Luxembourg will permit the recreational use of cannabis among adults who reside in the European country. This is based on newly-introduced legislation, which also stipulates that adults can cultivate up to four plants per household. 

Once the law is enacted, Luxembourg will go down in history as the first ever European country to completely legalize the drug’s consumption and production. However, public consumption of the drug would still be considered a punishable offense.

The plan to legalize cannabis in Luxembourg – which states that people aged 18 and above can legally cultivate a maximum of four cannabis plants per household for personal consumption – was officially announced by the ministers of justice and internal affairs on Friday, October 22.

Government attempts to legalize cannabis have never materialized in the past.

What do the Luxembourg Minister’s plans for cannabis legalization entail?

Official plans for adult-use cannabis legalization in Luxembourg have already been unveiled by Luxembourg’s Minister. The proposed rules stipulate that offenders who are caught with less than three grams of cannabis on their person will face confiscation and a fine of €25 to €500 (equivalent to USD $30 to $600).

Prior to the announcement of Luxembourg’s new rules for complete cannabis legalization, offenders would have been slammed with an extortionate fine of up to €2,500 (equivalent to USD $2,890). Not only does the reduced fine ease penalties for cannabis offenders in the European country but also, the criminal record procedures — no record will be registered. 

The governing coalition supports the plans to fully legalize cannabis in Luxembourg. However, a parliamentary vote is still required to ensure that sanctions can be lawfully reduced and the proposals set in stone.

Based on the details of a coalition paper that dates back to 2018, the group of social democrats, liberals and greens that make up Luxembourg’s government endeavor to avoid “the exemption from punishment or even legalization” of cannabis that has been produced in the state territory “under conditions that are still to be determined.” 

In regards to farmers cultivating cannabis at home, seed trading would be allowed. What’s more, no cannabinoid limit – specifically for the psychoactive cannabinoid THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) – would be imposed. This means that farmers could cultivate cannabis with whatever level/quantity of the cannabinoid they please.

Eventually, the government hopes that the people of Luxembourg will be able to legally buy cannabis seeds inside shops, purchase them online and/or import them.

Luxembourg will join numerous countries and U.S. states with its cannabis reform efforts

It’s not just Luxembourg that is rebelling against a United Nations convention on narcotic drug control. The UN-issued protocol, which instructs signatories to restrict “exclusively for medical and scientific purposes the production, manufacture, export, import distribution, trade, employment and possession of drugs, (including cannabis,)” has also been disobeyed by various other countries around the world.

For example, Uruguay made history in 2013 when it became the first country on the planet to establish a legal national cannabis marketplace. Five years later, Canada followed in the South American country’s footsteps. 

Recreational cannabis is tolerated in The Netherlands, which is renowned for its 4/20-focused tourism trade. Nonetheless, it remains technically illegal to use, trade and/or possess adult-use cannabis in the home of Amsterdam.

In the United Kingdom, it is still illegal to grow, distribute, possess and/or sell the plant. Anyone who is caught doing so could face a five-year stint behind bars, an extortionate fine or, in the worst case scenario, both.

Fortunately for British cannabis consumers, various police forces have announced that they will refrain from penalizing recreational consumers. Moreover, anyone who is caught with less than one ounce (28 grams) of the green stuff may only be cautioned and/or face an on-the-spot fine.