Luxembourg moves to allow growing recreational cannabis at home

The Luxembourgish government announced on Friday (22 October) it will allow its 620,000 inhabitants to grow cannabis for personal use.

The move is part of a coalition deal struck between the liberals, social-democrats and the greens in 2018, pushed by the youth wings of the three parties.

Allowing the trade in and possession of cannabis seeds, Luxembourg plans to let its adults legally grow up to four cannabis plants per household for personal use.

It will be possible to buy seeds in Luxembourgish shops, to import them from abroad, or buy them online with a view to allowing the production of seeds for commercial purposes at home.

However, a ban on the consumption and transport of cannabis in public will stay in place, as will the ban on trade in cannabis products other than seeds. Nevertheless, the consumption and transport of a quantity of up to three grams will be reclassified as a misdemeanour, downgraded from a criminal offence.

The main goal of the government at this point is to regulate cannabis use and growing “within your own walls,” the co-president of Luxembourg’s Greens, Meris Sehovic, told EURACTIV.

He compared being fined for transport and consumption in public to getting a speeding ticket, the planned fine of €145 also being comparable.

The government in time intends to regulate large-scale growing as well, eventually hoping to develop national organic production, Sehovic said.

However, so far there is no timeline for the larger overhaul.

[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic]

Read more with Euractiv

Babiš loses ‘suspicious’ battle against ETS system

In today's edition of the Capitals, find out more about Bulgaria compensating companies for high electricity prices, pharmacies registering record high Covid test sales because of unvaccinated workers, and so much more.