For now no cannabis model project in Berlin

The Berlin district of Friedrichshain / Kreuzberg will not file a lawsuit against the renewed rejection of the application for a cannabis model project. Thus, the discussion about coffee shops at Görlitzer Park has done for the time being, although the majority of Berlin had spoken out for the project. Now the other interested cities are asked to take more money for a larger scientific base in the hand. And the legislator is required to adjust the law on narcotics in order to give cities more room to maneuver.

(Image: William Casey / fotolia.com)

"Friedrichshain / Kreuzberg has given a strong political impetus. The district has started as a trailblazer, everywhere in the cities on model projects for cannabis donation is discussed. The debate is not over, but is just beginning, "commented Georg Wurth of the German Hemp Association the end of the Berlin project.
After the decision of the Berlin district, Bremen, Dusseldorf and Münster had joined the demand for a model project, as well as district parliaments in Hamburg, Cologne and Frankfurt.

The city of Frankfurt pioneered the demand for a model project for heroin delivery in the 1990s. This attempt failed, too. But then the political pressure grew and more and more cities joined, until in seven cities heroin was given to 1,000 severely dependent. After the successful conclusion of the accompanying scientific research, the heroin prescription was regulated by law several years later. A similar course awaits the German hemp association now on cannabis model project.

"It's hard to understand why cannabis use in a model project should not be possible if approved for heroin. Obviously, this is only about ideological requirements of the Federal Government, "said Wurth.

"The legal discussion of the district with the Federal Institute for Drugs provides the other cities important clues for another attempt. For example, they could make another start with a stronger scientific evaluation and a limited number of participants with problematic consumption patterns. The project in Kreuzberg also failed due to the financial resources of the district. Bremen, Dusseldorf and Münster could now present a much more complex accompanying research. And they can do more political pressure together. "
Rising political pressure from the municipalities could also lead to a change in the narcotics law. The Bremen criminal law professor Lorenz Böllinger had announced last year to submit appropriate proposals to amend the BtMG in order to introduce an "experimentation clause". Also in Switzerland, four cities want to apply for similar model projects later this year. (Pm)