{"id":11764,"date":"2024-04-19T20:47:47","date_gmt":"2024-04-19T18:47:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/?p=11764"},"modified":"2024-04-19T20:49:11","modified_gmt":"2024-04-19T18:49:11","slug":"high-hopes-reshaping-perspectives-in-light-of-germanys-cannabis-legalisation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/11764\/high-hopes-reshaping-perspectives-in-light-of-germanys-cannabis-legalisation\/","title":{"rendered":"High Hopes: Reshaping Perspectives In Light Of Germany’s Cannabis Legalisation"},"content":{"rendered":"

March twenty-second was a monumental day for Steffen Geyer, as the Bundestrat passed the Cannabisgessetz, making the first pillar of recreational cannabis legalisation in Germany – possession of 25g in public, 50g in private and small home-growing – come into effect as of Apr. 1.<\/span><\/p>\n

Geyer<\/span> <\/a>is a seasoned cannabis activist who is currently the Director of the Berlin Hanf (hemp) museum. On that fateful Friday, the museum held a screening to watch the decision be made by the government.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Steffen Geyer (right) in the basement of the Hanf museum. Photo taken by Nkele Martin on Apr. 10, 2024.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cOn the twenty-second of March, we didn’t know if this will be a day of victory, or a day of tears,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was a really nice day for me. I was grinning for hours, making plans for April first and how to party.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With legalisation achieved, the new focus for former legalizers like Geyer is the fight against stigma surrounding cannabis and its users, one that he is confident will end in victory. \u201cThis [stigma] will go away in the next years. This is changed forever. Nobody can take this back,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stigma: Then and Now\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

Geyer says the stigmatisation of Cannabis in Germany can be dated to the closure of the second world war. \u201cThere was a shift in the mind of drug policy,\u201d he said, unlit joint in hand. \u201cBefore the second world war, drug policy was trade policy. After, it became health policy.\u201d After a long push, cannabis was added to the Bet\u00e4ubungsmittelgesetz, the German narcotics law in 1971. Since then, possession of Cannabis could yield the same punishment as heroin or cocaine.<\/span><\/p>\n

An activist for over 20 years, Geyer has felt the stigma throughout his adult life. The most impactful, he said, was an incident in 2012, when he did a tour across the country to educate about cannabis. Demonstrations he did at the time ranged from public discussions to handing out hemp food. At a demonstration, he was accused of lying to the public.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cThere were patients talking about the way cannabis is helping them, but the public said \u2018are you liars? You only want to smoke pot.\u2019 There were old women that were spitting on us, because we were \u2018talking lies in public.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Stigmatisation manifests itself in daily life, too, says Geyer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you’re a pothead looking for a flat, it’s harder to find. If you’re looking for a job, it’s harder to find. If you have one prosecution for cannabis in your record, every contact with the police, you empty out your pocket.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Oliver Waack-J\u00fcrgensen in the basement of the Hanf Museum in Berlin. Photo taken by Nkele Martin on April 10, 2024.<\/p><\/div>\n

That sentiment resonates with <\/span>Oliver Waack-J\u00fcrgensen<\/span><\/a>, a board member of the German Association of Cannabis Social Clubs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was always a problem in jobs, a problem in school, in my family,\u201d he said. \u201cthis made me pull back\u2026it was a very nomadic, unsettled life for a long time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n