German opposition asks President to block cannabis law

In an unusual step, the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) have asked Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier not to sign the government's cannabis law - even though it's just cleared both chambers of German Parliament.

Published: 23 March 2024 16:28 CET

German opposition asks President to block cannabis law

A man smokes a joint at a cannabis legislation protest in Berlin in May. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Annette Riedl

Speaking to Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, CDU health spokesperson Tino Sorge asked the President to stop the legislation for the time being.

“It’s not too late for that,” he said. ‘The unanimous criticism from all the state justice and interior ministers is just too great.”

Although both the Bundestag and the Bundesrat – which represents German states – have passed the law, all German legislation must pass a constitutional review by the Federal President before officially being signed into law.

A German President has only refused to sign a law in eight cases since 1949. In particularly busy times, that’s the same amount of legislation that might cross a President’s desk in a week or two. Although refusal to sign must be given only on constitutional grounds.

Wir appellieren an den Bundespräsidenten, das #Cannabis-Gesetz nicht zu unterzeichnen. Zu groß ist die einstimmige Kritik sämtlicher Justiz- und Innenminister der Länder. Es sollte nach der chaotischen Debatte der letzten Wochen vorerst gestoppt werden.https://t.co/9ioatHv8lg

— Tino Sorge (@TinoSorge) March 23, 2024

There’s no indication so far that President Steinmeier – a Social Democrat like Chancellor Olaf Scholz – will hold up the law, which is supposed to come into effect April 1st. Again though, the President must sign it in time.

From then – assuming signature happens in time – cultivation associations will be legal in Germany, while adults can grow up to three plants and possess up to 50 grams in their own homes.

In public, they’ll be able to carry up to 25 grams.

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Wolfgang Metzeler-Kick, 49, began his protest in early March under the motto “Starving until you tell the truth”, and has since been joined by three other activists.

He and his fellow protesters want Chancellor Olaf Scholz to acknowledge that “the climate catastrophe threatens the survival of human civilisation” and are calling for a “radical change of course” to reduce emissions in Europe’s largest economy.

Metzeler-Kick, an environmental protection engineer and longtime activist, told AFP he was willing “to put (his) life in danger”.

He stopped eating 62 days ago and wants to go further: “I’m going to intensify my hunger strike. As of tomorrow, I will temporarily stop drinking,” he said.

Richard Cluse, a 57-year-old engineer, joined the protest 44 days ago, and Michael Winter, a 61-year-old biologist, joined after 22 days.

A fourth activist, Adrien Lack, 34, joined on Tuesday with a placard reading: “I will only talk to the chancellor.”

A doctor told a press conference on Tuesday that Winter was in a “very critical” condition and his body mass index had fallen below 16 kg/m2 — considered severely underweight.

Climate activists have resorted to some eye-catching stunts to get their message across in Germany over the past two years.

Protesters from the radical group known as Letzte Generation (“Last Generation”) have repeatedly sat down on busy roads and glued their hands to the tarmac.

Protesters have also thrown mashed potatoes over a Claude Monet painting in Potsdam and glued themselves to an exhibition of a dinosaur skeleton at Berlin’s Natural History Museum.