The German liberal government seems to fulfill its promise made to the people last year. Last year before the general elections, the ruling party, along with its coalitions, made an announcement that they would legalize cannabis sales for recreational purposes if they came into power. Â
Last month, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said that the government is planning to draft the bill in the second half of the year after thorough and detailed discussions with various experts in the related fields.Â
Now the government seems to be setting in motion the plans to legalize cannabis. Moreover, the government says that the legislation will be ready by the fall of this year, as reported by Associated Press.Â
The series of talks with experts from the medical, legal, and other areas will start today. The talks will be held in the presence of various government officials and other international experts as well. Â
Last year, when the current ruling coalition was made between socially liberal parties, legalizing cannabis for recreational purposes was one of the agendas of the parties.Â
According to the coalition, the sales of cannabis will be strictly regulated and will be sold only at licensed shops to avoid any negative impacts on society as a whole. Moreover, the government also said that four years after legalizing cannabis, they would examine the social effects of this legislation.Â
Apart from legalizing cannabis, there are other medical fronts where the government is planning to make some amendments. This includes decriminalization of “advertising” abortion services by doctors. Also, the government intends to scrap the law that makes transsexual people get a psychological assessment and a court decision before changing their gender. Â
Like Germany, last week, Thailand also legalized the sale of cannabis in licensed stores. However, the law was passed to use cannabis in a controlled concentration for medical purposes. The law also allowed restaurants to add cannabis leaves to food and drinks.Â
