German police have encouraged England soccer fans to smoke weed during Euro 2024. It was recently reported that local officials were forcing tournament organizers to serve Three Lions fans beer with lower alcohol content. Beer typically averages around 5% alcohol, but drinks served ahead and during the game will only contain 2.8% alcohol. These fans can also only purchase two beers each once inside the stadium.
The move came ahead of England’s seemingly tense matchup with Serbia on June 16. Security status for the fixture has been upgraded to “high-risk” according to a German spokesperson. Select soccer fans from England and Serbia have an unfortunate history of disruptive behavior during big tournaments. Around 40,000 English supporters are expected at the competition in Germany.
German police chief inspector Christof Burghardt recently explained the cause for concern in an interview with Sky News. “Serbia has many hooligans. The English guys, with alcohol, they are very aggressive,” stated Burghardt. “So, it’s a great job to do this, to prepare, so that hopefully nothing will happen.”
Police spokesperson cannabis can mellow England fans at Euro 2024
While officials are trying to limit bad fan behavior by serving light beer, they are now taking it a step further. Various British reports claim that German authorities are encouraging English fans to smoke weed during the tournament. The move, according to a police spokesperson, will put potentially violent hooligans “in a chill mood” during matches.
“It’s no problem for fans to smoke cannabis on the street,” the spokesperson recently told the British media. “If we see a group of people drinking alcohol and looking a bit aggressive, and another group smoking cannabis, of course we’ll look at the group drinking alcohol.”
“Drinking alcohol can make someone more aggressive, and smoking cannabis puts people in a chill mood. We want to prevent violence and keep people safe. Our focus will be on fans who are drinking and potentially getting violent — that’s why we in place safety precautions on alcohol.”
Germany recently became third European country to legalize cannabis
The German government recently legalized marijuana. People inside the country can now grow up to three plants for their use. Authorities cannot arrest people for carrying up to 25 grams. Despite the new law, fans cannot light up joints inside stadiums at Euro 2024 or at designated fan zones. Ten different arenas are in use throughout the competition.
Germany is now the third European nation to legalize small amounts of cannabis. Malta and Luxembourg also previously decriminalized the drug as well. In the decision, German officials claimed that the move would free up police to handle more serious issues.
Hosts Germany open Euro 2024 with a matchup against Scotland on Friday, June 14. Despite playing the tournament on home soil, the Germans are not necessarily favorites to hoist the trophy. Instead, England and France are now generally popular picks to win the competition. The Blues most recently collected the European title in 2000, while the Three Lions have never won the tournament.
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