In Line with the Zeitgeist, Germany Legalizes Cannabis

As of April 1, the consumption and possession of cannabis are legal for adults in Germany. For 18 year olds and over, possession of 25 grams for personal consumption will be allowed, which can also be carried in public areas. In terms of volume and weight, this is roughly comparable to two heaping tablespoons of potting soil. In their private homes, consumers may keep up to 50 grams of dried cannabis, and are authorized to grow a maximum of three cannabis plants. Harvesting is only permitted for personal consumption and not to give to others, while purchase of cannabis is restricted to membership in a special cannabis club which has to be registered.

The legislation was approved by the three-party government majority in the Bundestag based on the argument that decriminalization would make consumption easier to control than letting the issue being handled by the black markets. The fact that the Greens and the liberal Free Democrats voted in favor of the legalization is not surprising, but the green light from the Social Democrats is. Their giving in to the wishes of the other two coalition partners may have a lot to do with the hope of securing certain new constituencies, to make up for all those who have deserted the SPD. About four million Germans are said to consume cannabis often or regularly, certainly a significant number of voters – provided they care about voting at all…

In an interview April 4 with Sueddeutsche Zeitung, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder voiced his shock at this and other social projects of his SPD, which has sunk in the polls to a miserable 15%. “If I had been at 15%, I would have resigned immediately,” he said, referring to party leaders Saskia Esken and Lars Klingbeil. “Many people get the impression that they care more about gender, cannabis and things like that in Berlin. My party has lost its compass.”

Police, law enforcement officials, drug prevention experts and teachers have massively protested against the legalization, but to no avail. “This law is not enforceable”, complained Leipzig’s police chief René Demmler. One reason is that they have “no resources for comprehensive checks” which are implied in the second paragraph of the new law. This lists the places where the “public consumption of cannabis” is still prohibited, namely: schools, daycare centers, sports facilities, and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in pedestrian zones and on playgrounds.

The CGTN radio program World Today asked Helga Zepp-LaRouche on April 2 for her comments on the legalization of marijuana. She pointed out that drug use damages the mind and distracts citizens from addressing the very real crises the world faces. She also refuted the idea that legalization would somehow dry up the black market. Moreover, there are many examples of intelligence agencies having used drugs to control populations throughout history — as seen in the devastating Opium Wars against China.