Germany scales back plans to allow cannabis sale in shops and pharmacies

Adults in Germany will be able to grow and consume recreational cannabis privately or through non-profit members’ clubs by the end of the year, the country’s health minister announced on Wednesday, scaling back previous plans to make the drug distributable in shops or pharmacies nationwide.

“The previous cannabis policy has failed,” said the health minister, Karl Lauterbach, as he presented the German government’s new two-phase approach to legalising cannabis at a press conference in Berlin. “Now we have to go new ways.”

Following a model pioneered in Spain, the initial phase foresees the establishment of “cannabis social clubs”, which are each limited to 500 members and are exclusive to those living in Germany.

Members aged 21 or above will be able legally to obtain up to 25g of cannabis in a day from these clubs, up to 50g a month. For those aged 18-21, the monthly allowance is limited to 30g. Consuming the herb on the clubs’ premises will be forbidden.

Under the German government’s proposals, it would also no longer be illegal for adults to cultivate recreational cannabis in their own home, with the home-growing of up to three female flowering plants allowed.