Germany to unveil cannabis legalization plan in the second half of 2022

For the first time, Germany's Health Minister, Karl Lauterbach, until recently little in favor of legalization, has announced that he will launch the legislative initiative to legalize cannabis in Germany.

Measures to legalize cannabis are to be drawn up this summer as part of a «health policy«. Lauterbach, who has dealt intensively with the subject in recent years and revised his earlier opinion, now believes that the dangers of non-legalization are greater than those of legalization.

«In my opinion, the administration of contaminated cannabis now presents a greater risk than supervised distribution to people who consume cannabis in a controlled manner with appropriate quality.»

Legalization of cannabis in Germany

He will therefore present a bill in the second half of 2022. The process will begin with Federal Drug Commissioner Burkhardt Blienert discussing the fundamental issues surrounding legalization with national and international experts.

«It's about pooling knowledge and experience, but also addressing objections and reservations very openly.» States, municipalities, associations, science and civil society should also be involved in the preparations.

«Almost no other drug policy issue has occupied people as much as cannabis for decades,» said Blienert. «We all know how complex this project is.»

According to Blienert, many details still need to be clarified regarding the legalization of cannabis. «This also includes the question of how the licensing process will work,» he said. in an interview in March. It's not just a question of «where», but also of «how», «what», «how much» and «from where».

In the coalition agreement, parties agreed in November 2021 on the «controlled sale of cannabis to adults for recreational purposes in licensed stores». In so doing, the government has paved the way for a new multi-billion dollar cannabis market.

Startups such as Synbiotic SE are also working on the «how» question. The company recently announced a joint venture with the Enchilada group of companies, specialists in catering and franchising, on April 20. The merger of the two companies is intended to lay the foundations for Germany's first cannabis store franchise.

«We deliberately chose a German company from the restaurant sector,» explains Lars Müller, CEO of Synbiotic. «On the one hand, the Enchilada Group is a franchise professional, and on the other, the sale of so-called ‘recreational’ cannabis will probably be subject to rules similar to those of food legislation.».