16.07.2023 Pro Rauchfrei comments on the draft Cannabis Act to the Federal Government in the hearing of associations.
The draft Cannabis Act allows smoking rooms to be set up in workplaces, in federal authorities and even in aeroplanes, where cannabis may also be smoked. For most other areas of life, no non-smoker protection is provided at all. This shows how little thought the federal government has given to the health protection of non-consumers. The inadequate non-smoker protection for tobacco is to be largely simply transferred to cannabis.
In the case of tobacco, Germany is already violating its obligation under international law to provide effective protection for non-smokers under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). This states that a complete ban on smoking must apply not only in all public transport, but also in all indoor workplaces, in all enclosed public places and, where appropriate, in other outdoor public places. Smoking rooms must not be permitted as their design does not provide effective protection. This also applies to catering establishments. Germany is in serious breach of this convention.
Pro Rauchfrei demands in its Statement that non-smoker protection must finally fulfil the demands of the FCTC. It should apply equally to tobacco, e-cigarettes and cannabis, as all these products release harmful pollutants and particulate matter when smoked and vaporised. To this end, we are presenting a draft bill for a new version of the Federal Non-Smokers Protection Act.
The federal government has the legislative power to comprehensively regulate the protection of non-smokers in all areas of life. According to the WHO FCTC, it is obliged to make use of this. It cannot shirk its responsibility by referring to the federal states. We call on the Federal Government and the Bundestag to implement our proposal for the revision of the Federal Non-Smoker Protection Act in the Cannabis Act.