After years of negotiating and planning, in a historic decision, Luxembourg’s government has announced that the country’s citizens will now be legally allowed to possess and consume cannabis for recreational purposes.
According to The Guardian, the announcement on Friday morning means that adults in Luxembourg will also be permitted to grow up to four cannabis plants in their homes for personal use.
The move makes Luxembourg the first country in Europe to legalise the production and recreational use of cannabis.
Luxembourg’s government revealed that their change in policy was due to the failure of prohibition in curbing the use, production, and supply of cannabis.
Two years ago, we reported on a statement by then-Health Minister, Etienne Schneider, who told Politico:
“This drug policy we had over the last 50 years did not work. Forbidding everything made it just more interesting to young people.”
The Guardian reports that cannabis shops may be opened throughout Luxembourg, and there is “also the intention to allow for the domestic production of seeds for commercial purposes.”
Luxembourg has been a little softer on cannabis than other European countries for a while now: for example, possession and use of the drug were decriminalised back in 2001.
In addition, medical cannabis has been relatively accessible for many Luxembourgers since its legalisation in 2018: a recent report published by Luxembourg Times states that medical cannabis use has almost tripled in the country in 2020.
Data shows that doctors prescribed more than 140kg of cannabis for medical use in 2020, which means “more than 600 people were prescribed [for] an average of 40g of medical pot each.”
For all those wanting to visit Luxembourg for a smoky night out, it is reported that the government will announce some sort of restrictions to avoid the kind of cannabis tourism that is seen in cities like Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
Luxembourg will join Uruguay, Canada and a number of U.S. states where recreational use and production are already massive parts of the culture and economy.
Over the last few days and weeks, Canex has reported that countries such as Italy, Spain, Germany or Switzerland are on the brink of some sort of drug reform that would allow recreational cannabis use.
