Germany's cabinet passed a bill to legalise recreational marijuana use and cultivation on Wednesday.

The legalisation would be one of the most liberal cannabis laws in Europe and could provide further momentum for a similar worldwide trend.

The bill, which still has to pass German parliament, would allow adults to possess up to 25 grams (of the cannabis, grow a maximum of three plants, or acquire weed as associates of non-profit cannabis clubs.

The centre-left government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz are hoping that the new law will curb the black market and protect consumers against laced marijuana as well as reduce drug-related crime.

A key pillar of the plan looks to remove the stigma around cannabis use by campaigning to raise awareness about the risks of using the drug, according to Health Minister Karl Lauterbach.

"With the current procedures we could not seriously protect children and young people, the topic has been made a taboo," Lauterbach said at a news conference in Berlin.

"We have rising, problematic consumption, we couldn't simply allow this to go on," he said. "So this is an important turning point in our drug policy."

https://t.co/xqXINMNpm0 A Opinion Piece I wrote about the CA on Drug Use and how it offers a opportunity for a radically different approach to drug use in Ireland.

— Gino Kenny TD (@Ginosocialist) August 15, 2023

Opposition to the bill coming from conservatives is that it will encourage marijuana and therefore increase the strain on authorities.

"This law will be linked to a complete loss of control," said Armin Schuster, conservative interior minister for the state of Saxony, to RND.

Many countries in Europe have already legalised cannabis for limited medicinal purposes. Others have decriminalized its general use.

Earlier this summer, Ireland held its own citizen’s assembly on drugs with many hoping that the occasion would be a step forward in terms of drug decriminalisation.

Answering a question in the Dáil last month from People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Gino Kenny, the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that there shouldn’t be “any assumption” that the Government will implement the findings of the current Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs.