Germany's recent legalization of recreational marijuana has large economic repercussions. The new law permits adults to possess up to 25 grams of marijuana and store up to 50 grams at home. They can also produce up to three plants or join approved nonprofit growing cooperatives. Although the purchase and sale of cannabis remain illegal, the legislation is a positive step toward ending the persecution of cannabis users. The ruling party supports the bill, focusing on addiction treatment, youth prevention, and battling the illegal market. Germany's more liberal marijuana laws place it alongside other European countries with weak controls. Concerns have been expressed relating to the potential risks to youth health and the administrative challenges connected with overturning previous convictions. However, legalization offers economic benefits such as job creation, investment stimulation, tax revenue collection, and a possible increase in cannabis-related tourism. The long-term economic and societal implications of this legislative shift is unclear, but Germany's embrace of the growing cannabis business has the potential to significantly affect the country's economy.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/04/01/germany-marijuana-legal-possession-cannabis/
8 comments:
There’s always the concern that legalization would potentially contribute to use of the substance by minors or increased homelessness, but I think legal or not, people would consume it either way. Legalizing brings the benefits, as mentioned, of job creation and additional tax revenue generated for the state. Such benefits are in a way broadly distributed, and the social costs end up being more towards those who use it.
You are correct about the economic benefits of legalizing weed, but it is also important to take into consideration the risks associated with health and administration. Through the legalization of marijuana, Germany's economy might experience some boost as new jobs will be created. People will smoke marijuana regardless of whether it is illegal or not, but it must be overseen correctly and not abused.
I wonder how the rest of the EU will respond. I'm also curious if the EU is watching US states or if US states are watching the EU when nit comes to the topic of cannabis.
This is concerning, even if there are potential benefits for this the consequences will quickly outweigh them. It may create jobs and bring in tourism etc, but what happens when that population in that industry gets addicted to it and can no longer work, keep the industry going, what happens when tons of kids start getting ahold of it and your workforce starts dropping before they even arrive? This is a mistake just like it has been in the US.
Though there are economic benefits to legalizing marijuana, this also comes with a lot of health risks which should be considered.
Given Germanys impact on the EU, I would expect to see other countries follow suit in the upcoming years.
I think that this is a good move by the German legislation because people are going to use marijuana regardless if it is legal or not, and if it is legalized, the quality would improve causing fewer deaths from laced drugs. I would be interested to see what the economic effect has been in other places that have already legalized it.
How do you think the legalization of recreational marijuana in Germany will influence the country's position in the global cannabis market, particularly in comparison to other European nations with varying degrees of cannabis regulation?
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