Self-growing cannabis now legal in Luxembourg

A new law legalizing the possession and personal cultivation of marijuana for adults in Luxembourg officially came into force on Friday July 21.

The Ministry of Justice published a statement of the policy change in the Official Gazette last Tuesday, a procedural step that means the legislation will come into force four days later.

This announcement comes just over a month after the Luxembourg parliament adopted the of a legalization bill, which makes Luxembourg the second country in the European Union to end cannabis prohibition, after the Malta vote in favor of legalization in 2021.

Luxembourg law, proposed for the first time by the Ministers of Justice and Homeland Security in 2021, The new law will allow adults to possess up to three grams of cannabis and grow up to four plants in a secure area of their private residence.

Here is the full statement from the Ministry of Justice:

«On July 17, 2023, the law of July 10, 2023 amending the amended law of February 19, 1973 concerning the sale of medicinal substances and the fight against drug addiction, providing for the legalization of the domestic cultivation of cannabis under certain conditions, was published in the Official Gazette. It will come into force on the fourth day following its publication, i.e. Friday July 21, 2023.

Legislation provides for penalties for the possession and cultivation of more than the authorized amount. The purchase and possession of more than three grams of cannabis, a relatively low limit, could be punishable by up to six months' imprisonment. Public consumption will also remain prohibited.

At the end of last month's debate, Justice Minister Sam Tanson declared that the criminalization of cannabis had been an «absolute failure». That's why, she added, «we must dare to take a different path» and «look for solutions».

This evolution has been a long time coming, as a coalition of Luxembourg's main parties agreed in 2018 to enact legislation allowing «exemption from punishment, or even legalization» of cannabis.

Meanwhile, the government of neighboring Germany remains determined to legalize cannabis as part of a multi-level regulatory model.