Germany Takes Big Strides towards Cannabis Regulation

In Germany some three million citizens recognise smoking cannabis regularly, almost five times more than those who report only having tried it. It is still illegal to consume it in the country, so one of marijuana lovers' struggles in the coming years is going to be its regulation.

The president of the German Cannabis Association and renowned activist Georg Wurth wants to improve the social image of those who smoke in a responsible way, leading him to criticise drug dealers who sell dangerous substances. “The problems with diluters have increased dramatically in recent years. Some add sugar and liquid plastic that dries the marijuana,” he indicated.

The regulation of cannabis in some US states seems to have heartened proponents of legalisation in Germany, who wish to imitate the policies being adopted on the other side of the Atlantic in order to prevent illegal trafficking in marijuana. The promoters are drawing upon experts in the matter: in 2013 a group of 122 Criminal Law professors met at the University of Bremen to campaign in favour of cannabis in the country.

Now the Christian Democrat spokesman in the German Parliament, Joachim Pfeiffer, and a member of the Greens, Dieter Janecek, want to join forces to do the same thing. After having won their support, Lorenz Bollinger, the founder of that group of experts, hopes that the Social Democrats will soon back the cause.

Even some Police officials are in favour: Hubert Wimber, the police chief in the locality of Münster, population almost 300,000, has publicly endorsed legalisation, having concluded that prohibition has not yielded positive results.