ドイツ、嗜好用の大麻合法化

【ベルリンＡＦＰ＝時事】ドイツで１日、嗜好（しこう）用の大麻使用を認める法律が発効した。大麻使用が合法化された欧州連合（ＥＵ）加盟国としては、最大の人口を擁する国となった。ただ、一部政治家や医療関係者の間では反対論も根強い。（写真は、ドイツの首都ベルリンにあるブランデンブルク門前で、新法施行を記念し大麻たばこを吸う人々）
　首都ベルリンのブランデンブルク門前では、時計が０時を回り新法が施行されると、集まっていた人々が歓声を上げた。警察によると約１５００人がイベントに参加。大麻たばこに火をつけて祝う人も見られた。
　新法では、第１段階として１８歳以上の成人は乾燥大麻を２５グラムまで所持できるほか、自宅でマリフアナを３株まで栽培することが可能となった。
　７月１日からの第２段階では、「大麻クラブ」で合法的に大麻を購入できるようになる。各クラブには最大５００人の会員が登録でき、会員は１月当たり最大５０グラムの大麻を入手できるようになる。
　カール・ラウターバッハ保健相はＸ（旧ツイッター）で、大麻合法化について「中毒の緩和、子どもや若者の消費防止、闇市場の撲滅」につながると説明した。
　これに対し医療関係者らは、合法化によって若年層の消費が拡大する可能性があると懸念を表明。専門家は、若年層が大麻を使用すれば中枢神経系の発達に影響が及び、精神障害や統合失調症の発症リスクが増大する恐れがあるとしている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2024/04/02-17:01）

Cannabis aficionados lit up in Germany on Monday, as the country became the largest EU nation to legalise recreational use, despite fierce objections from opposition politicians and medical associations.
Under the first step in the much-debated new law, adults over 18 are now allowed to carry 25 grams of dried cannabis and cultivate up to three marijuana plants at home.
The changes leave Germany with some of the most liberal cannabis laws in Europe, alongside Malta and Luxembourg, which legalised recreational use in 2021 and 2023, respectively.
The Netherlands, known for its permissive attitude to the drug, has in recent years taken a stricter approach to counter cannabis tourism.
As the law took effect at midnight, some 1,500 people cheered in central Berlin by the Brandenburg Gate, according to police, with some lighting up joints in celebration.
Legalisation was a bit of extra freedom, 25-year-old Niyazi told AFP at the gathering. You do not feel as under pressure now.
Cannabis consumption has been brought out of the taboo zone, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said on X, formerly Twitter.
The new law was better for real addiction help, prevention for children and young people and for combating the black market, Lauterbach said, responding in part to criticisms levelled against legalisation.
- 'Disaster' -
As the next step in the legal reform, from July 1 it will be possible to legally obtain weed through cannabis clubs in the country.
These regulated associations will be allowed to have up to 500 members each, and will be able to distribute up to 50 grams of cannabis per person per month.
Until then, consumers must not tell the police where they bought their cannabis in the event of a street check, Georg Wurth, director of the German Cannabis Association, told AFP.
Initial plans for cannabis to be sold via licensed shops were ditched due to EU opposition, though a second law is in the pipeline to trial the sale of the drug in shops in pilot regions.
Medical groups have raised concerns that legalisation could lead to an increase in use among young people, who face the highest health risks.
Cannabis use among young people can affect the development of the central nervous system, leading to an increased risk of developing psychosis and schizophrenia, experts have warned.
From our point of view, the law as it is written is a disaster, Katja Seidel, a therapist at a cannabis addiction centre for young people in Berlin, told AFP.
Even Lauterbach, a doctor, has said that cannabis consumption can be dangerous, especially for young people.
But the government has promised a widespread information campaign to raise awareness of the risks and to boost support programmes.
It has also stressed that cannabis will remain banned for under-18s and within 100 metres of schools, kindergartens and playgrounds.
- 'Responsible' -
The law has likewise drawn criticism from police, who fear it will be difficult to enforce.
From April 1, our colleagues will find themselves in situations of conflict with citizens, as uncertainty reigns on both sides, said Alexander Poitz, vice-president of the GdP police union.
Another potential issue is the implementation of a retroactive amnesty on cannabis-related offences, which could create an administrative headache for the legal system.
According to the German Judges' Association, the pardon could apply to more than 200,000 cases that would need to be checked and processed.
Justice Minister Marco Buschmann said the rule change would mean a one-off increase in workload for law enforcement during the initial transition phase.
In the long-term however the burden on the police and judiciary will be relieved, Buschmann told the RND media group.
Conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz has said he would immediately repeal the law if he and his party formed a government following nationwide elections in 2025.
On the other side of the debate, Torsten Dietrich, the head of the Cannabis Social Club lobby group, told AFP the legalisation law could go a lot further.
The move did however mean the decriminalisation of several million people in Germany who have been senselessly discriminated against, Dietrich said at Monday's rally.