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CANNABIS SMOKERS ARE lighting up in Germany, as the country becomes the largest EU nation to legalise recreational use, despite fierce objections from opposition politicians and medical associations.
Under the first step in the much-debated new law, adults over 18 are now allowed to carry 25 grams of dried cannabis and cultivate up to three marijuana plants at home.
The changes leave Germany with some of the most liberal cannabis laws in Europe, alongside Malta and Luxembourg, which legalised recreational use in 2021 and 2023, respectively.
The Netherlands, known for its permissive attitude to the drug, has in recent years taken a stricter approach to counter cannabis tourism.
As the law took effect at midnight, some 1,500 people cheered in central Berlin by the Brandenburg Gate, according to police, with some lighting up joints in celebration.
The legalisation was “a bit of extra freedom”, 25-year-old Niyazi told AFP at the gathering. “You do not feel as under pressure now”.
Cannabis consumption has been brought out of the “taboo zone”, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said on X, formerly Twitter.
The new law was “better for real addiction help, prevention for children and young people and for combating the black market,” Lauterbach said, responding in part to criticisms levelled against legalisation.
As the next step in the legal reform, from 1 July it will be possible to legally obtain weed through “cannabis clubs” in the country.
These regulated associations will be allowed to have up to 500 members each, and will be able to distribute up to 50 grams of cannabis per person per month.
Until then, “consumers must not tell the police where they bought their cannabis” in the event of a street check, Georg Wurth, director of the German Cannabis Association, told AFP.
Initial plans for cannabis to be sold via licensed shops were ditched due to EU opposition, though a second law is in the pipeline to trial the sale of the drug in shops in pilot regions.
Medical groups have raised concerns that legalisation could lead to an increase in use among young people, who face the highest health risks.
Cannabis use among young people can affect the development of the central nervous system, leading to an increased risk of developing psychosis and schizophrenia, experts have warned.
“From our point of view, the law as it is written is a disaster,” Katja Seidel, a therapist at a cannabis addiction centre for young people in Berlin, told AFP.
Even Lauterbach, a doctor, has said that cannabis consumption can be “dangerous”, especially for young people.
But the government has promised a widespread information campaign to raise awareness of the risks and to boost support programmes.
It has also stressed that cannabis will remain banned for under-18s and within 100 metres of schools, kindergartens and playgrounds.
The law has likewise drawn criticism from police, who fear it will be difficult to enforce.
“From 1 April, our colleagues will find themselves in situations of conflict with citizens, as uncertainty reigns on both sides,” said Alexander Poitz, vice-president of the GdP police union.
Another potential issue is the implementation of a retroactive amnesty on cannabis-related offences, which could create an administrative headache for the legal system.
According to the German Judges’ Association, the pardon could apply to more than 200,000 cases that would need to be checked and processed.
Justice Minister Marco Buschmann said the rule change would mean a “one-off increase in workload” for law enforcement during the initial transition phase.
In the long-term however “the burden on the police and judiciary will be relieved”, Buschmann told the RND media group.
Conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz has said he would “immediately” repeal the law if he and his party formed a government following nationwide elections in 2025.
On the other side of the debate, Torsten Dietrich, the head of the Cannabis Social Club lobby group, told AFP the legalisation law “could go a lot further”.
The move did however mean the “decriminalisation of several million people in Germany who have been senselessly discriminated against”, Dietrich said at today’s rally.
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Of course they did, because it makes sense. Maybe now ze sensible und influential Germans have seen the light, the other European nations will follow their good example
@Art Vandelay: it’s just such a pity that it has some unfortunate side effects.
People who use marijuana are more likely to develop temporary psychosis (not knowing what is real, hallucinations, and paranoia) and long-lasting mental disorders, including schizophrenia (a type of mental illness where people might see or hear things that are not really there).
On a plus side, users may see houses that are not really there.
@Thomas Sheridan: i think ill just throw a hand grenade and say its a gateway drug ….and off we go
@Thomas Sheridan: Use of high potency cannabis in early adulthood increases the risk of developing psychosis. This is true. To prevent 1 case of psychosis in a male, about 2,000 adult male cannabis smokers would have to stop smoking cannabis. So, the risk is fairly low. The biggest modifiable risk factor for developing psychosis is growing up in a city, and the risk increases with the size of the city and the length of time living there. Should we prohibit cities? Alcohol is one of the most damaging substances in terms of health. Yet it is legal. Attempts to prohibit alcohol have failed and often resulted in more harm due to lack of regulation of alcohol content. These are not simple issues
@Thomas Sheridan: What a load of uninformed, misleading nonsense.
@Tom D: An immediate family member of my own was in the 1%. After 2 years of indescribable horror, trying to get him to take medication and 2 more years on same he now has the hope of leading a normal life. There is no doubt residual side effects that remain but are very manageable and may dull in time, but the loneliness, anxiety, hallucinations, mania, verbal abuse, terror etc. etc. were terrifying to witness. Thankfully he had no will to commit suicide or harm to others which many have with psychosis. Cannabis use, particularly regular use, is a huge contributor to psychosis. After living through this I am frightened for many people who have loved ones who smoke this (or indeed take any form of drug). This is a dangerous precedent … what’s next)!
@Lydia Mcloughlin: “Cannabis use, particularly regular use, is a huge contributor to psychosis” – Can you provide evidence to support this claim? Not anecdotal stories; actual scientific, quantitative, objective evidence to support the claim that cannabis is “huge contributor to psychosis”.
@Lydia Mcloughlin: I’m sorry to hear about your family member, and I’m glad to hear he’s doing better now. The only point I’d like to make is that this happened to him under prohibition. It’s an example of the failure of prohibition to reduce the harms of cannabis. In fact, prohibition may have directly caused (or exacerbated) what happened to him. Prohibition incentives the production of stronger and stronger strains of cannabis, while at the same time making it impossible to know the THC content of the cannabis purchased on the black market, or indeed if it has been contaminated with anything else. If he could have purchased low-THC cannabis, produced under strict quality control, perhaps he would never have developed psychosis at all.
@mani mus: Possibly however based on his care over the years they are leaning toward his being one of the very unfortunate ones that simply was likely to develop psychosis on any amount of it though of course they cannot say for sure. It appears many people now cannot (or don’t want to) handle any normal healthy amount of stress in their lives but rather want to dull it. This of course is by all means of drug alcohol, cannabis, ordinary cigarettes – its all a very sad state of affairs really.
@Conrad Stapletwin: https://childmind.org/article/marijuana-and-psychosis/
@Conrad Stapletwin: Some more bedside reading for you, another of many. I genuinely hope you never have to experience a loved one going through psychosis, schizophrenia or the likes of.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9448725/
@Conrad Stapletwin: I was only informed by articles from reputable medical colleges, buy you know better, so perhaps you could remind us of your qualifications.
@Lydia Mcloughlin: These studies indicate that cannabis use may trigger a disorder in young people that are prone to psychotic illness. The proportion of young people that are prone to psychotic illness is a tiny percentage of total potential users. Blanket statments such as “cannabis use is a huge contributor to psychosis” are misleading. It’s more accurate to say that cannabis use could result in psychotic illness for those with existing underlying risk factors.
I have a family member that suffers mental health issues and I’ve found alcohol to be more detrimental to their wellbeing; far more so than cannabis.
The point being that blanket statments such lack nuance, mislead others and neglect the fact that there are many contributing, causal factors to numerous mental health conditions.
@Thomas Sheridan: Please provide links and sources to these reputable medical colleges.
@Roy Dowling: No
@Lydia Mcloughlin: It’s pretty unfortunate for the minute decimal of a percentage of people whom this could effect. Certainly they will come into contact with Cannabis regardless of legislation. Nowhere should we set the standards of society based on such a tiny number. There is probably a higher percentage of deaths, injuries or mental illness from random happenings… The best solution is to identify these biological threats in people as early as possible so they can know to avoid particular substances.
@Thomas Sheridan: I took out all the bread knives from the kitchen recently for fear of a stabbing frenzy happening
Gateway knife
pS You’re talking nonsense
Legalise it, tax it, use the money to create drug treatment and education centres, take the money out of the hands and pockets of the Drug dealers.
Fair play ze Germans! Makes sense to leave people alone with that that does not harm them. As alcohol slowly succumbs to reality, young people are turning away from it, too expensive and really it’s not very good for you, people are way more health conscious turning to oils, edibles, vapours and the wide variety of healthier options that cannabis offers, also for it’s medical qualities (all vastly documented on the internet). Grower communities worldwide are putting the ridiculous prohibition argument to bed while systematically evolving grow science and eradicating all the nasty BS that comes with an illegal marketplace in terms of chemicals a sprays. You don’t need to make a tourist industry out of it, you don’t need coffeeshop culture. Let people grow at home.
Glückwunsch! An occasional bowl of nutritious green is a wonderful thing!
There is zero chance of returning the cat to the bag.
(NB don’t put cats in bags)
Cannabis is used by far too many people across all levels of society, age groups and belief systems for its continuing illegality to be anything other than a waste of everyone’s time. That’s before we get to personal liberty.
As ever, every single thing that opponents come up with as a reason to keep the status quo makes no sense. The youth are always dragged into it. As if they can’t get their hands on it anyway. The strongest most processed variants with the highest risks. There’s nothing like the determination of a teenager to push the boundaries if they have that sort of personality. I know. I was one. Legal status made zero difference.
If the authorities are genuinely worried about people’s mental health, legalisation is the only way forward. Give people the option of buying weed that’s the equivalent to having a beer not a glass of absinthe!
@SerotoninWars: The cat was never in the bag,there has been nearly a century of misguided attempts to put the cat in a bag which has only resulted in the previously calm quiet cat becoming increasingly irritated and vocal about not wanting to go into the bag.
Alcohol makes me sick,depressed,filled with anxiety, while smoke(if its good quality)makes me feel chilled and happy. So why is it illegal in the first place.
@HisMastersAlibi: Two rich lads in ‘murcaw wanted all the money in the world.
In our so called democracy we have way to many restrictions & T s and C s. To many people get a say in our personal lives. We are coerced salves to a few control by people whom get on their high horse.
The only thing that should be illegal is coercion , abuse, murder, rape.
You should be free to do whatever and only be controlled under public order offences. As we all should have a right to peacefully enjoyment of our Earth.
@Be Lucky: Especially on your own property!!… unfortunately the zealots want to climb over your fence to tell you what you can and cant do.
I’m on the fence about this. Cannabis has proven to contribute to Schizophrenia, depression in young people , and further drug use. Mental health issues in Ireland have increased because there’s no centre of excellence for these kinds of issues. Maybe if it was legalised, there can be some kind of control. But Ireland has failed to have any kind of sensible service in place.
@Annette: alcohol is a known depressant yet is legally peddled in every city, town, village across the country. Alcohol is far more detrimental to one’s health than cannabis. Nevermind the crime and anti social behaviour as a result of alcohol consumption.
@Niall English: Yes, but does two wrongs make it right?
@Annette: I think it’s about taking the most sober, adult and rational approach. It’s not going anywhere. Young people can get their hands on it anyway so what’s the point of keeping it illegal with all of the negative things that come attached with that status?
I agree that young people’s mental health is hugely important but would it not be better to provide the ones that are going to fire ahead and test the waters with something safer and less potent? Normalise the lighter strains and provide as much accurate information and safety netting as possible?
There’s something irresistible about forbidden fruit to a certain type of personality and many young people who are testing the waters. Goodness knows how many of us have ended up getting violently ill after hitting the spirits our first time drinking! Clueless and grabbing whatever is available. It’s no different with something like cannabis. A more level headed, less moralistic approach to the fact humans have been trying to reach altered states since the beginning of time could make such a difference.
@Niall English: Adults who use marijuana are five times more likely to develop an alcohol use disorder (AUD) —alcohol abuse or dependence— compared with adults who do not use the drug. And adults who already have an alcohol use disorder and use marijuana are more likely to see the problem persist.
@Thomas Sheridan: Put another way, a person with a substance abuse issue is likely to misuse several substances.
@SerotoninWars: All I know is there’s hugh mental health issues in this country, which is not helped by lack of proper care. If you go into Dublin any day of the week, you will see proof of this. A friend of mine has a daughter who developed schizophrenia now, self medicating and on the streets, and she’s not the only one. There is no proper psychiatric care in this country. I can’t advocate for more misery.
@Tom D: I was going to say the same. The difference between correlation and causation should be taught in late primary school or early secondary.
@Annette: I completely understand what you are saying about mental health issues. We have to do more. The approach taken by most experts now is harm reduction. It’s an acceptance of the fact that we don’t live in an ideal world where everyone is happy and healthy and coping with life fully sober. Also the realisation that trying to ban substances out of existence is like trying to stop the rain.
I don’t think legalising cannabis will make things worse. Lighter strains, less moralising and removing it from the full clutches of the black market can only improve things. The war on drugs has been one of the most pathetic failures of policy the world has ever witnessed. It hasn’t achieved a single aim, only made things worse by every single metric. We need to face the facts as they are, not as we’d like them to be and try to reduce harm and make things that are going to happen anyway, as safe as possible.
@Thomas Sheridan: Please provide a source for this claim – where was the research conducted and where can it be viewed to provide evidence to corroborate the claim you have made?
@SerotoninWars: Well said.
(I don’t even partake & you’ve put a convincing case for natural choices.)
@Annette: Every study I’ve read seems to implicate artificial strains which are apparently untested and far far stronger. Whereas most people in favour of a legal choice are advocating for the homegrown cannabis option, plus the option to grow and sell a limited amount of plants under license. I honestly don’t think you need to be concerned about natural, herbal cannabis. Certainly the effects of alcohol are damaging to mental and physical health and that doesn’t make alcohol illegal, because most people don’t abuse it. Certainly Ireland needs plenty of public healthcare and surely a tax on cannabis might fund clinics where people could access support, without being criminals?
@F Fitzgerald: Thank you. I really believe that this goes far beyond people being able to do what they want and to hell with anyone who suffers any negative consequences. It’s about finding the best solution to something there’s no going back from. The fact that legalisation would make safer, lighter options available has to be a good thing for mental health all-round. Mental health issues should be taken very seriously and this is an opportunity to improve things on that front. It just makes no sense for something that is already widely available in every single town to be left wholly to the black market with zero oversight, regulation or choice.
@Annette: By this logic would you support a ban on the sale of alcohol? A substance which is proven to be far more damaging to both physical and mental health than cannabis.
@Thomas Sheridan: Where do you get these numbers? Many cannabis smokers don’t drink at all.
@Niall English: THC is dangerous to any mind under the age of 23, see my comment.
@Annette: more misery. Lol quite opposite I’d say. . It’s clear reading the comments that those advocating against have never tried it. My aunt would complain to me about how dangerous it was ( never tried it) while she was taking oxycontin ( prescribed heroin) for sore knees, given to her by her GP.
@Solar Luna: Your claim is false. Please educate yourself before posting demonstrably false and misleading nonsense.
@Annette: A country that glorifies alcohol has mental health problems? Shocking…
@Conrad Stapletwin: Excellent point – and there’s a set age limit for legal consumption of alcohol. Nothing to stop other EU countries from allowing legal adults to use cannabis, which is far milder and introducing more accurate testing so people are comparing like like like.
@Annette: legalisation of pot is not ‘wrong’. so invalidates your point.
@Annette: being opposed to legalising marijuana in Ireland based on fine gael’s broken healthcare and total absence of proper Mh care is just narrow mindedness and straight out of the parish orientated book of being regressive which is endemic here.
Fools Day maybe???
@Gerry Madden: Nein
It’ll stop vulnerable children from being groomed by dealers to transport and sell the stuff.
Only thing that bothers me about weed is the smell of it Dublin City centre smells like a grow house
@Pat o Keeffe: better than the smell of urine and vomit on an early morning.
@Niall English: We’ve that also though.
@Pat o Keeffe: No, it doesn’t. Sure, you get the occasional waft, but don’t let the truth get in the way of your hyperbolic outrage
@Pat o Keeffe: The stench of tobacco is far worse.
@Art Vandelay: I’m far from outraged Art as I said the only slight thing and I mean very slight is the smell of the stuff and I personally see no reason why it shouldn’t be legalised I have no doubt alcohol is far more destructive yes I exaggerated when I said Dublin City centre smells like a grow house but it is everywhere these days the smell is far more punget than resin which was all you could get back in my day in the 80s
Ireland will do the same in 100 years
Liberals introducing liberties again
@9QRixo8H: The opposite actually… Freedom of choice Peader… ‘Don’t tread on me’ etc.
Hooray, we will now get a smile and a laugh from the Germans.
Our turn next?
Well we can hope.
Another nail in the coffin of the anti-weed lobby. Great work stoners!
Those under 23 will end up with psychological problems from it because the THC levels have been increased by cultivaton but the counter psychosis chemicals to counteract THC haven’t…
@Solar Luna: There are virtually thousands of strains out there with varying THC to CBD ratios each producing a different type of effect. To claim that only THC levels have increased by cultivation is complete and utter nonsense. To claim that the effect be it positive or negative suddenly stops at age 23 is ludicrous. You are either deliberately misleading or you’re severely nescient on this topic.
@Solar Luna: Then lobby politicians with your medical sources to legalise it for over 25s.
@Solar Luna: jeepers. What a face-plant of a comment. Unfortunately most Irish people will make their decision based on the exact same lack of information.
Reading many of the comments it feels like people are offended for the ones which are not offended.
Legalizing cannabis will have the opposite effect of what the doomsday callers hope.
People who until now had to buy things in the shadows and great risk can now freely buy and give it a try…. And will experience that it might not be for them and realize it was only interesting as long as it was hard to get and sort of illegal “to be part of something”
I know nothing about cannabis, but now that the Germans are legalising it, I presume it will be made by a proper pharmaceutical company with quality control and health and safety standards etc etc ?
@Sean Walsh: Pharmaceutical companies don’t make Cannabis, but you are correct that quality control and safety standards will be dramatically improved in Germany due to its legalisation.
@Sean Walsh: thanks be to god, pharma companies do not currently manufacture cannabis products
ITS gas the way they always shoehorn in the same talk of so-called ‘experts’ who claim that cannabis causes psychosis. As a string supporter of legalisation, I rarely if ever see any explanation as to who these experts are or why they have this agenda
And yet, it’s illegal in Germany to grow more than 6 sqm of poppies in your garden
Oh Great Ireland is gonna follow as it always does, all we need is the smell of hash everywhere. And drivers off their heads and teens owing hundreds to Drug Dealers
@Kevin Daly: Lol. ‘dealers’
@Thesaltyurchin: I love how he puts Drug Dealers in capitals. Even after a fat indica basic grammar doesn’t escape me!
@Kevin Daly: I know from my grandparents that Irish people all over the country used to grow mild strains of plants on farms, if you go back a few generations, at a time when many people didn’t even drink alcohol. Let’s not get too paranoid here. Drunks aren’t great to deal with and you’re worried about being able to smell a smell?
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