Cannabis Industry Welcomes Coalition Agreement as a Strong Starting Point

New “Cannabis Commission” Proposed to Help Shape Regulatory Framework – New BvCW Working Group Focuses on Legal Accompaniment

Berlin, 2021-11-24: The planned red-green-yellow coalition government aims to introduce the controlled distribution of cannabis for recreational use through licensed retail outlets. The German Cannabis Business Association (BvCW) sees this as a solid foundation for a rational and future-oriented approach to realizing the full potential of the cannabis plant.

Association President Dr. Stefan Meyer commented: “As representatives of the cannabis industry, we welcome the coalition agreement as a constructive basis for upcoming reforms in cannabis policy. Experiences from other countries have shown successful paths forward. We are happy to contribute our expertise on regulatory matters such as science-based quality assurance, effective youth, consumer, and health protection, sensible advertising restrictions, and appropriate taxation.”

To this end, the BvCW has established a cross-sectional working group tasked with developing expert recommendations on all key issues. Past missteps in cannabis legalization abroad should be avoided during Germany’s own regulatory process.

In addition to the far-reaching questions surrounding recreational cannabis regulation, necessary reforms in the areas of medical cannabis and industrial hemp must not be overlooked. “We propose the formation of a Cannabis Commission, modeled after the Coal Commission, in which experts from all relevant sectors of society can discuss and help shape the detailed framework for cannabis regulation,” said BvCW Managing Director Jürgen Neumeyer. “We look forward to working with the new government,” he added.

According to a recent study by Prof. Dr. Justus Haucap of the Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE) at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU), regulated cannabis distribution could result in fiscal benefits of at least €4.7 billion.
You can download the study here: www.cannabiswirtschaft.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Fiskalische_Effekte_Cannabislegalisierung_final.pdf

The 6-point plan “Cannabis Awakening 2021” outlining key demands for the coalition negotiations can be found here: www.cannabiswirtschaft.de/presse/aufbruch-cannabis-2021

Statements from political parties and policymakers on cannabis policy are documented here:
www.cannabiswirtschaft.de/aussagen-zu-cannabis