Last Friday, German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier signed a law approved by the Federal Council at the beginning of July, as the Presidential Office announced in Berlin on Monday in response to a request. This sets a limit of 3.5 nanograms per milliliter of blood for the cannabis ingredient THC – similar to the 0.5 per mille limit for alcohol.
The new guidelines passed by the Bundestag can now come into force the day after the upcoming promulgation of the law. The order for publication in the Federal Law Gazette was given on Monday, it was said.
These penalties threaten
Then the following applies: Anyone who intentionally or negligently drives with 3.5 nanograms of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or more generally risks a fine of 500 euros and a one-month driving ban. If alcohol is also consumed, the fine is generally 1,000 euros. As with alcohol, cannabis is prohibited during the two-year driving license probation period and for those under 21 – so the limit of 3.5 does not apply. Violations generally result in a fine of 250 euros.
Since smoking weed and private cannabis cultivation have been legal for adults in Germany since April 1st, with many regulations, accompanying traffic regulations have followed. So far, the strict line has been that consequences can be threatened even if THC is detected. A value of 1.0 nanograms has been established in case law.
No limit in Austria
In Austria, there is no THC limit in road traffic. The ÖVP and the Greens had committed in their government program to developing better ways of controlling acute impairments of the ability to drive by the executive. However, a corresponding proposal by the Green-led Ministry of Transport was not approved by the People’s Party. According to the Road Traffic Act (StVO), in Austria the determination of impairment of the ability to drive must be preceded by a drug test.