Hundreds of people gathered this Monday morning in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlinto celebrate that Germany has a new law that allows the possession of small amounts of cannabis for own consumption and also small-scale planting, the result of a reform promoted by the coalition government headed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, of the Social Democratic Party (SPD).

Adult citizens can carry up to 25 grams of cannabis for consumption in public places, although smoking may not be permitted within one hundred meters of educational centers or sports facilities. In the private home, the maximum amount is 50 grams, as stated in the approved standard. in March.

The Government alleges that the general ban has not stopped cannabis usewhich is why it now aims to combat trafficking of this drug on the black market and reduce health risks.

Germany becomes the first major EU country to legalize the possession and consumption of marijuana

Germany becomes the first major EU country to legalize the possession and consumption of marijuana | AP

In Berlin, hundreds of people lit their first cigarettes at midnight, in a festive atmosphere and next to a large marijuana leaf. A spokesman for the German Cannabis Association (DHV), Henry Plottke, applauded this “new freedom.”

“Finally we can show ourselves, we no longer have to hide,” has declared to the DPA agency. However, the conservative opposition has already announced that, if he returns to power, it will overturn the measure, as MP Thorsten Frei has warned.

“In our opinion, anti-drug policy, especially with regard to the protection of young people, It is a key issue and we will repeal the legalization of cannabis when we come to power,” he confirmed on Saturday in an interview with the ‘Augsburger Allgemeine’.