First day of legal marijuana in Germany goes smoothly, police say
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
The first day of legal marijuana consumption in Germany on Easter Monday saw no major reported problems, with police officials across the country telling dpa that things remained calm and uneventful.
"It was an absolutely calm start," a police spokeswoman in the eastern state of Thuringia told dpa. Police in the capital of Berlin, meanwhile, said officers carried out routine checks as part of their patrols but didn't encounter any incidents.
Beginning on Monday, German adults can legally possess, purchase or cultivate marijuana, although strict regulations and limits still apply.
The change to the law was pushed through parliament by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's centre-left coalition government.
Opposition conservatives from the CDU/CSU bloc, however, continued to call for Germany to reverse course and again outlaw marijuana in the country.
"A path that no other country in Europe is taking is certainly the wrong one. And that's why we should repeal this law," Thorsten Frei, a senior CDU/CSU lawmaker, told broadcaster RTL/ntv.
Janosch Dahmen, a Green politician, defended legalization in a Tuesday appearance on Deutschlandfunk radio. The new law will help lead to a healthier and better approach to cannabis in the country, he said.
Under the new German law, adults are allowed to carry up to 25 grams of marijuana, while no more than 50 grams can be stored at home. Up to three plants can be cultivated at home.
Public consumption of marijuana, meanwhile, remains prohibited in the vicinity of children, schools, day-care centres, playgrounds and sports grounds, among other places.
Local municipal leaders said they were still seeking clarity on how to enforce those restrictions, as well as the many regulations governing marijuana cultivation clubs allowed under the law.
"It is clear that the local regulatory authorities must not be overburdened, as there is already a lack of staff in many places," the head of the German Association of Towns and Municipalities, André Berghegger, told dpa.
