Hawaii Tribune Herald, 13 Aug 2010 – I am visiting family and friends in Germany. One of my cousins is a police captain in a small city. As it is in the United States, the debate over drug liberalization and the effect it will have on German society exists here, as well. Recently, the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen passed a bill allowing citizens to possess 10 grams (approximately one-third ounce) of cannabis for personal use, up from a previous amount of 6 grams. Some argue that this will encourage people to take more drugs. However, the state’s police president, Hubert Wimber, stated that since small amounts of cannabis for personal use went into effect, the problems experienced with abuse have not increased. He argues that harsh laws do not deter people from taking drugs, and that the number of prosecutions for cannabis has not increased since citizens were allowed to possess cannabis legally.
posted on August 13, 2010 by
