Header: Gül Pinar, member of the DAV criminal law committee
German Cannabis Business Assoc
Two years of cannabis partial legalization: lawyers’ association sees concerns disproven
After the presentation of the interim report of the research project “EKOCAN,” the German Bar Association (DAV) strongly opposed a return to prohibition policy. As the association stated, the scenarios predicted by critics after two years of partial legalization had not occurred.
Lawyer Gül Pinar, member of the DAV criminal law committee, emphasized that the data did not show a sharp increase in consumption, health problems, or accidents. A loss of control had therefore not occurred.
Pinar particularly emphasized that concerns regarding youth protection had not been empirically confirmed. Consumption rates among adolescents were stable or even slightly declining, while risk awareness in this age group had increased. The DAV therefore called on policymakers to adjust existing regulations based on evidence instead of reversing legalization. Since a relevant share of demand is still covered by the illegal market, legal access routes would have to be made more practical and widely accessible in order to place health protection on a solid foundation.
