Drug Official Calls for Legal Cannabis Access to Curb Black Market
Mixed

Drug Official Calls for Legal Cannabis Access to Curb Black Market

The German government’s Drug Commissioner, Hendrik Streeck (CDU), is signaling a cautious and potentially shifting stance on the nation’s recent cannabis law reforms, raising concerns about unintended consequences and advocating for adjustments to the current regulatory framework. While reaffirming his commitment to diverting recreational consumers from the black market – estimated to encompass roughly five million individuals – Streeck has criticized the partial legalization implemented under former Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD), deeming it “in need of reform.

The crux of Streeck’s concerns stems from a recently released interim report detailing unforeseen developments within the new regulatory environment. The report highlights a significant increase in “social supply” defined as the non-commercial sharing of homegrown cannabis amongst friends and acquaintances – an activity explicitly prohibited under German law and, consequently, funnelling consumers back towards illicit markets. This undermines the primary objective of the reform: to curtail the dominance of criminal organizations.

However, Streeck’s most pressing anxieties revolve around the dramatic surge in prescriptions for medicinal cannabis. Since the partial legalization, imports have reportedly skyrocketed by approximately 430 percent. This exponential increase has prompted Streeck to express strong reservations, explicitly warning against the potential for “dealers in white coats” to exploit loopholes within the expanding telemedical infrastructure to legitimize their activities.

The commissioner’s commentary illuminates a complex political landscape, where the initial ambition of regulating recreational cannabis consumption is facing practical challenges and fueling internal debate within the governing coalition. While the aim remains to disengage consumers from the illegal narcotics trade, the current framework, according to Streeck, is inadvertently fostering new avenues for black market exploitation and creating an unsustainable burden on the medicinal cannabis supply chain. The commissioner’s calls for reform signal a potential re-evaluation of the current policy and could trigger a broader discussion about the future direction of cannabis regulation in Germany.