Now that marijuana is legal in Germany, lawmakers are turning their attention to the planned “second pillar” of the reform: establishing a pilot program for commercial sales. And while the timeline for introducing the complementary legislation is unclear, one key lawmaker says she’s hoping to see a draft emerge this summer.
Cannabis possession and cultivation for personal officially became legal on Monday, and social clubs where people could become members and obtain marijuana are due to launch in July. But so far, there are no definitive details about what the broader commercial pilot program could look like.
“Preparatory work on the second pillar of the cannabis laws is currently underway with the departments involved,” the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) told Tagesspiegel Background. But specifics about the plan “cannot be given at the moment.”
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, who has spearheaded the government’s cannabis legalization efforts, told members of the Bundestag in December that “we are currently examining” the commercial sales legislation. But with legalization now in effect, there’s increased pressure to expedite that process.
Kristine Lütke of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) said that, while the first phase of reform represents “a paradigm shift towards a liberal drug policy,”
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