The German Cannabis Business Association reports
At its 114th cabinet meeting, the federal government decided to implement the draft of a Cannabis Liberalization Act (NLG). The German Cannabis Business Association (BvCW) welcomes the key elements of the reform:
- the abolition of the so-called “intoxication clause”
- the simplification of the cultivation of industrial hemp
- the facilitation of indoor cultivation of industrial hemp
- clarification on the handling of industrial hemp products with a THC content of less than 0.3%
- the clarification that industrial hemp is marketable as a herbal smoking product
This fulfills long-standing demands of the BvCW. In particular, the abolition of the “intoxication clause” significantly improves legal certainty for farmers, producers and traders. Until now, even the theoretical possibility of weak intoxication through the private consumption of large quantities of products has led to the criminalization of the entire value chain. This special German regulation will now be abolished.
Marijn Roersch van der Hoogte, departmental coordinator for industrial hemp at the BvCW: “We are finally being freed from these unnecessary hurdles. This is a major political step forward for industrial hemp and will contribute significantly to the growth of the sector.”
Jürgen Neumeyer, Managing Director of the BvCW, commented: “We are pleased about this important step and will actively support the further parliamentary process.”
The BvCW has previously dealt intensively with the topic, for example by organizing the parliamentary information evening on industrial hemp, the statement on the NLG as well as several press releases, ELEMENTE publications and numerous background discussions.
From the BvCW’s point of view, there is still a need for further reform, such as raising the THC limit from 0.3 to 1.0 %, the provision of funding and the standardization of measurement methods for cannabinoid levels, as well as other points that can be found in detail in the BvCW statement.
Karl Bär (The Greens) commented to the BvCW: “After the legalization of cannabis as a stimulant, there is no longer any reason for many restrictions on the cultivation of industrial hemp. The Industrial Hemp Liberalization Act removes obstacles to hemp cultivation. In the parliamentary process, we will take a close look at whether the law is sufficient or needs to be improved. The plant’s potential as a supplier of oil and fibers is huge. We should use it.”
