Germany’s parliament is expected to partly legalise cannabis on Friday after a heated debate about the pros and cons of allowing easier access to the drug.

The health minister, Karl Lauterbach, has said he expects that the new legislation would enable the market to be reclaimed from drug dealers who supply many of the 7 million Germans estimated to regularly use cannabis.

The government said many users rely on the drug for medicinal reasons and that the new law would also improve the quality of cannabis consumed by increasing numbers of young people.

Doctors against the law change have warned that, on the contrary, it will endanger the health of young people by making the drug more accessible and thus increasing the risk of addiction.

“In suggesting you can smoke weed instead of getting started in an apprenticeship or job, the coalition government is sending a completely wrong signal to our society, and acting as the state’s drug dealer.

Advocates for the drug’s use for medicinal purposessaid they are hoping for a positive influence from the decision by Europe’s largest economy and which may pave the way for other countries to follow suit.

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