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On Saturday, more than 8,000 people attended the Hanfparade march (hemp parade) in Berlin. The participants demanded the legalization of cannabis for medical uses, alternative energy, and recreational consumption. They were joined by a number of Green Party politicians.

Prohibition is costly and ineffective

In May, Joachim Pfeiffer, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Germany’s lower house of parliament, co-sponsored legislation that would lift Germany’s ban on marijuana and regulate it like alcohol and tobacco. Pfeiffer’s move sent shockwaves throughout Germany because he joined his opposing party’s campaign to legalize marijuana.

Pfeiffer said, “The current restrictive drug policy failed because, despite the ban, the number of consumers hasn’t dropped. More than two million Germans use weed regularly, making it the most commonly used illicit drug.”

Pfeiffer points out that Germany spends roughly $2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) each year on criminal prosecution, yet this has not reduced availability or consumption.

Growing support for legal cannabis

Germany has partially decriminalized marijuana. The country’s marijuana law is similar to the law in the United States in the sense that it varies from state to state.

Legal marijuana is gaining steam according to recent polls. In June, a poll conducted found that 37% of respondents said they support the legalization of cannabis. This represents an increase from last year (30% were in favor of legal cannabis).

Outlook

Marijuana legalization has been a growing trend around the United Sates. Currently, some form of marijuana is legal in 40 states, but this revolution is not just taking place in the United States. We are seeing marijuana reform taking place all around the world.

Earlier this year, Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla signed an executive order to legalize medical marijuana. In 2014, Uruguay legalized both medical and recreational marijuana. Israel, Canada, and the Netherlands all have legal medical marijuana programs. Portugal and a number of other countries have decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana.