Avoid military service by smoking joint, German left-wing leader says

Young men seeking to avoid Germany's planned new military service should smoke a joint before their recruitment interview, left-wing politician Jan van Aken said on Thursday.

Van Aken, co-leader of The Left, told news website t-online that his socialist party is preparing a guide on "how best to avoid military service."

Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition last week reached an agreement on a new voluntary military service programme for young men to boost the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces.

The proposal, which must still be approved in parliament, would require all young men born in 2008 and later to be assessed for military service.

While the programme is initially due to be voluntary, lawmakers could introduce a compulsory measure to fill the ranks if not enough volunteers sign up.

Van Aken said his party has "many positive experiences" to share with "young people who simply don't want to be forced into a uniform" - including marijuana use.

"For example, it is said that smoking a sizeable joint before the medical examination could help you to be declared unfit for service," he said.

The Left, a successor to the socialist party that governed the former East Germany, is strongly opposed to the military service plans.

Recreational use of marijuana and limited home cultivation of the plant have been legal in Germany since April 2024.