European cannabis legalisation moves into the slow-dopey lane

Cannabis is easily the most popular illicit drug in Europe. About 28% of adult Europeans have taken a toke during their lifetime; the French top the league of stoners, at almost 45%. Moreover, attitudes towards the drug’s use are changing rapidly. In Germany, for example, support for legalisation has moved from 30% in favour in 2014 to 61% last year.

Yet Germany’s plans to move to full legalisation of consumption and sales came to an abrupt halt last month. Until recently, Germany’s health minister, Karl Lauterbach, had been upbeat about the prospects for radical change. But following talks with the European Commission the plan has gone up in a cloud of smoke, like the comedians Cheech and Chong’s famous van made of weed. Shorn of a German impetus, Europe-wide cannabis reform now looks unlikely any time soon.