Green Politican Calls For Change to Drug Legislation

Deputy chairman of the Green parliamentary group Hans-Christian Ströbele has spoken out in favor of relaxing restrictions on soft drug possession. In an interview on German television, he argued that "criminal law is ridiculous in this respect -- so much damage can be done by putting young people behind bars because of one gram of cannabis." The famously controversial politician announced the Greens are set to launch an initiative aimed at bringing differing state legislation into line. "It's incomprehensible that you can be prosecuted for possessing over two grams in Bavaria while you can easily get away with 30 grams in Schleswig-Holstein." According to Ströbele, the health risks of cannabis are often grossly exaggerated. After all, he said, "cannabis has never killed anyone."