Health minister Karl Lauterbach has confirmed that Germany's coalition government plan to legalise adult-use cannabis will not allow recreational imports from overseas.
At a Berlin press conference, Lauterbach detailed several changes to the preliminary plan that was leaked the previous week by the RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland media network.
The home-grow allowance was raised from two plants to three, and the 15% THC cap that appeared in the earlier document was removed, with potency limits now applying only to those aged 18 to 21.
The plan nonetheless maintains that domestic production alone can satisfy demand, dashing hopes that the reforms might create an export opening for Australian and New Zealand cannabis companies.
Under the scheme, which has been approved by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's cabinet, adults carrying between 20 and 30 grams of cannabis would no longer face criminal charges.
Cannabis would be available through licensed retailers and potentially through pharmacies as well.
Lauterbach said: “If this law comes to pass, it would be the most liberal project to legalise cannabis in Europe, but also the most regulated market. It could be a model for Europe.”
On the question of whether the plan might breach European Union or international drug laws, the minister said the proposal would be submitted to the European Commission for a preliminary review before any further action is taken.
“If this preliminary examination clearly showed that this path would not be viable for the European Commission, then we would not develop a bill on this basis,” he added.
Subject to the outcome of that review, draft legislation could be ready by Q1, 2023, with a possible implementation date the following year.
Writing on LinkedIn, Foliumed founder and CEO Oliver Zugel said: “Only if the EU Commission sides with the German Government on their interpretation of conformity with international treaties will the position paper be turned into draft law, otherwise all could be back to square one… [There’s] still a long way to go to solve the puzzle.”
