82-Year-Old With 24 Drug Convictions Given Last Prison Chance

• An 82-year-old German received his “last warning” after being convicted of dealing drugs.
• The man wanted to increase his monthly pension of $855 by selling marijuana, per the AP.
• The judge made an exception in the case, despite the senior’s 24 previous convictions.

An elderly German man received his “last warning” after he was found guilty of dealing drugs earlier this week, even though he had two dozen previous convictions.

The 82-year-old retired seaman said he wanted to increase his monthly pension of 800 euros (about $855) by selling marijuana, the Associated Press reported.

Prosecutors had pushed for a 34-month prison sentence, particularly given the man’s 24 prior convictions, as well as an existing suspended sentence, German news agency dpa reported. 

Judges in the court in Aurich, a town on the north coast of the country, made an exception saying this incident was “less serious” — also noting the older man’s recent health issues.

The judge made clear, however, it was the man’s “very last warning,” dpa reported, giving him a suspended sentence. 

This comes after various proposals in Germany to legalize have been scaled back in recent months, but there are still proposals in the works to allow citizens to grow marijuana plants at home, Politico reported.

The proposed reform would also allow Germans to possess and consume the drug for recreational purposes, according to the Financial Times, but it would not allow widespread sales of the drug in stores, per Reuters.

Karl Lauterbach, Germany’s health minister, recently said the country’s criminalization of marijuana had “failed,” per the FT. 

Germany, and many other European countries, have legalized the drug for some medical use. While several others have also decriminalized possessing it in small amounts, EU laws make it difficult to completely legalize the drug, per EuroNews.