The federal government wants to legalize the possession of cannabis. But the law will come, if at all, for a year. Until then, there will be a patchwork quilt in Germany as far as criminal prosecution is concerned. That stinks the Greens in MV.
Schwerin (dpa/mv) – In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, possession of more than 6 grams of cannabis continues to have criminal consequences. The Greens did not find a majority in the state parliament in Schwerin on Thursday for their motion to raise the state’s threshold to 20 grams in anticipation of the controlled legalization of cannabis planned by the federal government. Only the FDP voted for it.
“The considerations of legalizing cannabis in certain areas are quite legitimate. But as requested by Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, I can only speak out against it,” said Minister of Justice Jacqueline Bernhardt (left). She referred to the efforts of the federal states to first exchange experiences and to reach a nationwide agreement. The justice ministers agreed on this at their meeting in early November. “If Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania went it alone before this exchange of experiences would be inappropriate at this point in time and would not do justice to the decision of the JuMiKo,” argued Bernhardt.
There was also objection from the AfD and CDU, whose speakers, referring to the possible consequences of addiction, also fundamentally opposed a liberal approach to drugs. In addition, at 20 grams, it is no longer possible to speak of a small amount for personal use, for which the investigation would be stopped. “You could roll 60 joints from 20 grams. People, we can get the whole plenary hall high with that,” said CDU MP Ann Christin von Allwörden.
According to Constanze Oehlrich, member of the Green Party, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has so far been one of the countries with the strictest interpretation of the law, which puts an additional burden on the police and judiciary. In Bremen and Berlin, for example, the authorities would only be active with a quantity of 15 grams. Oehlrich complained that there is still no nationwide regulation, although the constitutional judges have been demanding this for a long time. Thus, people in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania would be punished for offenses for which they would remain unmolested in other federal states.
At the end of October, the federal government decided on the key points for the controlled cannabis tax planned by the traffic light coalition. According to the plans, the acquisition and possession of up to 30 grams of cannabis will remain unpunished in the future. In addition, private cultivation should be permitted to a limited extent and sales to adults in “licensed specialist shops” and possibly also in pharmacies should be possible.
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) announced last week that he wanted to back up the plans with an expert opinion. A law should only be introduced if the plans stand up to an examination in Brussels under European and international law. The aim of the new regulation is to push back the black market, not to expand consumption overall and to improve child and youth protection.