Luxembourg becomes first country in Europe to legalise recreational use of cannabis

In a rare development, Luxembourg has become the first European country to legalise cannabis production and consumption, the country's Health Minister announced in a statement on Thursday, October 21, according to local media reports. Citizens at the legal adulthood age of 18 will now be able to buy cannabis for recreational use legally within two years, although the state is expected to regulate its production and distribution via cannabis agency.

The adults in Luxembourg will be permitted to grow up to four cannabis plants in their homes or gardens. The Luxembourg Health Minister said that the state is expected to pass the legislation later this year. 

In November 2018, Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel had announced that the three main parties of the coalition – the Democratic Party, Luxembourg Socialist Workers’ Party, and the Greens, would legalise the recreational use of cannabis, passing a fully regulated adult-use bill by the year 2022 or 2023. 

The Luxembourg government had stated that the country was prepared to infuse these fundamental changes in its approach to recreational use and cultivation of cannabis.

Countries in EU legalise cannabis for 'medicinal use'

Cannabis has been legal in some European countries for medicinal use since June 2018 but the new law will now allow the citizens to possess 30 grams of cannabis for recreational use, same as Canada.

It would now be possible for the citizens to purchase the plant's seeds from local shops, or import from abroad, without facing criminal charges. The legally eligible citizens can also buy cannabis online. The law, however, reportedly bans tourists and overseas travellers from possession of the drug, in order to stop illegal smuggling.

In Europe, apart from Luxembourg, the Netherlands became the first in the world to legalise the medicinal use of cannabis after the consistent efforts of Health Minister Els Borst in1999. In 1976, the country legalised recreational use of cannabis at famous coffee shops, in relatively small quantities with licensing regulations.

In 2015, the Maltese government also decriminalised recreational use of cannabis and amended Malta’s Drug Dependence Act in 2018 to allow doctors to prescribe cannabis to their patients as medicine. The health practitioners, however, needed a license for cannabis' medical use, according to reports.