They are undermining parents, teachers and students who reject the drug, a German politician the CDU, said.
Marlene Mortler presented the annual report on drugs on Friday and warned that a powerful “cannabis lobby” was pushing for the legalisation.
“This is about big business,” she said, adding that the lobbyists were also working on behalf of US hedge funds and their investors, eager to sell marijuana in Germany, which they view as a “highly interesting market”.
The report revealed a decrease in tobacco and alcohol consumption among German youth. According to Mortler, tobacco consumption is currently only one-third of what it was 15 years ago, and the youth drinks only half as much alcohol.
But cannabis use is the new passtime, suggesting a topic that Angela Merkel’s party would like to focus on instead of the immigration crisis for which Merkel is responsible.
Some 7 percent of Germans between 12 and 17 years of age used marijuana at least once during 2015. The percentage increased to 15 percent for the 18-25 age group. The report also estimated some 3.1 million adult marijuana users in Germany.
“This is also problematic because the amount of active ingredients is now five times higher than 30 years ago,” Mortler noted.
The number of drug related deaths has been on the rise for the last four years. The 2016 numbers show that 1 333 people died as a result of heroin, cocaine, or crack, in a 9 percent rise from the year before.