The Change in Discourse and Rhetoric on Cannabis Legalisation in Germany

Rost Daniel Thilo Esbasyn (2025) The Change in Discourse and Rhetoric on Cannabis Legalisation in Germany. ['eprint_fieldopt_faculty_mük' not defined]. (Kéziratban)

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Absztrakt (kivonat)

This paper investigates the evolution of political discourse concerning cannabis legalisation and policy in Germany, particularly focussing on the transition of the debate from predominantly medical and criminal perspectives to a deeply polarised moral and political instrument. The legalisation of recreational cannabis on April 1, 2024, was a turning point in history. But not just that, it also showed how divided the societies of Germany and Europe are as a whole. This study examines the persistent influence of prohibitionist rhetoric, illustrating how adversaries effectively reintegrated conventional moral and fear-driven arguments into the modern political arena, despite policy reform initiatives. Historically, the prohibition of cannabis in Germany was not primarily a reaction to public health crises but rather a consequence of global moral economies and political propaganda, originating from early 20th-century U.S. campaigns. The paper delineates this evolution through three principal phases. First, the Criminal and Medical Framing (1930s–1960s), when early German laws made cannabis a "narcotic" (Betäubungsmittel). This set up a moral-bureaucratic discourse in which control was hidden behind the language of administrative discipline. Second, the Moral and Generational Framing (1970s–1990s) saw the U.S. "War on Drugs" export a repressive discursive model, with the "gateway drug" hypothesis as its main rhetorical device. German mass media heightened this panic through fear narratives, achieving discursive sedimentation by transforming prohibition into a political orthodoxy grounded in parental anxiety and the safeguarding of 'traditional' values. The Contemporary Political Battleground (2000s–2024) ultimately presented rational-bureaucratic counter-frames centred on harm reduction. The opposition, mainly the Christian conservative parties (CDU/CSU), fought this change by strategically re-embedding traditional moral vocabularies like youth vulnerability, social stability, and public safety to criticise the new policy. The primary case study involves an in-depth textual analysis of the rhetoric utilised by prominent opposition figures and media coverage subsequent to the enactment of the Cannabisgesetz, concentrating on the identification of particular rhetorical strategies employed to sustain a prohibitionist narrative. The analysis includes two important political statements. In his formal Bundesrat speech on September 29, 2023, Reiner Haseloff (CDU) called legalisation a "great mistake" (großer Fehler). He based his argument on protecting young people and used an authoritative, paternalistic tone. On the other hand, Markus Söder (CSU) used very public and social media-driven discourse to make clear moral-emotional appeals with the slogan "Keine Macht den Drogen" ("No Power to Drugs") and the promise to enforce the law "extremely restrictively." His rhetoric sought to depict Bavaria as a stronghold against a "stoner paradise" (Kiffer-Paradies). By examining these political texts alongside curated media coverage, frequently utilising alarmist metaphors (e.g., "Kiffer-Chaos droht!"), the paper elucidates the persistent application of Robert Entman’s four-stage framing cycle: designating the policy as the source of "moral decay," labelling users as "deviant," and advocating for the solution of increased policing and opposition. This TDK paper enhances the domains of political communication and discourse analysis by offering a comprehensive analysis of the moralisation and politicisation of a medical/technical issue in contemporary European society. The results show that even though Germany's official policy has changed, the rhetoric of opposition is still based on fear and morality from the past. This has a big impact on how people see things and how policies are put into action. To understand the political fights over public health, morality, and personal freedom in modern Germany and beyond, you need to know how these discursive patterns work.

Intézmény

Budapesti Gazdasági Egyetem

Kar

['eprint_fieldopt_faculty_mük' not defined]

Tudományterület/tudományág

NEM RÉSZLETEZETT

Szak

Kommunikáció és médiatudomány

Mű típusa:	TDK dolgozat
Kulcsszavak:	21th century, Cannabis Policy, communication, Communication development, Political communication, Rhetoric
SWORD Depositor:	User Archive
Felhasználói azonosító szám (ID):	User Archive
Rekord készítés dátuma:	2026. Ápr. 16. 07:37
Utolsó módosítás:	2026. Ápr. 16. 07:37
URI:	http://dolgozattar.uni-bge.hu/id/eprint/60470	URI:	http://dolgozattar.uni-bge.hu/id/eprint/60470	URI:	http://dolgozattar.uni-bge.hu/id/eprint/60470

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