Officials in Germany intend to move forward with a toned-down version of cannabis legalization after abandoning — at least temporarily — a more comprehensive proposal that would have brought about legal cannabis sales throughout the nation. Karl Lauterbach, the nation’s health minister, had promised to introduce new marijuana regulations by the end of March this year.
The new model, which consists of two parts, was first reported by Zeit and aims to legalize cannabis countrywide without breaking EU regulations. The model will, for four years, permit restricted cannabis sales in some areas, much like a pilot program. In doing so, officials would be able to observe how reforms were being implemented in both urban centers and more rural areas. The program can then be expanded to other regions of the nation if it is deemed successful.
Lauterbach’s plan would also permit Germans to cultivate marijuana for personal use. While the latter part of the plan would require review by the EU Commission, the former would not, according to reports.
Although specifics of the homegrow rules have not been decided, reports indicate that the proposal would permit consumers to own up to 30 marijuana plants. Additionally, independent cultivators can distribute the produce among themselves via “marijuana clubs.” These clubs are already legal in Spain and the Netherlands.
Last year, government representatives from the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and Malta met to talk about legalizing marijuana. Moreover, the country’s federal cabinet approved a preliminary outline for a legalization bill at the end of last year, but the government wanted European Union approval to make sure that enacting the legislation wouldn’t violate international obligations.
Under that preliminary framework, persons older than 18 years of age would have legal access to possess up to 30 grams of cannabis, which could be bought from establishments with federal licenses. Eligible persons could also cultivate up to three marijuana plants for their own use, subject to restrictions on enclosure to keep minors out.
The plan calls for a special consumption tax in addition to the nation’s sales tax being applied to marijuana. And after the reform is put into effect, all ongoing criminal cases involving offenses that are now legal will be halted.
Earlier this month, Lauterbach stated that officials would be revising the proposal before introducing a bill in parliament as they had received “positive feedback” from the EU The framework was the result of several months of analysis and discussion between the German government and the nation’s coalition government. A series of hearings intended to inform legislation to end the nation’s prohibition were launched last summer by officials as a steppingstone toward legalization.
As more countries around the world take steps to end the prohibition of marijuana, many companies such as IGC Pharma Inc. (NYSE American: IGC) are going a step further to develop medicines from compounds extracted from this plant, and these compounds are expected to gain the approval of regulators once the the clinical development process has been successfully completed.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to IGC Pharma Inc. (NYSE American: IGC) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/IGC
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