On Wednesday, legislators in Luxembourg endorsed a bill that would decriminalize marijuana for personal usage, positioning it as only the second country in the European Union to do so.
As per Forbes, “On Wednesday, a total of 38 MPs cast their vote in favor of a legislation to permit homegrown cannabis and personal possession for recreational intent, with 22 MPs opposing the decision.”
The outlet further details the new law:
“The authorization of cannabis for adult usage in Luxembourg permits the possession, usage, and growth of a limit of three grams. Nevertheless, possession, usage, transportation, and purchase of cannabis in public locations remain outlawed. The penalties have been lowered, with fines varying between €25 ($27) and €500 ($544) for quantities up to three grams. However, if the possession surpasses three grams, individuals may encounter criminal proceedings that could last from eight days to six months, accompanied by fines between €251 ($273) and €2,500 ($2,722). With regard to cultivation, households can cultivate up to four plants as long as they are not visible from the outside.”
The step towards legalization in Luxembourg, a petite nation of approximately 660,000 inhabitants bordered by France, Belgium, and Germany, has been long anticipated.
In 2018, the nation’s government vowed to terminate the ban by 2023. Officials in Luxembourg rolled out a scheme in 2021 that would allow citizens to cultivate a maximum of four plants in their homes. That very year, the government declared modifications to Luxembourg’s cannabis laws.
Luxembourg’s Justice Minister, Sam Tamson, expressed at the time, “We felt compelled to act, as we have a problem with drugs and cannabis is the most commonly used and forms a major part of the illicit market. Our initial step is to permit people to cultivate it at home. Our aim is that a consumer should not be in an illegal predicament if they consume cannabis and that we do not endorse the entire illegal sequence from production to transportation to sales, which is often linked with a lot of suffering. Our goal is to continuously distance ourselves from the illicit black market.”
The Wednesday vote by Luxembourg’s legislators renders the nation the second in the E.U. to decriminalize cannabis, following Malta’s move to legalize recreational cannabis in 2021.
Contrary to Malta, Luxembourg has yet to set up the structure for cannabis social clubs.
“Luxembourg has, as a result, opted for a comparatively limited legalization model that will permit cannabis consumers to enjoy cannabis under specific guidelines without facing fines or criminal charges,” as reported by Forbes. “Given the existing legal framework in the EU, which prevents member nations from establishing a legal market for adult-use cannabis, it is anticipated that those EU nations making strides to regulate cannabis will likely embrace a model akin to that of Luxembourg and Malta.”
More insights from the outlet:
“This is true for Germany, which had to deal with high expectations regarding cannabis legalization. Initially, Germany aspired to set up a legal marketplace for cannabis product sales. However, European legal limitations forced it to retreat from its initial plan and instead devise a structure focused on decriminalizing cannabis for personal use. This framework entails provisions for personal consumption, possession, and cultivation, along with the creation of cannabis social clubs. Furthermore, a pilot program for selling adult-use cannabis in designated cities is anticipated to be unveiled at a later stage. A preliminary law concerning the decriminalization of cannabis for personal usage in Germany is expected to be presented in mid-August. The stricter regulations seen in European nations that have regulated cannabis compared to the US states, which have set up legal markets for cannabis product sales in recent years, can be primarily attributed to the risk of infringing upon international conventions and European laws prohibiting the regulation of cannabis for recreational use.”
