The German Association of Cannabis Social Clubs (CSCD), founded last October, while welcoming the government’s intention to adopt the legalization of cannabis, rejects the government-approved bill, which it considers too strict and unnecessarily complex.
Unsere Position zum #CanRef is klar: #Cannabis Social Clubs sind immer Vereine, ideelle Gemeinschaften, nicht-kommerziell und basisdemokratisch.
Der Entwurf ist Prohibition 2.0 und verstärkt die Stigmatisierung, die es zu bekämpfen gilt.https://t.co/Dq9w878Wsw— CSCDachverband (@CSCDachverband) August 30, 2023
Criticism of the bill and call for realistic adjustments
The CSCD protests against the current bill, which it considers constitutionally too strict and unnecessarily complicated. According to the association, the project gives a distorted image of cannabis users by presenting them as potential risk factors and attributing to them a propensity for illegal behavior.
The association believes that there is an urgent need to change the misrepresentation of cannabis users that has prevailed for a long time.
As democratically elected representatives of stakeholders, the CSCD earlier this week presented the “AltCanG” – an alternative bill for the controlled use of cannabis and amendments to other regulations. This proposal aims to avoid the shortcomings of the bill brought by the government and to make its implementation easier and more understandable for citizens.
Global approach to personal responsibility and health prevention
The AltCanG proposal, which can be found in full on their site, would allow adults to consume cannabis responsibly and independently.
Their bill authorizes private cultivation, non-commercial community cultivation and the controlled transfer of recreational cannabis to adults within associations. These provisions are based on those that apply to tobacco growing, which is more dangerous to health.
The proposal also encourages the reduction of bureaucracy in the management of industrial hemp and facilitates its economical use. At the same time, the commercial use of cannabis for non-medical purposes remains limited in order to avoid intoxication effects. Health risks would be reduced through information, advice and prevention, while education and prevention related to cannabis are specifically reinforced.
Will their proposal have an impact? At the beginning of last week, the German coalition parties indicated that they wanted to further modify and extend the cannabis law approved by the government, by adding the ediblesallowing consumption within Clubs and reducing penalties for possession, among other things.
