Officials within Germany’s federal government are reportedly pushing for a bill to legalise cannabis in the country to be drawn up “as soon as possible”.
Kirsten Kappert-Gonther, a Green MP within the German parliament, has called for the Federal Health Minister to present a draft law that would legalise cannabis in the country “as soon as possible”, a report on Wednesday has claimed.
The issue has been a hot-button topic within the Bundestag for some time, despite the fact that the country has also largely failed to address its woeful energy situation which has seen inflation rise to its highest level in the country’s post-war history last year.
According to a report by Die Welt, Kappert-Gonther, who serves as the Green party’s health spokeswoman within parliament, emphasised that cannabis legalisation has already been agreed upon within Germany’s three-party ruling coalition, which consists of the Greens with the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD, red), as well as the Free Democratic Party (FDP, yellow).
Now, the main issue getting in the way of legalisation is the country’s Health Minister, Karl Lauterbach, who has yet to publish a draft bill that would legalise the substance.
“The controlled release of cannabis is agreed in the coalition agreement,” the health representative said. “The Minister of Health must now present a draft law in a timely manner.”
“I’m committed to making it happen as soon as possible,” the Green MP went on to say.
Die Welt goes on to note that — while the country’s government does want to legalise the drug — it is possible that Eurocrats from Brussels may block the legislation should they feel it interferes with EU law.
According to polling taken last year, Germans are split on whether cannabis should be legalised, with 46 per cent backing the government’s plan to legislate for the drug, while another 46 per cent reportedly believe it should remain illegal.
However, what Germans are likely to be less split on is the current energy crisis, which has seen consumers in the country have to spend more to heat their home, fuel their cars and feed their families.
While politicians in the country argue over whether and to what extent cannabis will be purchasable in the country, a press release from Germany’s statistics agency Destatis indicates that the country’s yearly inflation was approaching eight per cent.
Although this figure has yet to be finalised, should it prove accurate, it would reportedly mean that the country saw inflation rise to its highest point ever since the end of the second world war.
To make matters worse, it remains unclear whether 2023 will be any better for the country, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warning late last year that the entirety of the EU was likely to have a gas deficit in the tens of billions of cubic meters heading into next winter.