Last spring, hundreds of people gathered under the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin to celebrate the legalisation of recreational cannabis use in Germany.
The law aims to counter a growing illicit market in Europe, although some fear it will encourage consumption among young people. Germany is the third EU country to legalise cannabis, sparking a debate across Europe.
Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in Europe, with almost a third of adults having tried it at least once. While possession and consumption are illegal in most countries, nine tolerate certain practices, and cannabis is legal under certain conditions in Luxembourg, Malta and Germany.
Impact on the therapeutic market
The new German legalisation also opens up prospects for the medical cannabis market. As for Demecan, one of the largest producers of medical cannabis in Europe
“Until April, we were only allowed to grow two varieties of plants, chosen by the government, which we had to deliver directly to them. We are now free to produce new varieties that we no longer have to sell to the state, but that we can sell directly to pharmacies and patients,” explains Adrian Fischer, co-founder of Demecan.
“The market is much more accessible. Previously, prescribing medical cannabis in Germany was very difficult. And that is no longer the case. We have seen a market growth of almost 50% from one quarter to the next in Germany.”
An impossible progression for cannabis social clubs, non-profit associations, the only ones authorized to distribute recreational cannabis.
“Users must either grow it themselves or join these clubs that are highly regulated and are not allowed to make money,” explains Adrian Fischer.
A project to create specialized and controlled stores, planned in an initial version of the new law, was abandoned, under European regulations prohibiting drug trade.
European regulations
A legislation that deserves to be clarified, according to Adrian Fischer, calling for common European rules for both the medical cannabis market and the recreational cannabis market.
Brendan Hugues, a lawyer at EUDA, the European drugs agency, discusses the conflicting objectives of legalization: combating the illegal market while avoiding the normalisation of consumption.
The economic benefits of a regulated legalisation of recreational cannabis, in the form of tax revenues, are also part of the ongoing debate, observes Brendan Hugues. But the emphasis is more on controlling the quality of the product, underlines the scientist.
“Security is something that Europe puts forward much more than the idea of making money.”
The debate is underway in several countries of the European Union.
The experiment conducted in Germany could however be short-lived.
The conservative parties, given favorites in the elections next February, have stated their intention to revoke the law on the regulated use of recreational cannabis.
