Marijuana seeds, planted by pro-pot activists as a part of their protest to legalize cannabis, are sprouting plants across the university town of Gottingen in Germany.
A group of pro-pot activists from the German university town of Gottingen found a unique way to protest against the new law that restricts the cultivation of marijuana plants, even ones with low levels of the psychoactive agent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The group planted several pounds of marijuana seeds across the city last month, which are now sprouting up everywhere.
The group, calling itself "A Few Autonomous Flower Children," strongly argues "why cannabis, unlike alcohol, cannot be legally purchased." The seeds sowed by the group contain low levels of THC, says a report in Spiegel Online International.
"We can't set eyes on this useful and beautiful plant because it's absolutely forbidden in Germany to grow it," the group said in a letter.
The ban of marijuana in Germany has been a controversial topic for several years. Supporters of the drug compare its little impact with major effects of alcohol and tobacco consumption, while the opponents claim the drug is harmful and hence, should remain illegal. Tens of thousands of people die from diseases related to alcohol and tobacco.
A similar protest was carried out by activists last year in Gottingen, but on a smaller scale. But this time "the plants are spread out across the whole city," said a spokesman for Green Youth (GJ), the youth wing of the Green Party.
The activist group initiated a photo competition online to spread the word among the public and increase participants. Although no winner will be chosen from the competition, the "beauty of the photos is enough," a spokesman said.
In an interview with SPIEGEL ONLINE earlier in March, Harvard University professor Jeffrey Miron emphasized how the legalization of marijuana and other drugs can cause less harm than its legal restrictions.
"Prohibition leads to violence," he said. "By making a black market inevitable, you generate violence because the conflicts between the parties involved in the drug trade can't be solved by legal means within the judicial system. They are forced into a twilight world in which they have to shoot each other instead of hiring lawyers and taking the matter to court."
Gottingen police spokeswoman Jasmin Kaatz revealed that an investigation will be launched for the violation of narcotics laws. The police, in the mean time, are removing everything that looks like hemp. Detlef Johannson, spokesman for the city government, said that 70 plants had been removed so far.
