Clinging To Failed Prohibition Practices Is The Wrong Move For Hamburg
Germany implemented the first components of its national adult-use cannabis legalization measure (CanG) on April 1, 2024. The historic policy change was widely celebrated inside and outside of Germany’s borders and ushered in a new era for European cannabis policy and industry.
As of the start of April, adults aged 18 and older can cultivate up to three plants in their private residence and possess up to 25 grams when away from their residence. It is also expected that in July Germany will start to permit noncommercial cannabis clubs to operate.
Unfortunately, not everyone was happy about Germany finally getting on the right side of history. Members of the CDU party are throwing what amounts to public tantrums as they continue to air grievances about Germany’s new national cannabis policies to seemingly anyone who will listen.
The latest example can be found via recent comments made by CDU leadership regarding Hamburg’s enforcement of cannabis fines. Per excerpts from original reporting by Legal Tribune Online:
The CDU in the citizenry is calling for a strict catalog of cannabis fines for Hamburg. The Hanseatic city should follow the example of Bavaria, where people aged 14 and over face fines of up to 1,000 euros for violations of the Cannabis Act (CanG) and twice as much in the event of a repeat offense, said parliamentary group leader Dennis Thering of the dpa .
Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) had announced a restrictive application of the CanG for Bavaria, causing astonishment among lawyers. This is what defense lawyer Konstantin Grubwinkler explained in an interview with zdf today, the amount of the planned fines for violations of the CanG are “disproportionate”, especially in comparison with other administrative offenses.
Konstantin Grubwinkler also explained in the Legal Tribune Online’s coverage that fines for speeding violations in Bavaria and Hamburg amount to about one-tenth of the proposed fine amount for possessing too much cannabis in Hamburg.
If history is any guide, enforcing cannabis prohibition policies on consumers, including fines, does not curtail cannabis consumption. Rather, all cannabis prohibition does is ruin lives and waste limited public resources in the process. Law enforcement officials in Hamburg should be focused on fighting real crime, and not clinging to failed cannabis prohibition practices.