Germany will legalise the recreational use of cannabis, the country's new coalition government has announced as party leaders struck a power-sharing deal today.
The centre-left SPD, liberal Free Democrats and eco-friendly Greens are now set to take over power from Angela Merkel's conservative CDU party - two months after it was given a drubbing in national elections.
Olaf Scholz, leader of the SPD, is now on course to take over from Mrs Merkel as Chancellor, the first time in 16 years that the post has changed hands.
Legalising cannabis is just one measure contained within a 180-page agreement that lays out the new government's priorities for the next four years and covers everything from Covid measures to phasing out the use of coal.
Germany will legalise the recreational use of cannabis, the new coalition government has announced as it struck a power-sharing deal and laid out its agenda for the next four years
Negotiators have spent more than a month hammering out the agreement, which paves the way for a so-called 'traffic light' coalition - named after the colours associated with each of the parties.
The relatively rapid accord will be greeted by a heave of relief by international partners wary of a hamstrung Germany while crises from the coronavirus pandemic to Belarus and a weak economic recovery rage.
Critical voices within Germany have grown louder for greater urgency from the new coalition to curb a surging fourth wave of the pandemic as hospital beds fill up and new infections soar to records highs day after day.
In a sign of the emergency, Merkel, who is retiring from politics after four terms, summoned the leaders of the new coalition parties for talks over the rapidly deteriorating Covid situation midway during their last spurt of negotiations Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the parties said they will meet for a 'final session' of talks.
'Afterwards, the leaders of the three parties and the candidate for chancellor, Olaf Scholz, will present the coalition agreement negotiated in recent weeks,' they added.
With the so-called coalition contract, the parties have essentially set their policy roadmap for the next four years.
