Cannabis aficionados lit up in Germany on Monday, as the country became the largest EU nation to legalize recreational use, despite fierce objections from opposition politicians and medical associations.
Under the first step in the much-debated new law, adults over 18 are now allowed to carry 25 grams of dried cannabis and cultivate up to three marijuana plants at home.
The changes leave Germany with some of the most liberal cannabis laws in Europe, alongside Malta and Luxembourg, which legalized recreational use in 2021 and 2023, respectively.
The Netherlands, known for its permissive attitude to the drug, has in recent years taken a stricter approach to counter cannabis tourism.
As the law took effect at midnight, some 1,500 people cheered in central Berlin by the…