The drug policy of Germany is considered to be more lenient than that of many other EU countries, but is still stricter than that of the Netherlands. Policies vary depending on the state. In 1994, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled that drug addiction and the possession of small quantities of narcotics for personal use were not crimes. In 2000, the law on narcotics (Betäubungsmittelgesetz) was changed to allow supervised injection rooms. In 2002, a pilot project was started in seven German cities to evaluate the effects of heroin-assisted treatment on addicts, compared to methadone-assisted treatment. In 2009, the positive results of the study led to heroin-assisted treatment becoming included in mandatory health insurance. In February 2021, authorities in Germany and Belgium seized more than 23,000 kilograms (51,000 lb) of cocaine, worth billions of euros, from shipments that originated in Paraguay and Panama. In an international operation that resulted in one arrest, a man from Vlaardingen, Netherlands, German and Belgian authorities seized the largest amount of cocaine in Europe. (en)
The drug policy of Germany is considered to be more lenient than that of many other EU countries, but is still stricter than that of the Netherlands. Policies vary depending on the state. In 1994, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled that drug addiction and the possession of small quantities of narcotics for personal use were not crimes. In 2000, the law on narcotics (Betäubungsmittelgesetz) was changed to allow supervised injection rooms. (en)