EXCLUSIVE: German Cannabis Legalization, Key Figures Say Celebrate Now But The Struggle Continues
As night fell over the mythic Brandenburger Door in Berlin, thousands gathered to share the news and accomplishment of cannabis decriminalization for personal consumption and freedom to roll a blunt or two.
“It was a great feeling of relief when the final decision was made,” Georg Wurth, longtime cannabis activist and lobbyist for the Hemp Industry told Benzinga.
The decriminalization of cannabis and the new regulatory framework for home cultivation and Social Clubs is a milestone in European cannabis reform. Wurth and his team of advocates celebrated what seemed unlikely just one year ago.
“I saw hurdles coming up all the time,” he said. “It was a very narrow game in both German parliamentary chambers. I’m, convinced the law would not exist today if we didn’t organize massive protests with email campaigns and kind of burning down the whole internet.”
Cautious optimism was shared by Fabian Steinmetz, a regulatory toxicology expert and influencer.
“Since the coalition contract was published in autumn 2021, I described the probability for legalization to be approximately 50% and for a significant improvement (e.g. decriminalization) to be approximately
80%. And I was quite right,” Steinmetz said.
The Struggle Continues
Looking forward, this milestone might become just a stepping stone …