Germany's finance minister Christian Lindner has expressed confidence that recreational cannabis legalisation will go ahead next year, brushing aside concerns that European Union regulations could derail the country's plans.
Following the 2021 federal election, the Social Democratic Party, the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the Greens formed a 'traffic light' coalition under chancellor Olaf Scholz, committing to regulate cannabis and make it available for adult purchase through licensed retailers.
However, earlier this month, a leaked legal assessment from the German parliament's research service cautioned that the proposed policy could run afoul of European rules.
While that expert analysis was commissioned by the conservative Christian Democratic Union — a party opposed to legalisation — some of the concerns it raised were reported to be shared by figures inside the government.
Lindner nonetheless assured supporters at a recent FDP campaign event in Lower Saxony, where demonstrators were holding signs bearing hemp leaves and the phrase "A bag with Christian Lindner," that legalisation would go ahead in the coming year.
Justice minister Marco Buschmann had similarly expressed optimism in May 2022, saying a law could be passed by the following spring, with "the first legal joint" sold in 2023.
The coalition is aiming to table a draft bill before the end of 2022 or in the first months of next year.
Australian companies are currently prohibited from exporting cannabis to adult-use markets, but Germany has been flagged as a major opportunity for the sector should that restriction be lifted.
