German Lawmakers Recommend Marijuana Legalization Amendments, Increasing Chances Of Delayed Enactment
German committees of a national legislative body representing states have recommended a series of changes to a marijuana legalization bill that recently cleared the parliament, which they hope will be taken up in bicameral mediation panel this summer.
It’s currently unclear if the Bundesrat, the state-represented chamber, will formally move to refer the Bundestag-approved legislation to a mediation committee at a meeting scheduled for March 22. If it does, however, its Legal Affairs, Health and Interior Affairs Committees are seeking amendments to the bill.
Should the bill be referred to mediation, that would push back the effective date for legalization six months, from April to October. But the committee itself would not be able to change the law as passed by Bundestag. The mediation committee would need to further refer those possible changes to both chambers for potential confirmation.
