Cannabis legalization Germany
Great and in some ways unexpected news regarding cannabis legalization in Germany. The German Minister of Health, Karl Lauterbach, has announced that the draft law on legal cannabis for adult use within the country will be completed by 2022; on the other hand, the commissioner for drugs, Burkhard Blienert, plans to consult industry experts to contribute to the drafting of the law and arrive at its effective enactment during 2023. A real acceleration, therefore.
Currently in Germany only pharmacies can supply therapeutic cannabis to patients, the use of which has been legal since 2017. If the law were to be approved, Germany would constitute the largest legal European market for sales and, probably, also for production of regarding cannabis.
Cannabis legalization: different objectives
To obtain cannabis legalization in Germany it will be necessary to pursue some specific objectives. Among these, the government’s general objective is first and foremost to:
- Ensure the protection of minors;
- Ensure product safety promote education;
- Rejecting the illegal market.
Therefore, you need a nationwide sales infrastructure and this will not be possible if you simply allow sales to existing pharmacies; Private commercial establishments will certainly also be necessary.
Sales via e-commerce and online distribution will also need to be implemented, as all processes relevant to the protection of minors and consumer education can also be managed online. It is also essential to standardize regulations throughout the country and not have different rules in the 16 states that make up the political and administrative division of Germany.
Not just recreational use for cannabis
The discussion on cannabis legalization in Germany does not only concern the drug market, where cannabis is used for recreational use. The use of the plant also has other areas of use, generating a flow of business that is still in its germinal state but with enormous potential. For example, as a replacement for plastic in some automotive components.
In this regard, several companies are working between the United States and Colombia, to minimize the carbon footprint and replace polluting plastics with those of biological origin using cannabis. Not only can hemp be used to build cars, but also for fuel, food and plastic. In the United States some of the most prestigious automotive brands, such as Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler and Citroen are already using hemp plastic-based components. Not only plastic, in the use of hemp, but surprisingly also food.
In fact, cannabis is also being used as a natural substitute for animal meat in the food sector. Also in the United States, an ingredient has been created that will be used to produce meat-like foods. This new food compound is called PurHP-75, a hemp seed protein ingredient that contains 75% protein including the nine essential amino acids. The road to cannabis legalization in Germany therefore opens up infinite market possibilities on the European continent for the use of this plant.