The black line approximately marks the area in downtown Kaiserslautern that is to be off limits for smoking cannabis during school days from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., starting Saturday. (City of Kaiserslautern)
A new law will ban most weekday cannabis use in Kaiserslautern’s center for the next year, the city said in a statement.
Starting on Saturday, marijuana consumption will be prohibited on school days from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., in the vicinity of city hall and the K in Lautern shopping center.
Kaiserslautern is the largest city in an area that includes Ramstein Air Base, several Army posts, and tens of thousands of U.S. service members and their families.
The restricted area spans from Meuthstrasse or Humboldtstrasse in the west to Martin-Luther-Strasse in the east, and from Lauterstrasse/Ludwigstrasse in the north to Fruchthallstrasse in the south.
Mayor Manfred Schulz wanted better protection for students travelling to and from the five schools in the designated area, according to a statement Wednesday.
“When it comes to the consumption of cannabis near minors, the regulations and distances defined in the law on the handling of consumer cannabis are unfortunately neither efficient nor effective enough for everyday control,” Schulz said in the statement, adding law enforcement authorities “will patrol the area intensively in the coming months.”
The ban will stay in effect until at least Oct. 31, 2025 and offenders could face fines of up to 30,000 euros, according to the city.
A similar ban is planned for the Messeplatz area during the Oktoberkerwe festival later this month.
Possession of up to 25 grams (about an ounce) of marijuana became legal in Germany on April 1. However, legal hurdles remain for sellers and purchasers of the drug. Use of the drug is still prohibited within about 100 yards of the entrance to a playground or school.
Marijuana use remains illegal for service members under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Defense Department and Europe-based military regulations bar its use by contractors, Defense Department civilians and others in Germany under the Status of Forces Agreement.
