The Guardian reports
“There will be a domino effect, for sure,” said Justus Haucap, the director of the Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics. “European countries that have a much bigger problem with illegal cannabis use, like France, are watching very closely what Germany is doing at the moment.”
The country would also stand to reap significant economic benefits: with an estimated annual domestic demand of 400 tonnes of cannabis, Haucap’s institute predicts Germany stands to gain about €4.7bn (£4bn) a year through additional tax intakes as well as cost savings from no longer prosecuting those who enjoy a spliff or two.
The government’s official motivation for legalisation is to break up the illegal cannabis trade, thus gain control of the quality of cannabis on sale, prevent the circulation of contaminated substances and protect minors.
“We are talking about a regulation of the market,” said Burkhardt Bienert, the German commissioner on narcotic drugs on Thursday. “If we do it well, we can prevent adolescents from entering into intensive use. We don’t want to repeat the mistakes we made with alcohol.”
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