Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SDP) is trailing heavily in opinion polls, while the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) under Friedrich Merz appears to be on course for a return to government.
Can someone more informed than me tell me if this means recreational weed will be legal in Germany or no?
Recreational weed is already legal in Germany as of this year. Some hardliners of the CDU have claimed they want to re-criminalize it, but most people assume that it’s just pre-election posturing as all of their possible coalition partners have previously supported legalization. It would be a very unpopular move with barely any support.
He is against legalization and (ironically) claims that it leads to a higher crime rate. He’s a populist and many of the things he says are just hot air, so it’s not taken too seriously at the moment.
I haven’t been to Germany since the legalization. Is it easy to buy in most small towns? How many dispensaries are there in a 1km radius in cities like Berlin? Are the dispensary staff super knowledgeable and helpful regarding the different strains for treating different ailments?
It’s a very complicated situation. Weed can’t be sold freely, you have to be a member of a Cannabis-Club to be able to obtain it. You can also harvest your own without being in a club. Some hardware stores sell plants, and some online-pharmacies will sell it if you have a prescription (very easy to get). The whole legal situation is extremely complex due to a number of EU laws restricting open sale.
Wow A German citzen cant buy a gram in-person legally at a dispensary in Berlin (it has to be done online?)? And its not available for tourists?
The US has made buckets of income from weed tourism. The German implementation sounds like its leading people to grow their own and just gift it out to their friends. Very surprising missed opportunity to the tourism economy.
From my understanding the EU prohibits a commercial legalization, which is also the reason it has only been “decriminalized” or “tolerated” in other European countries. The current implementation is basically our lawmakers tip-toeing around the EU laws in the hopes of being able to change them at some point in the future.
Can someone more informed than me tell me if this means recreational weed will be legal in Germany or no?
Recreational weed is already legal in Germany as of this year. Some hardliners of the CDU have claimed they want to re-criminalize it, but most people assume that it’s just pre-election posturing as all of their possible coalition partners have previously supported legalization. It would be a very unpopular move with barely any support.
Thanks. What does Merz say?
He is against legalization and (ironically) claims that it leads to a higher crime rate. He’s a populist and many of the things he says are just hot air, so it’s not taken too seriously at the moment.
Thanks! Seems like that would hurt him.
I haven’t been to Germany since the legalization. Is it easy to buy in most small towns? How many dispensaries are there in a 1km radius in cities like Berlin? Are the dispensary staff super knowledgeable and helpful regarding the different strains for treating different ailments?
It’s a very complicated situation. Weed can’t be sold freely, you have to be a member of a Cannabis-Club to be able to obtain it. You can also harvest your own without being in a club. Some hardware stores sell plants, and some online-pharmacies will sell it if you have a prescription (very easy to get). The whole legal situation is extremely complex due to a number of EU laws restricting open sale.
Wow A German citzen cant buy a gram in-person legally at a dispensary in Berlin (it has to be done online?)? And its not available for tourists?
The US has made buckets of income from weed tourism. The German implementation sounds like its leading people to grow their own and just gift it out to their friends. Very surprising missed opportunity to the tourism economy.
From my understanding the EU prohibits a commercial legalization, which is also the reason it has only been “decriminalized” or “tolerated” in other European countries. The current implementation is basically our lawmakers tip-toeing around the EU laws in the hopes of being able to change them at some point in the future.