Germany legalises possession of Cannabis (Drug) for personal use

[Cricket Warrior]

The German parliament has approved controversial plans to legalise the personal use of cannabis.

The measure was passed by Germany's lower house, the Bundestag, on Friday.

From 1 April, adults will be able to buy up to 25 grams (one ounce) of the drug a day, or up to 50 grams (two ounces) per month for recreational use.

The figure will be capped at 30 grams a month for under-21s.

Users will also be able to grow up to three plants each for private consumption.

Germany's upper house, which represents 16 state governments, could in principle delay the legislation, though it does not formally require the chamber's approval.

Bavaria's conservative state government has also said it would examine whether legal action could be taken to halt the law.

The plans, part of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's social reform programme, passed by 407 votes to 226 on Friday.

The measures were previously scheduled to become law at the start of the year, but got held up following resistance from some lawmakers in Mr Scholz's ruling three-party coalition.


Source: SKY News

 

[The Bald Eagle]

A stupid decision that will be revoked years later after destroying several lives.

 

[sweep_shot]

Terrible from Germany.

Cannabis should never be legal. It makes people go high, damages their brains, and makes them do stupid things.

Not to mention, cannabis have terrible smells.

 

[Technics 1210]

Terrible from Germany.

Cannabis should never be legal. It makes people go high, damages their brains, and makes them do stupid things.

Not to mention, cannabis have terrible smells.

More people have died from alcohol than any drug known to man.

Everything you mention about Cannabis, also applies to Alcohol.

Funny how governments in the West will not ban Alcohol, but tax it instead.

Good move by Germany, it will no doubt reduce crime and drug smuggling, as it has in Netherlands.

 

[sweep_shot]

More people have died from alcohol than any drug known to man.

Everything you mention about Cannabis, also applies to Alcohol.

Funny how governments in the West will not ban Alcohol, but tax it instead.

Good move by Germany, it will no doubt reduce crime and drug smuggling, as it has in Netherlands.

Alcohol should be banned too. Safety hazard.

Many drivers cause deadly crashes after getting drunk.

 

[Suleiman]

Disgusting. The stench the people who engage in this drug can be smelt from a mile away. Smells like cat ****

 

[Statpadder Inc]

Some people really need to get out of their medieval mentality. Banning weed was a massive failure.

Regulating and taxing it is the proper, scientific thing to do.

Good on Germany

 

[BouncerGuy]

Either they should ban all these substances or else it will not help the cause. Cannabis has some medicinal properties but legalizing it on the whole in the name of personal use is not a good step to take.

 

[sweep_shot]

Some people really need to get out of their medieval mentality. Banning weed was a massive failure.

Regulating and taxing it is the proper, scientific thing to do.

Good on Germany

You want people to be high and drunk. That's harmful.

Don't be selfish. Focus on greater good.

 

[Statpadder Inc]

You want people to be high and drunk. That's harmful.

Don't be selfish. Focus on greater good.

I have never touched alcohol and weed in my life, but I know that I can't stop other people from doing the same.

Banning things doesn't work, the war on drugs failed in the us. In India, states that have banned alcohol have a massive underground black market

 

[sweep_shot]

Disgusting. The stench the people who engage in this drug can be smelt from a mile away. Smells like cat ****

I was once inside a bus and this Caribbean/African dude came in with cannabis smell.

The smell was one of the worst smells I had ever smelled.

 

[UP]

A stupid decision that will be revoked years later after destroying several lives.

Cannabis became legal in Canada in 2017. Canada is doing just fine with it.

 

[Hitman]

Their country, their rules!

Marijuanna in my state, till the BJP Govt came to power here in 2016, was easily available in most of the small pan shops. No action was taken against them. You could just walk to a pan shop and get it from there. They'll ask you a couple of questions, and deal done!

 

[Hitman]

But things have been very, very strict since BJP came to power in my state in 2016.

 

[Suleiman]

Girlfriend who stabbed boyfriend 108 times in marijuana-induced episode smoked strain with more than 30% THC

Lawyers for the California woman who avoided prison time after stabbing her boyfriend 108 times in a marijuana-induced psychotic episode — killing him — stand behind their defense, insisting it was…

nypost.com

Ah yes… absolutely no side effects to using it recreationally.

Let’s legalize everything in the name of freedom!!!

Nothing good comes when you play with intoxicants.

Medical reasons is another story.

Unfortunately pop culture in music and movies has pedaled this myth that certain drugs are ok and it’s a sign of “progress”.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Germany's legal weed sparks calls to protect young people

Under one of the most liberal drug laws in Europe, adults in Germany will from April 1 be allowed to carry up to 25 grams of dried cannabis on them and cultivate up to three marijuana plants at home.

"From our point of view, the law as it is written is a disaster," Katja Seidel, a therapist at a drug addiction centre in Berlin, told AFP.

"Access to the product will be easier, its image will change and become more normalised, especially among young people," Seidel said, adding that she expects to see an increase in cannabis use "at least initially".

The government says decriminalising weed will hit the black market and reduce the spread of contaminated cannabis.

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, a physician himself, acknowledges cannabis can be "dangerous" especially for people under the age of 25 whose brains are still developing.

Medical experts say cannabis use among young people can affect the development of the central nervous system, leading to an increased risk of developing psychosis and schizophrenia.

Lauterbach has promised a major campaign to educate youngsters about the health risks and boost prevention programmes, but it remains unclear how much money the government plans to spend and how effective it will be.

The new legislation has some safeguards to protect young people, including a ban on smoking cannabis within 100 metres (328 feet) of a school, kindergarten, playground or sports centre.

Reaching young people

Seidel, who works at the Tannenhof Berlin-Brandenburg drug rehabilitation organisation, is one of just two staff members who visits schools in the capital and surrounding areas to talk to young people about drug addiction and prevention.

To reach all pupils in the region, "at least 10 employees" would be needed, she told AFP.

The Addiction Prevention Centre in Berlin, run by the local authorities, also wants more resources poured into raising awareness.

It shouldn't be the case that students learn about the dangers of cannabis consumption "just by chance", said Janis Schneider, who works for the centre.

Health Minister Lauterbach has promised that the government's campaign will explain, for example, "that children and young people who start smoking weed are much less likely to graduate from high school".

The federal centre for health education, linked to the health ministry, told AFP it will "assume its responsibility by expanding its prevention offers".

The planned media campaign however hasn't convinced critics. "It doesn't resonate with them, it will never work," said Boris Knoblich, a spokesman for the Tannenhof Berlin-Brandenburg organisation.

"What works is someone who goes in, talks to them over a coffee, without a teacher there," he said.

The southern state of Bavaria meanwhile is testing an online training course for teachers on how to approach the topic in the classroom.

Prevention kits

In Berlin, staff from the Tannenhof organisation bring a prevention "kit" with them on their school visits: a green suitcase emblazoned with a cannabis leaf. It contains information sheets, games and material for activities.

Students are asked to insert coloured balls into two tubes that represent arguments for and against cannabis use, resulting in a visual representation of the cons outweighing the pros in the long term.

"We spend at least three hours with them in a relaxed atmosphere. This allows students not to self-censor," said Pascal Noack from Tannenhof Berlin-Brandenburg.

According to official statistics from 2021, 8.8 percent of adults in Germany aged 18-64 admitted to consuming cannabis at least once in the preceding 12 months.. Among people aged 12-17, that number rose to nearly 10 percent.

SOURCE: AFP

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Pakistan bets on a cannabis high as its economy struggles​

When Aamir Dhedhi took his mother to India in 2014 to get treatment for Parkinson’s disease, the doctors there advised him to procure cannabidiol (CBD) oil to help her manage her pain. It was the first time that Dhedhi, a Karachi-based entrepreneur, learned about the medicinal use of the cannabis derivative.

On returning to Pakistan, the businessman ordered a small quantity of the oil from the United States. Almost instantly, it helped calm his mother’s nerves and reduce tremors, he said. Dhedhi became a firm believer in CBD’s benefits.

“Seeing the oil’s impact on my mother’s wellbeing, this has grown into a passion project for me,” the 49-year-old businessman told Al Jazeera.

While his mother eventually passed away in 2020, Dhedhi said he has since seen others get relief from CBD oil. “Now, I want to help our local growers expand their production and help spread its usage,” he said.

Dhedhi is not alone in wanting to develop a homegrown industry for medicinal cannabis.

In February, Pakistan approved the passage of an ordinance that created the Cannabis Control and Regulatory Authority (CCRA), a body tasked with “regulating the cultivation, extraction, refining, manufacturing, and sale of cannabis derivatives for medical and industrial purposes”.

Source: Al Jazeera