News

Germany To Legalise Cannabis From Monday

Published

2 years ago

March 30, 2024

Editor

Germany will partially legalise cannabis from Monday, implementing a flagship pledge of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government.

However, access to the drug will not be straightforward.

Here is a run-down of the new rules:

April fool?

From April 1, it will be legal to carry up to 25 grams of dried cannabis for personal use — enough to roll around 80 joints, depending on how much is used.

Home cultivation will also be allowed, with a limit of up to three plants per adult and 50 grams of dried cannabis.

However, it will remain prohibited to smoke the drug within a 100-metre radius of schools, kindergartens, playgrounds and public sports facilities.

Smoking will also be banned in pedestrian zones between 7am and 8pm.

‘Cannabis clubs’

From July 1, Germany is planning to set up regulated cannabis cultivation associations to enable people to obtain the drug legally.

These so-called cannabis clubs will have up to 500 members each and will be able to sell a maximum of 50 grams of dried cannabis per month to each member.

Adults under 21 will be limited to 30 grams of cannabis per month containing no more than 10 percent of the psychoactive substance tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Meeting and consuming cannabis at the clubs will not be allowed and membership will be limited to one club at a time.

No tourists

The only legal way to obtain cannabis will be to either cultivate it at home or obtain it through the cannabis clubs, with both options limited to people who have been resident in Germany for at least six months.

The restrictions are intended to allay fears from opposition parties, especially the conservative CDU-CSU alliance, that the new law could encourage “drug tourism”.

The government of Scholz’s Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business FDP had originally pledged to go further and allow cannabis to be sold in shops, a move that was slapped down by the EU.

A second law is now in the pipeline to trial the drug’s sale in shops or pharmacies in certain regions.

Criticism

The government insists the new law will reduce the health risks associated with cannabis because it will tackle the problem of contaminated substances on the black market.

But the law has been widely criticised by medical associations and health groups.

It has also led to complaints from regional authorities, charged with overseeing its implementation.

They fear they will be saddled with extra bureaucracy because they will have to reverse prison sentences and fines already imposed for offences that are no longer punishable under the new law.

Friedrich Merz, the leader of the opposition conservatives, has already warned that if his party were to return to power after the 2025 elections, it would “cancel the law immediately”.

AFP

News

Edo NLC Crisis: Caretaker Committee Drags Rival Exco, Govt To Court

Published

3 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Editor

The division in the Edo State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), took a new dimension on Wednesday as Prof. Monday Monday Lewis Igbafen-led caretaker committee approached the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Benin Judicial Division, seeking to affirm its authority and restrain a rival executive from parading itself as the council’s leadership.

Joined in the suit are the Edo State Government, the Commissioner for Labour and Productivity, and the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.

In a suit marked: NICN/BEN/12/2026, and filed before the court in Benin, the claimant, Igbafen, acting for himself and on behalf of the NLC Caretaker Committee in Edo State, is challenging the continued occupation of the union’s secretariat and control of its assets by members of the Bernard Egwakhide-led factional State Executive Council.

The claimants are asking the court to declare that the caretaker committee (Igbafen-led faction), constituted on August 11, 2025, by the NLC national leadership, remains the only lawful authority to administer the affairs of the Edo State Council pending fresh elections.

They further seek a declaration that the continued occupation of the NLC secretariat located at No. 1 Teboga Road, Benin City, as well as the retention of union assets, financial records, and official instruments by the defendants, is illegal and void.

The suit also prays for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from parading themselves as officials of the NLC Edo Council or interfering with the functions of the caretaker committee.

In addition, the claimants are seeking a mandatory order compelling the defendants to immediately hand over the secretariat, vehicles, financial documents, cheque books, and all other properties belonging to the union.

The caretaker committee further urged the court to restrain the state government and its officials from interfering in the internal affairs of the union, alleging undue support for the dissolved executive.

The claimants further demand N50 million as general and exemplary damages against the defendants for alleged unlawful usurpation of office and acts prejudicial to the administration of the council.

According to court documents made available to our correspondent, the crisis followed the dissolution of the Edo State Council by the NLC National Executive Council on February 27, 2025, over allegations of misconduct, anti-union activities, and constitutional violations.

However, the matter has yet to be assigned a hearing date.

News

Transfer: Premier League Clubs Scramble For Dele-Bashiru

Published

8 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Editor

Lazio midfielder, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru is a subject of interest from three Premier League clubs, according to Sky Sports.

Lazio reportedly rejected offers from Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth for the Nigeria international in January.

La Biancolesti are bracing for more interest in Dele-Bashiru ahead of the summer transfer window, according to Sky Sports.

The 24-year-old has two years left on his contract with the Serie A club.

The attacking midfielder joined the Rome-based club from Turkish Super Lig outfit Hatayspor in 2024.

He has been a regular feature for Lazio this season.

News

Xenophobic Attacks: Nigerian Students To Picket MTN, MultiChoice, Other Businesses

Published

9 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Editor

The leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS South-West Zone D, has announced plans to picket South African companies in Nigeria following the ongoing xenophobic attacks in the country.

DAILY POST reports that some Nigerians were recently killed in South Africa over the violent attacks.

A statement issued to newsmen by Comrade Adeyemo Josiah Kayode, Coordinator, NANS South-West, Zone D, said that the association is mobilizing to take decisive and lawful action by organizing peaceful picketing and mass advocacy against South African business interests operating in Nigeria.

“We categorically state that the continued targeting of Nigerians under any guise is unacceptable and must come to an immediate end.

“This will include major corporations such as MTN Group and MultiChoice Group. It is morally indefensible for businesses to thrive in an environment where the lives of Nigerians are protected, while Nigerians are subjected to fear and violence elsewhere.

“This contradiction will no longer be tolerated,” the statement said.