Source: German Cannabis Business Association
German justice system reviews 280,000 old cases after cannabis amnesty
09/04/2024 | Following the partial legalization of cannabis on 1 April 2024, the German judicial authorities are faced with reviewing around 280,000 old cases, as reported by the Augsburger Allgemeine.
This includes the reassessment of proceedings in which people were convicted of possessing small amounts of cannabis. The Association of Judges criticizes the additional bureaucracy as a burden on the judiciary, as the review of individual cases can take between 15 and 60 minutes, which could result in around 70,000 working hours. Unfortunately, the article does not reveal the extent to which this workload could be reduced through digitization (court files are often still kept in paper form) and AI.
North Rhine-Westphalia leads the way with 86,000 cases, followed by Bavaria with 41,500 and Hesse with 34,000. In Lower Saxony, around 15 percent of 16,000 cases reviewed resulted in remission or adjustment of sentence. Despite legalization, the ministries of justice do not expect any significant relief, as strict regulations and new fines for dealing with cannabis remain in place.
Also….
Bavaria releases 33 imprisoned cannabis users
09/05/2024 | Since the partial legalization of cannabis on 1 April 2024, 33 incarcerated cannabis users have been released from prison in Bavaria, reports the Süddeutsche Zeitung. The Bavarian Ministry of Justice reviewed previous sentences under the Narcotics Act in order to review them on the basis of the new law. Green Party member of the state parliament Toni Schuberl criticized that people were being punished for occasional personal consumption and demanded an apology from Prime Minister Markus Söder and his party.
