Luxembourg Puts an End to Prohibition

Luxembourg has passed a law legalizing the possession and cultivation of cannabis for adults after its parliament voted in favor of legalization. The new cannabis law, which was first proposed by the ministers of justice and internal security in 2021, will allow adults to possess up to three grams of cannabis and grow up to four plants in a safe place in their private apartment.

Luxembourg has passed a law legalizing the possession and cultivation of cannabis for adults after its parliament voted in favor.

Some two years after the Luxembourg government first proposed ending cannabis prohibition, members of the Chamber of Deputies today passed a bill legalizing its possession and cultivation by a vote of 38 to 22.

This makes Luxembourg the second country in the European Union to introduce this reform after Malta, where legalization was passed in 2021.

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3 Grams in Public, 4 Plants at Home

The new cannabis law in Luxembourg, which was first proposed by the ministers of justice and internal security in 2021, will allow adults to possess up to three grams of cannabis and grow up to four plants in a safe place in their private apartment.

However, the approved regulations specify penalties for possession and cultivation above the permitted amount. Buying and possessing more than three grams of cannabis can be punishable by imprisonment for up to six months – a harsh penalty, especially given the relatively low possession limit. Consumption in public places in Luxembourg will continue to be banned.

Criminalization Declared a Failure in Luxembourg

At the end of Wednesday’s debate, Justice Minister Sam Tanson said the criminalization of cannabis in Luxembourg was an “absolute failure,” – RTL Today reports. Therefore, he said, “We must dare to take a different path” and look for solutions.”

The minister described the law in a message about the vote, saying it aims to “reduce the risk and prevent crime” in Luxembourg associated with cannabis.

“Cultivation from seed, four cannabis plants per home community is permitted for adults. Consequently, personal consumption in the private sphere is permitted. The place of cultivation must be either a residence or a place of permanent residence, and the plants must not be visible from a public road. At the same time, a simplified criminal procedure is introduced for certain behaviors that remain prohibited in Luxembourg, namely the consumption, possession, transportation, and acquisition in public places, exclusively for personal use, of up to three grams of cannabis by adults,” the release reads.

Combating the Sale of Cannabis on the Black Market in Luxembourg

Green Party deputy Josée Lorsché said the law “is not a matter of downplaying or promoting cannabis.” Rather, it is about “fighting drug crime and the sale of cannabis on the black market” in Luxembourg.

MP Dan Biancalana of the LSAP party added that prohibition “has not stopped people from using cannabis” in Luxembourg, and “today, the fact is that the purely repressive approach to this issue has so far failed.”

This change has been long awaited, as a coalition of major parties in Luxembourg agreed in 2018 to pass a law allowing “exemption from punishment or even legalization” of cannabis.

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(Featured image by Yash Lucid via Pexels)

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