New house rules

Deutsche Bahn bans smoking weed in its train stations

(Bild: Brian_Kinney – stock.adobe.com, Krone KREATIV)

At the beginning of April, our German neighbors legalized cannabis products - with restrictions. A circumstance that is now forcing Deutsche Bahn (DB) to change its house rules accordingly. Prohibition posters are to be displayed in train stations as early as next week.

"Based on the legal ban on cannabis consumption during the day in pedestrian zones or around schools and playgrounds, we want to protect our passengers, especially children and young people, at our train stations. We will therefore generally prohibit the consumption of cannabis at our stations. To this end, we will be adapting our house rules soon," a DB spokeswoman told Bild. These will be ready and legally valid in around four weeks.

Any violations of the adapted house rules will only be punished from July 1, the newspaper reports. Until then, DB employees will be given "friendly instructions and information" to encourage people to refrain from smoking weed in the station areas. However, tobacco may still be smoked in specially designated areas.

Cannabis legal for adults since April
Since April 1, possession, consumption and cultivation of the drug (but only for personal use) have been permitted for people aged 18 and over. It is forbidden to smoke weed in the presence of children and young people, during the day in pedestrian zones, on playgrounds and sports grounds and within sight of schools and kindergartens.

People over the age of 18 are now allowed to carry up to 25 grams of the drug in public, with a maximum of 50 grams permitted at home. It is also permitted to have up to three cannabis plants at home.

From July, in a second step, so-called growers' associations will be allowed to cultivate cannabis under state control and under strict conditions and to supply it to their members. At the same time, the law provides for measures to prevent addiction.

Berlin wants to tighten the law retrospectively
However, the German government wants to tighten the cannabis law retrospectively. According to a draft bill quoted by the "Augsburger Allgemeine" on Saturday, the coalition wants to prevent the emergence of commercial cultivation structures in particular. For example, several cultivation associations should not be able to operate plantations at the same location or in the same building.