Cannabis, marijuana, and grass: It’s now legal to smoke marijuana in Germany. The last legislative obstacle to a government plan to relax cannabis regulations for recreational use has been removed. Who will profit financially and who won’t? Although Germany has long been seen as one of Europe’s most conservative nations, this opinion may be changing. It became the biggest EU nation to legalise cannabis for recreational use this week, in spite of strong resistance from numerous medical associations and politicians. Adults who are above the age of eighteen are now permitted to possess up to 25 grammes of dried cannabis and grow up to three marijuana plants at home.

As a result of the modification, Germany now has some of the most lenient cannabis legislation in Europe, right up there with Luxembourg and Malta. In those two countries, recreational usage became legal in 2021 and 2023, respectively.

The Netherlands has long been known for having a laid-back attitude towards marijuana in Europe, but as of late, the country has been tougher in its efforts to combat cannabis tourism. Even in Holland and the surrounding German states, it won’t be so simple for those who want to travel to take the medicine.

Therefore, by stopping the sale of tainted cannabis products and reducing the illegal market, the Cannabis Act seeks to make cannabis use and access safer for responsible people,” he continued.

It’s true that cannabis use has grown recently, particularly among young individuals (between the ages of 18 and 25). The Federal Centre for Health Education released its most recent data in 2021, and it showed that half of youth had already tried cannabis. It was over 50 years ago when the number was last this high.

Additionally, the administration seeks to enact amnesty for crimes that were formerly illegal.

Even with the recent changes to German law, obtaining cannabis is not easy.

Officials anticipate that soon there will be pilot projects to trial selling the substance in some shops. EU resistance forced the abandonment of initial plans for cannabis to be sold via licenced shops. The German government anticipates that legalisation will aid in curbing the drug’s expanding underground market.
Although some health organisations are worried that legalisation would encourage youth usage, putting them at serious danger for health problems, the government has an answer.

They have emphasised that cannabis would continue to be prohibited for those under the age of eighteen and within 100 yards of schools, and they have pledged to launch a broad information campaign to highlight any potential drawbacks.

The legal modification also means that cannabis used for medical purposes is no longer considered a narcotic. It will be much simpler to prescribe as a result.Businesses who are currently involved in the medical cannabis industry will gain disproportionately.

In actuality, cannabis is allowed in several European nations. Generally speaking, though, it’s only legal for medical purposes or decriminalised for individual usage. That indicates that most countries do not have it easily available for purchase by tourists.

However, the situation in Malta is quite different. The island nation currently has the most permissive cannabis legislation pertaining to possession, usage, and growing of any country in the EU.

Since regulations approved in 2021, adults are allowed to possess up to 7g of cannabis and grow up to four plants at home.

Though it is still illegal to use marijuana in public, businesses selling sweets and joints along with accessories are common on Malta’s streets.

Although the Netherlands is sometimes perceived as having permissive marijuana laws, it is really illegal to grow, sell, or possess marijuana.

Its sale is officially “tolerated” in the nation’s well-known “coffee shops,” and possessing up to 5 grammes of cannabis is no longer illegal.

Similar decriminalisation of cannabis usage for personal use has occurred in Spain. Municipal laws often differ, but there are more than 1,000 cannabis social clubs operating worldwide, including in renowned tourist destinations like Barcelona. The majority of law enforcement ignores the clubs, which are known to operate outside the bounds of Spain’s decriminalisation law, notwithstanding sporadic crackdowns.

For the use or possession of the substance, even in little amounts, the majority of other European countries still impose fines or other penalties.

Still, more liberal nations will probably be watching Germany’s new law to see how it works out. Particularly noteworthy is Belgium, where, since 2003, the possession of up to 3 grammes of cannabis or the cultivation of a single plant has been deemed a “low prosecution priority” for anyone over the age of 18.