After their most recent elections Germany entered a three way coalition to form a government. One of the key aspects of the negotiation was for the Free Democrats party to join the coalition upon the promise of cannabis legislation. Yet despite the talk Germany is yet to legalise cannabis.
Within Europe, Malta remains the only nation to have legalised recreational use of cannabis. The Netherlands has decriminalised the drug, but technically the drug is still not legal.
The process for Germany remains tricky though. There are some key questions yet to be answered. Firstly, where will the cannabis come from?
Were they to import from abroad, for example Morocco they could be impeded by the United Nations drug conventions which haven’t been updated since 1960.
Nations such as Canada and Uruguay have technically broke these conventions but haven’t suffered any punishment.
It is estimated that 4 million people within Germany currently consume cannabis which would approximately mean a total market value of $4 billion. Revenue from taxing this industry plus removing expenditure on the police by no longer prosecuting users could earn Germany $5 billion per year.
With the stature of Germany within the European Union many of its neighbours will be paying close attention to their legalisation process and could possibly follow in their footsteps.
According to SPD MP Dirk Heidenblut his estimate for the legalisation process could take up until 2024. Until then the first step would be to decriminalise cannabis and once complete the dominoes may fall.
