Luxembourg’s full Parliament has passed a bill that will make the country just the second in the European Union to legalize marijuana possession and cultivation.
The Chamber of Deputies voted 38 to 22 today to pass the legalization bill. The measure will allow adults to legally possess and grow marijuana, but it does not allow for marijuana retail outlets. In the EU only Malta has legalized recreational marijuana.
The law was first proposed by government officials in 2021. It has gone through an extensive debate and revision process over the past two years. Prime Minister Xavier Bettel is in support of the effort.
The bill approved by parliament is far more restrictive than what’s typical in other jurisdictions that have legalized marijuana. The possession limit allowed outside of a private resident would be set at just three grams. At a private residence adults could grow up to four plants and possess the flower that they produce.
Minister of Justice Sam Tanson called marijuana prohibition an absolute failure.
“The cultivation, from seeds, of four cannabis plants per domestic community is authorized for adults”, said Tanson. “The place of cultivation must be either the domicile or the habitual residence and the plants must not be visible from the public road.”
He continued: “At the same time, a simplified criminal procedure is introduced for certain behaviors which remain prohibited, namely the consumption, possession, transport and acquisition in public, for their sole personal use, of a maximum of three grams of cannabis by adult persons.”
