Wiesbaden Reports: Keep an Eye on This German City - Cannabis is out on the streets, resulting in heightened monitoring measures.
As per the Hesse Police Union (GdP), the newly implemented law allowing cannabis legalization has resulted in increased workload for the officers. "We've seen a massive surge in control duties because the states weren't ready, and neither was Hesse," said GdP's state chairman, Jens Mohrherr, in conversation with the German Press Agency.
Since the 1st of April, adults in Germany can legally possess and utilize cannabis under certain conditions. It is now permissible to have up to 25 grams of dried cannabis in public spots without penalty. The allowed quantity for private spaces is 50 grams. At places like schools, daycare centers, playgrounds, and public sport facilities, cannabis consumption is forbidden within a radius of 100 meters. Smoking weed is not allowed in pedestrian zones between 7 am and 8 pm.
Mohrherr raised concerns regarding the immaturity of the law, emphasizing that it was hastily introduced without proper planning. "There's a dearth of administrative regulations. There's a dearth of directions for local authorities, specifically," he pointed out. Moreover, he questioned the lack of legal framework for cannabis use in road traffic. The process of drafting the law was solely handled by the federal government, leaving the federal states to implement it independently. "This is all inexcusable and utterly absurd," lamented Mohrherr. "Hesse's state government needs to take prompt action," he urged.
Hesse's Ministry of the Interior affirmed its intention to enforce the weed law with maximum restrictions. A catalog of fines is currently being developed, the spokesperson disclosed. The government is exploring the feasibility of creating cannabis prohibition zones, potentially encompassing big events in Hesse, for example. Hesse's Minister of the Interior, Roman Poseck (CDU), restated his disappointment with the new traffic light federal government's cannabis legislation. He found it exceptionally frustrating that its implementation would entail significant personnel costs on behalf of both law enforcement and responsible authorities. "These are inescapable if the law is executed as per regulations, with all its rules, exemptions, and exceptions," he remarked.
This additional burden is hitting state institutions that are already overburdened at a poor time. "It's ludicrous that other tasks need to be postponed because of staff being tied up with weed-related issues or even that new jobs must be created in administrations despite the tight budget situation," criticized Poseck.
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Source: www.stern.de
