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WHERE IN EUROPE CAN YOU USE MARIJUANA LEGALLY? While medical marijuana is becoming more available in Europe, cannabis remains illegal in most EU countries for personal use. Germany moved one step closer to becoming the second EU country after Malta to legalise cannabis for recreational use in a move that could influence other countries to follow suit. But across most of Europe, cannabis remains illegal and some EU countries still have legal penalties that include jail time for possession of marijuana. And while some countries are running pilot programmes for medical marijuana, which is increasingly accessible across the bloc, some say the European market has been slower to grow than the United States or Canada.
MARIJUANA PIONEERS Malta currently has the most tolerant laws in the EU concerning the cultivation, consumption and possession of cannabis. Adults may carry up to 7 g of cannabis and grow up to four plants at home based on legislation passed in 2021. Smoking marijuana in public,
however, is still prohibited. Germany could soon have the most lenient laws in the bloc, however, as the country’s cabinet approved plans to legalise the possession of 25 g of cannabis for personal use and growing up to three plants. This legislation still needs to be voted on by lawmakers in the Bundestag. While the Netherlands is often seen as relaxed on marijuana, the cultivation, sale and possession of drugs is illegal. Its sale is “tolerated” in the country’s famous coffee shops with the possession of no more than 5 g of cannabis also decriminalised. Cannabis has been decriminalised in Portugal since 2001, with the consumption and possession of small amounts treated as an administrative offence and in Spain, private consumption is not prohibited but is considered an offence in public, punishable by fines. In Luxembourg, private consumption is tolerated as well as the cultivation of four cannabis plants as of this year with possession of cannabis in public decriminalised.
PILOT PROGRAMMES FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA Cannabis for medical use has become increasingly available in European countries but the market is still being developed. Some countries have launched public pilot programmes that could lead to more access to medical marijuana, which has been demonstrated in several studies to have some therapeutic benefits for cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis (MS) and chronic pain patients among others. A pilot programme entered into force in Denmark in 2018 to allow doctors to prescribe products that were not previously legal in the country. In Ireland, a five-year pilot programme was launched in 2019 to facilitate access to cannabis products for medical use. It is for use in patients
with multiple sclerosis, nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy, and severe epilepsy. France also began a medical cannabis pilot project in 2021 and the government’s medicines agency is currently defining more specific rules for future French production of medical marijuana products. While medical marijuana can be prescribed by a doctor in many countries, it can remain quite limited as some countries import small amounts of the available medical products or do not have a programme for sourcing them. Also, while in the Czech Republic and in Germany, patients can be reimbursed for medical cannabis, in other countries, the cost is covered solely by the patient. Hungary is one of a few EU countries where cannabis is still illegal for both recreational and medical use. But even in areas where doctors can prescribe medical marijuana, access can be limited. In Sweden, for instance, recreationally there is no difference between hard and soft drugs meaning cannabis and heroin are classified as narcotics with a zero-tolerance policy towards drugs in the country.
Source: euronews.com