Police in some areas of Germany, including Berlin, already turn a blind eye to smoking of cannabis in publicThe German parliament has backed a new law to allow the recreational use of cannabis.
He wants to undermine the black market, protect smokers from contaminated cannabis and cut revenue streams for organised crime gangs.A ferocious debate about decriminalising cannabis has been raging for years in Germany, with doctors' groups expressing concerns for young people and conservatives saying that liberalisation will fuel drug use.
But Mr Lauterbach said the current situation was no longer tenable: "The number of consumers aged between 18 and 25 has doubled in the past 10 years."As so often in Germany, the law approved by MPs is complicated. Instead, non-commercial members' clubs, dubbed "cannabis social clubs", will grow and distribute a limited amount of the drug.