Cannabis Reform Moves Forward in Germany

In March, medical cannabis reform moved
forward significantly in Deutschland. The Green Party presented a draft law that would allow for significant
medical and possibly even recreational reform by 2016.

The measure would allow tightly controlled
growing, particularly for medical use, restrict imports, mandate local grows, and
ban vending machines and advertising. 
The Greens advocate a tax of between 6-7 euro ($7-8) per gram, which is
based on current street prices of between $11-15 per gram.

In a November 2014 poll, 80% of Germans
favored legalization for medical purposes. 
The same poll claimed that only 30% of Germans advocate its legalization
for recreational purposes, but that also may be a falsely low number and
further one that will dramatically change post legalization for medical use,
just as in the US.

There are also indications that the federal
government is ready to tackle an issue unseen in the US to date–namely covering
medical use under both private and government sponsored healthcare
insurance.  This is the major difference
so far in legalization discussions between Germany and the United States.

By Flickr user barnyz

It is still unclear how distribution would
be handled.  It may be that the drug will
be sold through existing apothekes or
pharmacies.  It might be, as in the US
now, that the drug is sold via separate facilities.

One thing is very clear, however; Germany
is going green and in a big way.  There
is a move on to eliminate the current import of medical cannabis for the
country’s small community of medical patients (estimated to be about 400
people).  The supply is currently
imported from Holland at exorbitant prices.  

So, while the road marks may be still be
faint, there is definitely cannabis reform afoot in Deutschland. And further,
it is also shaping up that widespread national sovereign reform will occur
before the United States during an election year where the topic is likely to
be the most widely understood litmus test facing all candidates.

By Flickr user barnyz