Markus Söder expressed his concerns on Tuesday regarding the planned legalization of cannabis, fearing that it would lead to a complete mental standstill. Klaus Holetschek went even further and expressed himself unambiguously.
After a cabinet meeting on Tuesday afternoon, Bavaria’s Minister President Markus Söder (CSU) did not want to comment on the topic of cannabis. However, he could not refrain from making a statement: ‘This will lead to complete mental oblivion – this proposal with drug clubs,’ said Söder. In his opinion, allowing drugs but banning sweets or dairy products is one of the worst preparations for a law. For the Bavarian state government, milk has priority over marijuana.
Bavaria’s Minister of Health, Klaus Holetschek, shares the concerns about the legalization of cannabis. He described the planned law as a big mistake and sees youth protection at risk. Bavaria rejects the planned model projects by Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) and is doing everything to prevent them. Holetschek argues that model regions are incompatible with European and international law and can only be meaningful if they are used for scientific or medical purposes.
The Minister of Health is particularly concerned about the fact that cannabis is also intended to be made available to young people between the ages of 18 and 21. Since the brain is not fully developed until the age of 25, there is an increased risk of mental illnesses such as psychoses.
The legalization of cannabis in Germany is planned through a two-pillar model. The first pillar is intended to provide a quick way to legally obtain cannabis. For this purpose, Cannabis Social Clubs with a maximum of 500 members are to be established, which may grow cannabis for personal use. Each member can purchase up to 50 grams per month, except for those under 21 years old, whose monthly limit is 30 grams. Posession of up to 25 grams is allowed and can also be carried in public. For personal cultivation, up to seven seeds or five cuttings per person are allowed, but only three female plants per person may be grown. Nothing will change for those under 18 years old.
Consumption of cannabis in public is prohibited near schools or kindergartens. No smoking is allowed in pedestrian areas until 8 p.m. Minors caught with cannabis must participate in intervention and prevention programs. The second pillar is intended to conduct model projects to gain experience and further improve youth protection.
The implementation of the second pillar of the two-pillar model for cannabis legalization is scheduled to begin in the summer of this year. In a regional model project, commercial supply chains will be established and cultivation will be made even safer. The model experiments will be accompanied by scientific research and will run for a period of five years. Interim evaluations are planned to review the results and make adjustments if necessary.