Conservative ministers at the provincial level in Germany criticized what they called a loophole in the recent the adopted law on the legalization of marijuana in the country, reported DPA, quoted by BTA.
The new law creates problems in prosecuting people who smuggle drugs because certain types of evidence are no longer admissible in German courts, the justice ministers of the German states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Brandenburg, Hessen said in a joint statement. , Schleswig-Holstein, Saxony-Anhalt and Berlin.
They are all members of the center-right CDU/CSU bloc, which is the main opposition force in Germany's national parliament.
In early April, a regional court ruled that encrypted chats seized by police could not be used as evidence against a man accused of smuggling a total of 450 kg of marijuana into Germany. The court referred to provisions in the new cannabis law.
The Federal Court, Germany's highest court for criminal cases, has not yet ruled on the matter.
The German Judges Association also expressed support for the proposed changes. Group leader Sven Reben said the new cannabis law causes significant legal uncertainty.
"We are now seeing regulatory gaps that many experts warned about during the legislative process,” he said.
The government should not turn a blind eye to the proposed changes, he said, adding: "After all, the stated purpose of cannabis law is to curb organized crime and dry up the black market, not to make it easier to do business. of the dealers”.
The Department of Justice has previously defended its position by saying that the methods used by law enforcement must be proportionate to the crime. A spokeswoman described telecommunications surveillance and online searches as "very tactless and unacceptable investigative measures” which are only permissible in the case of serious or particularly serious crimes.