourists strengthen criminal structures rather than weakening them.” An infringement of the cultivation associations is also to be feared.

Because the sale of cannabis remains punishable. “Our colleagues have increasingly found facts in connection with cannabis in public and private space and in road traffic,” reports Poitz. So far, current data has not been available, but it should be assumed that the amount of confiscated cannabis has also increased for 2024.

In his view, the reform would be the wrong way, says the GdP vice. It would be conceivable, for example, instead of enabling your own cultivation and cultivation associations in selected tax offices. “This would at least be to derive a certain responsibility and the control of state institutions as well as tax benefits,” he says.

Sale in model regions

This is already possible via the so-called model regions control. Here is Hanover in front, where the project is accompanied by the Clinic for Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the Hannover Medical School.

There are also considerations or preparations in Münster, Cologne, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt am Main. In Frankfurt, registered subjects should be able to buy legally cannabis flowers and other THC-containing products in specially built specialist shops for five years.

“The law is not yet mature,” says Stefanie Grün. The chief police commissioner from Rhineland-Palatinate is a member of the GDP specialist committee of protection police and has many years of experience with drug controls in traffic. If you and her colleagues stop someone who stands out through their driving behavior and then speaks indistinctly or has extended pupils, they offer a rapid drug test.

Saliva test or urine test

But this is not practical with such a urine test, says Grün. The men usually don’t mind urinating in a cup behind a bush, but this is not pleasant for everyone involved. With women you have to go to a toilet anyway, for example at the nearest petrol station.

If the test is positive, a trip to the police station is necessary anyway – for a blood test. Because a maximum of 3.5 nanograms THC are allowed at the wheel. The result of the test is then waiting for six weeks, the administrative effort is high, complains about the policewoman. For the controls on the side of the road, she would therefore like to be used for the controls on the roadside, as they are already in use, according to colleagues in two federal states.

Ministry of the Interior refers to lack of experience

From the perspective of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, it is too early to balance the consequences of the reform. A spokeswoman announced on request that there were still no fundamental findings on the effects of the changed legal situation on the work of the Federal Criminal Police Office and the organized crime. Results of a planned evaluation should be available in the second half of the year.