When it comes to cannabis, many people talk about alcohol.

These are mostly the ones who want to legalize cannabis.

Cannabis and alcohol are drugs, but they have different levels of danger.

More than 60,000 people die in Germany every year from the direct consequences of alcohol consumption, and not a single one from the consequences of cannabis consumption.

While an alcoholic should go to the clinic for rehab because it can lead to life-threatening seizures, a stoner can safely fight their addiction at home on the sofa.

And yet alcohol is the focus of all Christmas markets, politicians pose laughing and swaying with beer tankards, it is considered a sign of education to know good wines and to be able to say something about them.

Carrying cannabis in your pocket, on the other hand, can cost money or freedom.

So there's a bit of a divergence between alcohol and cannabis, and even the federal drug commissioners can't really pull it together.

Marlene Mortler once answered the question why alcohol is allowed but cannabis is forbidden: "Because cannabis is an illegal drug." That brought her scorn and ridicule.

But her answer made some sense too: There's no good reason that the more addictive drug is legal while the less addictive drug is banned.

The only thing left is: cannabis is forbidden because it's forbidden, alcohol is allowed because it's allowed.

Always broccoli

Mortler's predecessor, Mechthild Dyckmans, had argued that alcohol was "part of our culture".

And Mortler's successor, Daniela Ludwig, became almost famous with a sentence about cannabis and alcohol.

Asked at a press conference whether she too thought alcohol was more dangerous than cannabis, she replied, visibly touched: "Just because alcohol is dangerous, undisputedly, cannabis is not broccoli.

Okay?” This led to a shitstorm.

There are now countless memes of Ludwig with broccoli on the internet, the “Party” campaigned with “Brokkolize it!”, the left made a small inquiry to the federal government about the legalization of cannabis, including the question: “Why is cannabis not broccoli? And at the beginning of May, Christian Lindner tweeted: "A question that many people keep asking me: 'When will Bubatz be legal?'

I would say:

But of course Ludwig's answer also made sense.

Just because alcohol is dangerous doesn't mean cannabis is safe.

The drug is particularly dangerous for adolescents and young adults.

This is because they become addicted more easily, and the drug is particularly effective in a place that is not yet fully developed in them: in the brain.

The federal government's Capris study summed up the potential and risk of cannabis a few years ago.

The researchers write that smoking weed increases the risk of physical and especially mental disorders.

Smoking regularly, frequently and at a young age can impair memory, attention and thinking skills.