Pot-smokers gather at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate to welcome new law

A crowd of happy people lit up joints in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate just after midnight, to celebrate the beginning of Germany's new law to decriminalize cannabis.

Several hundred people gathered in an exuberant mood, some dancing to reggae music, a reporter from dpa witnessed at the scene. A metre-high cannabis leaf adorned a stage in front of the Berlin landmark, and cigarette lighters were held at the ready, waiting for the clock to tick over midnight.

Shortly afterwards, a strong smell of cannabis wafted across the square.

"We can finally show ourselves, we don't have to hide any more," Henry Plottke, a member of the German Hemp Association (DHV), told dpa before the event began. The gathering was organized by the Berlin chapter of the DHV and was registered with the police.

Plottke said that they wanted to celebrate their "newfound freedom" by smoking weed together. For him, being able to legally smoke a joint in front of the Brandenburg Gate was a key event.

As a consumer, he feels "a lot of relief" that he is no longer considered a criminal. He is also glad that legalisation will ease the relationship with the police.

Smoking marijuana or hashish will be permitted from 1 April 1. Anyone aged 18 or over may keep up to 50 grams at home and carry a maximum of 25 grams outside. Smoking pot is permitted where it is not explicitly prohibited.

It is prohibited in playgrounds, schools, sports facilities, including football stadiums, children's and youth facilities and within 100 metres from the entrance.

Activists in many places in Germany will be celebrating legalization on Easter Monday and inviting people to smoke weed together, take part in discussions and hold demonstrations.