Legalizing cannabis in Germany, first government measure – The HuffPost

Maya Hitij via AP

GERMANY – An astonishing introduction. This Wednesday, November 24, germany adopted a government almost two months after the legislative elections. In power, a “traffic light” coalition with the Greens, the Liberals (yellow) and the Social Democrats (red) under the leadership of Olaf Scholz. Their first announcement? The legalization of cannabis.

After legislative elections marked by a historic debacle for the conservative camp ofAngela Merkel, the social democrat Olaf Scholz will become the next chancellor of the first European economy, in an unprecedented alliance with the Greens and the liberal party of the FDP.

Three key ministries have been allocated to these two formations. For the Greens, Foreign Affairs and a vast Ministry of Climate Protection and the Economy, while the FDP will be in charge of Finance. The names of the holders have not yet been announced, but some are already foreseen: Annalena Baerbock, unsuccessful candidate of the Greens for the chancellery, for diplomacy; Christian Lindner, FBP leader, on the stock exchange and environmental co-chair Robert Habeck, philosophy graduate and bestselling writer, for the environment.

The three parties signed a coalition “contract” entitled “Daring for more progress. Alliance for Freedom, Justice and Sustainability ”and which gives pride of place to the protection of the environment, in particular with an anticipated exit from coal in 2030, against 2038 previously. Another measure announced in the wake: their desire to legalize cannabis.

One more step after medical cannabis

Germany had already given the green light in 2017 to cannabis for therapeutic use. Legalization is therefore a further step.

“We are introducing the controlled distribution of cannabis to adults for consumption in licensed stores,” announces the government contract presented by the three coalition parties.

This mini-revolution in the country “will make it possible to control the quality, to prevent the transmission of contaminated substances and to guarantee the protection of the youth”, specifies the document, adding that “the social impact of the law” would be evaluated after four years.

The new coalition between Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals also wants to develop “drug-checking” operations, intended to verify that drugs are not cut with other substances.

Among the other flagship measures, which the new and unprecedented team in power in Germany, wants to implement include the return to budgetary rigor from 2023.

The end of Merkel’s 16 years

Olaf Scholz, 63, who is to be appointed chancellor in early December by members of the Bundestag, must now present this agreement to the press. Germany will then turn the page on the Merkel years, which has only been managing current affairs for a month.

The result of a compromise, the “coalition contract” between the three parties defines all the economic, environmental and societal reforms that the next government, whose composition will soon be known, will implement.

It was developed in record time: after exploratory discussions, Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals got to the heart of the matter on October 21 with the constitution of more than twenty working groups.

On the evening of the elections, everyone had expressed their desire to go quickly so as not to repeat the scenario of 2017 when Angela Merkel took more than five months to form her government, paralyzing Europe.

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