German MPs approve new cannabis law allowing limited possession and cultivation of marijuana

Germany may soon have some of the most lenient marijuana laws in the European Union as lawmakers in the Bundestag debate legislation on cannabis.

Transcript

00:00 From April, Germans will be able to legally possess cannabis and even grow it, after an historic vote in the Bundestag.

00:07 On Friday, 407 MPs voted in favour and 226 MPs voted against.

00:14 The far-reaching turning point in drug policy comes after much debate.

00:18 Those in favour say cannabis is less harmful than alcohol, but critics point to research by neuroscientists.

00:25 It suggests cannabis can alter the growth of young people's brains, which don't stop developing until they are in their mid-to-late twenties.

00:33 [WHOOSH]