 Good evening. Join me. This is Drug and Report Direct News. Promise. Life. Drug and Report Direct News. Love and hope and trust and confidence. Tonight, there's something special to talk about. So won't you join us? Hello, this is Peter Szaroszy and you are watching Drug Reporter News. Join us to learn about new developments in drug policy reform around the world. This time we mainly focus on cannabis reform in Europe as several European countries announced their historic decisions to regulate cannabis, a plant that has been illegal for over a century. Legal regulation of cannabis comes to Germany. The German government in waiting announced that it will create tight regulation to control cannabis as a legal plant. The parties in the new coalition have agreed to legalize the sale of cannabis as long as it is sold in licensed establishments that can tax it properly and ensure both quality control and that it is sold only to adults. After four years, the parties vow to re-evoluate the law and its effect on society. Although Germany is not the first European country to announce a legalization of cannabis, it has the largest national economy in Europe and its decision will be a game-changer in European cannabis policies. Germany has an estimated 4.6 million cannabis users consuming around 500 tonnes of cannabis a year. To provide a legal supply of cannabis in this magnitude is a challenge for public policymakers and likely will need significant imports from countries like Canada. Luxembourg adults will be allowed to grow up to four plants. Prior to the announcement of the Future German Government Coalition the government of Luxembourg said to deliver fundamental changes in the country's approach to recreational cannabis use and cultivation. Under the legislation, people aged 18 and over will be able to legally grow up to four cannabis plants per household for personal use. The government said it would be possible to buy seeds in shops to import them or buy them online. There is also the intention to allow for the domestic production of seeds for commercial purposes, but plans for both the national production chain and state regulated distribution have been delayed by the Covid pandemic. Switzerland Parliamentary Commission decides to end cannabis ban. The Social Security and House Commission of the Council of States said cannabis should be regulated in Switzerland in order to control cannabis market for better use and consumer protection. From next year on, pilot projects will begin in several major cities where cannabis will be sold legally for consumption in pharmacies and licensed outlets. The experiments are intended to provide a scientific basis for future legal regulation, said the Federal Office of Public Health. Malta. Cannabis users will be allowed to form social clubs. On the 14th of December, the Parliament of Malta passed a bill that legalizes the use and cultivation of cannabis. The president is expected to sign the bill within a few days. The legalization process started this year when the Ministry for Equality Research and Innovation of the smallest country in the European Union introduced in October 2021 a bill to reform low-on cannabis. The reform bill lies on four pillars, cultivation, possession, consumption and association. Adult cannabis consumers will be able to possess up to 7 grams. However, possession of more than several grams will be punished with administrative penalties. Cannabis consumption in public will be forbidden unless the person is authorized to use it for medical reasons. What experts think about cannabis legalization in Europe? We, a drug reporter, think it is crucial to have a professional debate on cannabis legalization and give a voice to various civil society actors to express their views. Otherwise, only business lobbies and political elites will decide on the form of control behind closed doors. Therefore, we asked several drug policy experts from Europe to comment on the government's plans to legalize cannabis. Pavel Baim, the former mayor of Prague, welcomed the legalization initiatives and set from the public health perspective – he sees as crucial – all attempts searching for more human, rational and cost-benefit drug policies and evidence-based approach respecting the up-to-date data and research findings. Mataj Koshir, director of U-Trip, a drug prevention organization in Slovenia warned of the dangers of industrial lobbies, reminding us that our societies already have many problems with two legal drugs – alcohol and tobacco – and to a great extent we are not successful in controlling them and limiting their consumption. Steve Rose, policy analyst from Transform Drug Policy Foundation UK said we will probably see five or ten EU states with legal cannabis markets in the next five or ten years, something that will inevitably force a change in EU policy and accelerate UN Treaty reforms as well. Monica Barzanti from the San Patrignano Recovery Community in Italy is against the reform and said in many countries where this has happened regulation and distribution has followed purely commercial and profit-oriented logics with negative consequences, especially for the most vulnerable groups whom this initiative was intended to protect. Tom Blikman from the Transnational Institute, the Netherlands, compared the process of cannabis policy reform to the religious procession of Ekterna, a small town in Luxembourg, three steps forward, two steps back. In other words, progress is slow, but we are progressing, he said. This was Dragli Porter News for today. Thank you for joining us. 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