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Luxembourg to be first European country to legalise cannabis

theguardian.com

21–30 of 147 posts

Re: Luxembourg to be first European country to legalise cannabis

#21
post #8

Wait, what about Portugal? Didn't they also legalise it?

Portuguese are following a path of decriminalisation, which in a legal sense if a long shot away from the legalisation that the state of Luxembourg has just announced...

Production and sale are still criminalised in Portugal, and possession is still considered illegal, but with no penalties to first time offenders and considered a health issue for repeated offenders.

The major difference - Decriminalisation complies with their international obligations as per signed international treaties, Legalisation does not.

State of Luxembourg thinks they will get away with that, and I would bet this has been thoroughly vetted with their international partners.

Re: Luxembourg to be first European country to legalise cannabis

#22
post #4

> Schneider said the legislation was likely to include a ban on non-residents buying cannabis in order to dissuade drug-tourism. Given the fact they're sharing a border with France: probably a good idea.

Why is that a good idea? Is drug tourism necessarily a bad thing?

Re: Luxembourg to be first European country to legalise cannabis

#23
Luxembourg should be implementing more laws that are 'firsts' or may be deemed risky (looking also at renewable energy sources, electric vehicle infrastructure, the future of cryptocurrency,...). As a small (and wealthy) nation, they are a perfect testing ground for new laws & regulations.

Re: Luxembourg to be first European country to legalise cannabis

#24
post #22
post #4

> Schneider said the legislation was likely to include a ban on non-residents buying cannabis in order to dissuade drug-tourism. Given the fact they're sharing a border with France: probably a good idea.

Why is that a good idea? Is drug tourism necessarily a bad thing?

Probably because not everyone is okay with thousands of people coming to their city every year just to take drugs.

Re: Luxembourg to be first European country to legalise cannabis

#25
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A genuine question, Aren't all EU citizens supposed to be treated equally across the EU? How would such a ban work?

They are being treated equally. A citizen of France who is resident in Luxembourg would be able to purchase. A citizen of Luxembourg who is resident in France, wouldn't. You can have rules that apply only to residents, but they have to be applied to any resident.

It is my understanding that this ability to discriminate only applies to acts by the state but not to commerce.

Re: Luxembourg to be first European country to legalise cannabis

#26
Bravo, and here's hoping that other countries follow.

I was recently shocked to discover that my backwards eastern european country is one of the few in the EU that has even decriminalized drugs; I genuinely thought that this was standard in the EU but apparently not, see this map https://i.imgur.com/A0JICkk.jpg

Re: Luxembourg to be first European country to legalise cannabis

#27
post #9
post #4

> Schneider said the legislation was likely to include a ban on non-residents buying cannabis in order to dissuade drug-tourism. Given the fact they're sharing a border with France: probably a good idea.

Canada shares a border with the USA (where persecution of cannabis use is a billion-dollar profitable industry) and has made no effort to dissuide cannabis tourism. On the contrary: we welcome it it open doors.

>where persecution of cannabis use is a billion-dollar profitable industry

Source?

Re: Luxembourg to be first European country to legalise cannabis

#29
post #24
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is that a good idea? Is drug tourism necessarily a bad thing?

Probably because not everyone is okay with thousands of people coming to their city every year just to take drugs.

Isn’t that Oktoberfest?

Re: Luxembourg to be first European country to legalise cannabis

#30
post #8

Wait, what about Portugal? Didn't they also legalise it?

Portugal decriminalized it, you can't buy it legally anyway. > If someone is found in the possession of less than a 10-day supply of anything from marijuana to heroin, he or she is sent to a three-person Commission for the Dissuasion of Drug Addiction, typically made up of a lawyer, a doctor and a social worker. The commission recommends treatment or a minor fine; otherwise, the person is sent off without any penalty…

That is indeed not quite the same thing. My impression of the Portugal situation was different, but apparently incorrect.
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