Berlin. Two years after the controversial legalization of cannabis for adults, the Green Party has criticized a legal gray area in the procurement of medical cannabis and called for easier access for recreational use. "Where the illegal market is pushed back, a new gray area is emerging—particularly through medical cannabis and pharmacy sales," Janosch Dahmen, the Green Party's health policy spokesperson in the Bundestag, told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) media network.
Germany's cannabis legalisation faces supply gaps and regulatory hurdles two years on
Dahmen described it as a "gap in the system." "When healthcare structures are being used to facilitate consumption, it shows that the existing legal supply channels are still insufficient. Politically, it would be wise to adjust course here," the Green politician warned. "Our goal remains clear: legal access that replaces the black market—without creating new gray markets." He also stressed the need for consistent protection of young people's health in particular.
"The legalization marked a break with the old illusion that you could simply ban cannabis and solve the problems," Dahmen said. The second interim scientific report on the effects of legalization, published on Wednesday, shows that this shift was the right move. "The black market is being pushed back without consumption skyrocketing—and among young people, it is thankfully continuing to decline," the health expert noted.
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