Luxembourg To Lead Europe Into Cannabis Era: First EU Country To Legalize Growing Weed For Personal Use

Adult Luxembourgers will soon be allowed to cultivate cannabis for private consumption, The Guardian reports.

Friday’s announcement by Luxembourg’s government addresses fundamental changes in the country’s approach to recreational cannabis use.

The new bill will allow people aged 18 and above to legally grow up to four cannabis plants per household for personal use.

The legislation also permits trade-in seeds, with no limit on quantity or levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

In addition to importing seeds, they will be available in stores and online under the new legislation, which also foresees the domestic production of cannabis seeds for commercial purposes. However, plans for a national production chain and state-regulated distribution are currently on hold due to Covid restrictions.

As such, public consumption and transport of cannabis and cannabis products as well as trade-in cannabis products, other than seeds, remain prohibited.

In addition, the consumption and transport of quantities of up to 3 grams will be classified as a misdemeanor instead of a criminal offense.

Although medical marijuana has been legal in Luxembourg since 2018, officials had announced plans in 2019 to legalize cannabis for adult use within two years. The latest breakthrough follows lawmakers’ adoption of a motion in May that called for the development of legal cannabis regulations.

A Bill Designed To Keep Potential Consumers Away From Illegal Market

Justice minister Sam Tamson called the changes regarding domestic production and consumption the first step toward full legalization of the plant.

“We thought we had to act, we have an issue with drugs, and cannabis is the drug that is most used and is a large part of the illegal market,” Tamson said.

Luxembourgers who plan to grow cannabis will be allowed to do so at their place of residence, indoors or outdoors, on a balcony, terrace or garden.

“We want to start by allowing people to grow it at home,” Tamson continued. “The idea is that a consumer is not in an illegal situation if he consumes cannabis and that we don’t support the whole illegal chain from production to transportation to selling where there is a lot of misery attached. We want to do everything we can to get more and more away from the illegal black market.”

Currently, there are no fully legal adult-use cannabis countries in Europe; 

Luxembourg is poised to become the first on the Old Continent to legalize growing and using cannabis.

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