Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

HEALTH

What the partial legalisation of cannabis could mean for Germany

On Friday the Bundestag is set to vote on legislation allowing the personal use of cannabis -- with numerous rules. What will be allowed if the draft law passes?

Published: 22 February 2024 12:58 CET
cannabis
A person lights a joint of cannabis. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Fabian Sommer

The German government in August 2023 approved a draft law legalising the purchase and possession of small amounts of cannabis for recreational use, despite criticism from opposition politicians and judges.

The bill, which will go through parliament on Friday, is expected to come into force this year.

Under the proposed legislation, possession and personal cultivation of certain quantities will be permitted for adults starting April 1st. 

Clubs for non-commercial cultivation, so-called “cannabis social clubs” will furthermore be allowed starting July 1st.

Cannabis clubs anticipate a boom in new start-ups

The umbrella organisation of German Cannabis Social Clubs (CSCD) is expecting a boom in new clubs if the new legalisation is approved.

“I assume that we will have 3,000 or even 4,000 clubs in Germany within a year,” the association’s chairman, Steffen Geyer, told Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) on Thursday.  

READ ALSO: German ‘cannabis clubs’ flourish as legislation looms

There are currently around 300 to 350 groups that are in the process of founding a club or are just waiting for the law to come into force.

According to the draft law, “cultivation associations”, colloquially known as cannabis clubs, are to be permitted.

These are clubs for adults in which up to 500 members residing in Germany grow cannabis together and supply it to each other for personal consumption – with a maximum of 25 grams of cannabis per member per day and a maximum of 50 grams per month. 

The clubs must be organised as non-commercial associations and require a permit that is valid for a limited period of time. 

In its draft bill, the German government assumes that there will be 1,000 cultivation clubs in the first year after the law comes into force and an increase of 500 in each of the following years.

Cannabis in Dresden

Martin Reuter, head of the Sanaleo shop for CBD products in Dresden’s Neustadt, holds a cannabis flower for sale in his hands. Cannabis clubs around Germany soon hope to be able to consume the product on their grounds. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Robert Michael

Personal use to be permitted

In future, anyone over the age of 18 and over will be allowed to possess up to 25 grams of cannabis for personal use. 

Three live cannabis plants are to become legal in one’s own home and, according to an amendment, up to 50 grams of cannabis for personal use. 

Public consumption is to be prohibited in schools, sports facilities and within sight of them – specifically within 100 metres as the crow flies around the entrance area. 

No later than 18 months after the law comes into force, an initial assessment is to be made available on how it affects the protection of children and young people, according to the draft law.

Controversy over law

On Thursday, German Association of Judges warned of a massive overload on the judiciary system as a result of the amnesty regulation provided for in the law. 

“The judiciary nationwide is expecting more than 100,000 files to be reviewed again in the event of the planned retroactive remission of sentences for cannabis offences,” said Sven Rebehn, Federal Managing Director of the Association of Judges, to the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND).

There are more than 10,000 cases pending at Cologne District Court alone. 

The centre-right CDU/CSU has called on the members of Germany’s coalition to vote against the proposal.

Tino Sorge, health policy spokesman for the CDU parliamentary group, furthermore told the Rheinische Post on Thursday: “I appeal to my colleagues in the traffic light coalition: Vote against this law on Friday. Stop this irresponsible project.”

The draft law has also attracted critics from both sides of the debate – whether cannabis activists who have called it too restrictive, or health experts who say that it will lead to risky behaviour.

READ ALSO: Why is Germany’s cannabis draft law so controversial?

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

HEALTH

How to find available therapists in Germany

It’s no secret that mental health care can be particularly tricky to access in Germany. Here are some helpful tips for anyone who is struggling to book an appointment for therapy.

Published: 23 April 2024 12:55 CEST
How to find available therapists in Germany

The process to find psychotherapy in Germany’s urban centres is arduous – licensed therapists often have impossibly long wait times, and private practices don’t accept public health insurance.

A major reason that public insurance funded mental health care is hard to find in Germany comes down to regulations. Specifically the ‘coverage plan’ (Bedarfsplanung) that basically limits the number of licences available for publicly insured therapists in a region.

Germany’s maddening bureaucracy probably won’t be fixed any time soon. So residents in need of therapy will need to find a way through the system as it is.

So here are a few helpful tips for finding therapists, as well as how publicly insured patients can have private practice therapy costs reimbursed.

Look for therapists enrolled at academies

You’ll probably have a better chance getting an appointment with therapists who are currently in training, because not everyone knows that this option exists.

You can search for “Akademie für Psychotherapie”, to find one in your location. The Berliner Akademie für Psychotherapie, is one in the capital city, for example.

If you arrange an appointment this way, you can expect to be connected with a grad student therapist in training who needs to complete their supervised practice hours. In this case, you would see your therapist as usual, and they will be going through your session with an experienced therapist afterward.

The main advantages to seeking a therapist in training is that it may be cheaper and you can probably more readily find an appointment. A potential disadvantage is that the therapist you’ll be seeing is less experienced. 

But according to a Stockholm University study, student therapists who receive regular feedback from supervisors may be just as effective as licensed therapists at treating patients.

How to get reimbursed for going to a private practice

As mentioned above, therapists covered by public health insurance are few and far between, especially in many urban centres, and therefore regularly come with long wait times. But for those willing to do battle with the bureaucracy, there is an option to have your costs reimbursed for seeing a private practice therapist.

Specifically, public insurance providers are obligated to provide full reimbursement of costs in the event of a “supply emergency”. 

Waiting times of more than three months are considered unreasonable. So generally, patients can claim a supply emergency if they have contacted several therapists, and none of them offered available appointments within that time frame.

But you’ll want to make sure that your process is properly documented so that you won’t be stuck with the out-of-pocket costs.

First, you’ll need to document your need for psychotherapy. To get this, make an appointment for a psychotherapeutic consultation with a practice in your area, and be sure to collect a written recommendation for treatment (a PTV 11 form). 

If you don’t know where to start with this, look to the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (Kassenärztliche Vereinigung) for a database of therapists. You can also call 116 117 or use the 116 117 App.

After you’ve got your PTV 11 certificate, you’ll need to document your futile search for a licensed therapist. To do this, contact at least three to five therapists that have public health insurance approval. Keep a list of the names of therapists you contacted, as well as dates and times of contact and how long the waiting list for treatment is. 

Additionally, you should try to arrange treatment through the aforementioned Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, and receive confirmation if it’s not possible. So you’ll need to call 116 117, or use the 116 117 App again. But this time go through the process to have them try to find you placement with a therapist. This should take a maximum of four weeks, but rarely happens.

Finally, if you have documented all of the above and have still not found a readily available therapist, then you can seek out a private practice. You’ll need to enroll as a self-paying patient initially, but then you can submit an application for an outpatient reimbursement (Kostenerstattungsverfahren) along with the previously collected certificates and proof of your search. Private practice therapists are usually familiar with this process, and may be able to help you with the application as well.

READ ALSO: What are the main reasons internationals in Germany turn to therapy?

Free phone consultations for students

Students in Berlin can also take advantage of a free 50-minute conversation with a therapist through StudierendenWERK.

For students elsewhere, it’s worth checking what kind of mental health support services your school offers. Many German universities offer mental health support to some extent, and if school counsellors can’t provide the care that you need, they may be able to offer helpful information about where such services are available in your area.

READ ALSO: Here’s how you can get mental health help in English in Germany

SHOW COMMENTS