German Politician Says Vote on Cannabis Legalization Bill Postponed Until December

Germany’s adult-use cannabis legalization bill, which was expected to pass the Bundestag and take effect before the end of the year, will not receive a vote until December.

Bundestag member Carmen Wegge, of the Social Democratic Party, wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the legislation “will be decided in December. This means that we are not keeping to the schedule. I know this is a huge disappointment for many. That’s why this decision wasn’t easy for anyone. However, well-designed improvements are in all of our interests.”

While it remains to be seen what final tweaks are made to the legalization bill, the postponed vote means its enactment is likely pushed to 2024.

Germany’s initial plans to legalize adult-use cannabis leaked to the media in October 2022. The leaked “cornerstone paper” that was being circulated among government officials at the time stemmed from a months-long inquiry by Burkhard Blienert, Germany’s commissioner on narcotic drugs.

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German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach then presented the cornerstone paper on initial plans for an adult-use legalization bill to Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s cabinet last fall, and indicated that the government would only proceed with the proposal if it were approved by the European Union.

Berlin then held talks on the legalization plan with the EU’s executive commission, and following those discussions, in April 2023, German officials announced plans to alter their approach to cannabis legalization based on feedback received by the commission.

While Germany’s initial legalization proposal included sales through licensed shops, the revised approach would instead allow for home cultivation and distribution through nonprofit organizations called “cannabis clubs.”

German officials unveiled a draft bill in July that laid out the first pillar of a two-pillar approach to legalization.

The proposed first pillar of policy reform would allow adults 18 and older to possess up to 25 grams of cannabis and grow up to three plants for personal use, as well as establish the cannabis social clubs, where members could receive a limited amount of cannabis.

The second pillar of legalization would tackle regulations to establish regional pilot programs with commercial supply chains.