1,700 cannabis-related sentences changed so far

Since the partial legalization of cannabis, around 1,700 penalties for violations have been issued or redetermined in Saxony. This was the result of a minor inquiry by Left Party politician Rico Gebhardt in the Saxon state parliament. "The judiciary has punctually achieved what the CDU said was impossible," Gebhardt concluded, alluding to the CDU/CSU's strict reservations about the cannabis law.

Nearly 700 people benefit from cannabis amnesty

"By the end of 2024, at least 699 defendants against whom a sentence had already been enforced had benefited from the so-called cannabis amnesty. They were released from a sentence that had already been imposed," emphasized Gebhardt. In at least 1,017 cases, public prosecutors had applied for a new sentence to be set by the court. Most of these had probably led to sentence reductions.

Justice has examined around 29,200 cases

According to Gebhardt, the figures may even be higher, as no conclusive statistics are kept. Therefore, there is also no information on how often prison sentences were shortened as a result and how often there were early releases. In its response to the minor interpellation, the Ministry of Justice stated that it had already reviewed around 29,200 pending enforcement proceedings by mid-April 2024.

Left: Review of proceedings extremely punctual

"The answer now available shows: In Saxony, the review of such proceedings succeeded extremely punctually, namely largely before the Cannabis Act came into force," Gebhardt clarified. Immediately before the amendment to the federal law, the CDU had called for a "no to cannabis release" in the state parliament and justified this with an insane amount of work.

Smoking marijuana or hashish has been permitted since April 1, 2024. However, distances from children, young people, daycare centers, schools and playgrounds must be maintained in public. Adults are allowed to have 25 grams of cannabis on them, more than 30 grams is punishable by law. Consumers are also allowed to grow cannabis themselves in certain quantities or become a member of a grow club and obtain it that way. Sale and purchase are still prohibited.

CDU wants to overturn cannabis law if it wins election

The partial liberalization of cannabis was one of the major plans of Berlin's traffic light coalition. The CDU and CSU have included in their election manifesto the intention to abolish the cannabis law of the now collapsed traffic light coalition.