Off Topic Weed legal in Germany - whats happening right now

I will try to give a little view of what is real going on right now here. Will be some posts till we have a new government in Germany and till its going in direction of legal. I thought best is to start here I will explain the Traffic Light Coalition in the next post.

( I am not paid for doing this advertising in any way and my own position should be obvious )

( The German Hemp Association is paid by members and sponsors with the aim of getting weed legal for many years already )

On the (german) police unions' response to the Legalize debate

Press release of the German Hemp Association from October 12th, 2021 ( mainly direct translated with lil explaining and needed info - always in brackets )

The medias are increasingly reporting on the possible legalization of cannabis by a traffic light coalition made up of the SPD, the Greens and the FDP. The German Hemp Association is also often quoted. According to our election analysis, the legalization of cannabis is obvious in this coalition. Two police unions have now  spoken out to warn against legalization. DHV spokesman Georg Wurth explains why this reaction was to be expected and still makes no sense.

As before the DHV's demand, the statement by the police unions went through the media today after a press release in the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung (a german newspaper). As if cannabis did not exist in Germany so far, Oliver Malchow from the GdP has himself quoted as follows:

>The federal chairman of the police union (GdP) Oliver Malchow told the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung" (NOZ) that it made no sense to "open the door to another dangerous and often trivialized drug" in addition to the legal but dangerous alcohol if more and more supporters saw it differently.<

Both police unions assume in their statements that the use of cannabis will increase dramatically after legalization. According to DHV information, there is neither a scientific basis for this thesis, nor is there a significant increase in consumption in the countries that have already legalized it. DHV spokesman Georg Wurth nevertheless has a certain understanding that the police unions are struggling with the legalization of cannabis:

>The legalization of cannabis leads to a crisis of meaning in parts of the police. Ultimately, this also depends on the admission that the police's mission to keep cannabis out of society has failed. It's hard to endure when you have been a drug investigator for decades and are now to realize that this work has caused damage rather than protecting the youth.<

DPolG spokesman Rainer Wendt told the Osnabrücker Zeitung among other things:

>"It would be the start of a foggy future instead of a departure for a modern Germany if this project were included in the coalition agreement of a traffic light coalition". (...) This substance is not only a dangerous gateway drug, but because of the uncontrollable nature of its composition, a danger, especially for young people, and anything but the proverbial harmless joint.<

On this, DHV spokesman Georg Wurth:

>Rainer Wendt's statements are downright absurd. Cannabis has already arrived in the middle of Germans society. The thesis of cannabis as a gateway drug has been scientifically refuted for decades. And above all: the "uncontrollability of the composition", of which Wendt warns, speaks in favor of legalization, not against it! The point is to curb such dangers of the black market by finally regulating cannabis.<

Even with his dramatic warning about the consequences of legalization for road traffic, Wendt only pretends that there are hardly any cannabis users in Germany so far,

>Wendt fears fatal consequences, especially in road traffic: "If people with stoned people soon take part in road traffic, we will have a problem."<

then to contradict himself:

>Accidents with innocent injured people are already occurring again and again because of cannabis consumption; the control by the police is completely inadequate.<

Georg Wurth also finds that absurd:

>The assumption that after legalization more cannabis users will get behind the wheel intoxicated just because they bought cannabis legally and not on the black market is unfounded. Instead, we need a fair and comprehensible new regulation on cannabis and road traffic in order to avoid driving license withdrawals for sober drivers,as it happens all the time today.(in Germany)<

The Münchner Merkur (a big german newspaper) had already asked for a statement from the DHV before this press release and reported on it.