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Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa
The law has been passed, now the federal states have to prepare themselves: Possessing and consuming cannabis in public spaces is expected to become legal with certain restrictions from April 1st.
There is great general uncertainty. The Berlin Senate Chancellery and other major city administrations are preparing the population for sudden THC releases in trendy districts and public parks and are advising caution when encountering cannabis users by chance. It is recommended to always carry a sufficient amount of sweets with you to provide comfort.
People are particularly worried in Bavaria. Until recently, the Free State had pushed in vain to delay the entry into force of cannabis legalization because April 1st unfortunately coincided with the end of the strong beer season. It is feared that many drinkers could now switch directly to the substitute drug cannabis. According to calculations by experts from the Bavarian Ministry of Health and Economics, new consumers could have been so largely weaned off alcohol by the start of Oktoberfest that the festival tents there are threatened with significant losses in sales. In order to maintain the competitiveness of Bavarian beer, the expert group recommends an immediate general increase in the original gravity by at least three degrees Plato.
The state government also expects serious problems in implementing the amnesty for cannabis offenses. Because of the traditionally high density of prosecutions in the Free State, there are a particularly large number of old cases to be reviewed here, which will block the Bavarian judicial system from other tasks for months, if not years. Even the highest state goals may be at risk: control of the gender ban could fail. A disaster is imminent.