Germany’s CDU’s Reversal Promises Stall in Coalition Compromise Regarding Cannabis

The word “cannabis” was all the rage in the federal election campaign in Germany, with which the Christian Democrats courted the favor of the electorate. They railed and ranted against the cannabis law “imposed” by the traffic light government a year ago – and they did so with the promise that they would reverse everything and recriminalize the cannabis-smoking population upon taking office.

The most ardent advocate of resuming hostilities in the anti-cannabis war was (and remains) Bavaria’s Minister-President Markus Söder (CSU). As if the decriminalized cannabis users were personally on his tail, he roared like a lion against the partial legalization. At every campaign event, he swore solemnly that after seizing power, he would completely drain the hashish drug swamp throughout Germany.

Now, a few weeks later, it’s clear that the Christian Democrats have sinned against God and blatantly deceived their electorate. Mothers and fathers will continue to fear for their innocent dogs and children, who are exposed to highly toxic cannabis fumes everywhere and nowhere in the wild because of the decriminalization of linnets.

Cannabis legalization in Germany

The coalition agreement of the CDU/CSU/SPD government, which is poised to launch, does not envisage scrapping the cannabis law in its current form tomorrow to avert danger. Anti-cannabis zealots Markus Söder and Friedrich Merz have failed to fulfill their dream of persuading the Social Democrats, whom they see as completely misguided, to reverse their cannabis policy. Instead, it’s now a case of waiting and seeing.

The compromise, only mentioned in passing in the coalition agreement, is to allow the uncontrolled growth to continue after the partial release, and then to see what happens in the fall, when an “open-ended evaluation of the law legalizing cannabis” is conducted. A dispute is expected to erupt within the coalition government around the end of the year over whether the law should be reversed or tampered with with restrictions. The fact that the cannabis law has been granted a reprieve is both welcome and unfortunate.

On the one hand, the postponement offers an opportunity to increase public acceptance of partial legalization and expand the legal cannabis business; on the other, it’s a gut-punch for all those who believed the witch hunt against small-time pot smokers was over for good in Germany. Equally sobering is the fact that the CDU will take over the Federal Ministry of Health. Karl Lauterbach, the mastermind behind the cannabis law, has served his time as minister.

In the future, a Christian rather than social bureaucratic spirit will prevail in the government offices, which could culminate in all Germans once again being taken for fools for years by a Bavarian Federal Drug Commissioner. The sword of Damocles of a renewed ban on hashish and marijuana continues to hang over the heads of the slackers. But chin up, brothers and sisters! Let’s enjoy the reprieve. Let’s not bury our heads in the sand. Perhaps the heated tempers of the prohibition fanatics will cool down over the course of the legislative period – and everything will be half as bad.

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(Featured image by Wesley Gibbs via Unsplash)

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First published in HanfJournal. A third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

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