Luxemburg’s Government Approved a Cannabis Legalization Bill
Last week, the Luxemburg government approved a bill that marks one more step toward the broad legalization of cannabis in the country. The bill will amend the outdated 1973 law that set the rules for the medicinal use of cannabis and guidelines to fight addiction.
The realization that the hardline approach to drugs had failed to curb the use of psychoactive substances led the coalition of the Liberals, the Social Democrats, and the Greens to announce plans to change the drug policy. The plan drawn in 2018 by the Minister of Health was put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic but revived in 2021. It will eventually legalize the sale of recreational cannabis.
Home Cultivation and Possession of Personal Amounts
While the ultimate goal is to create a system of production facilities and a supply chain as well as a state-controlled quality assurance watchdog, the new law also provides an option for home growing of cannabis. Adults will be allowed to grow up to four plants, but they will only be able to consume the product at home. Public consumption will remain prohibited.
However, the government decided to ease the penalties for simple possession. Now, having up to 3 grams of weed on your person will be considered a misdemeanor and punished with a fine of €25 – 10 times less than before.
A Means to Curb Illegal Trafficking
While legalization initiatives in the United States are seen as a way to fill a state’s coffers with marijuana taxes, in Luxemburg and elsewhere in Europe, the declared goal is to take money out of the hands of criminal gangs. Whatever taxes the legal sales will generate, they will be spent on addiction prevention and education programs.
Luxemburg is one of the first European nations to move toward a more sensible cannabis policy. In December 2021, Malta legalized the use and cultivation of the substance, and Switzerland decided to run several city-wide pilot programs catering to a limited number of recreational smokers. Germany’s new government has also pledged to create a regulated cannabis market before the next election term.
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