‘Very last warning’ for 82-Year-Old German Pensioner Involved in Marijuana Trade

A court in Lower Saxony, Germany, issued a "final warning" for marijuana trade and conditionally convicted an elderly man, adding that this was his last chance to avoid prison, reports DW.

A German pensioner, a retired 82-year-old sailor, already has 24 convictions and now one suspended term.

On Monday, he was conditionally sentenced for trading cannabis and selling several tens of grams of marijuana in 2022 and early 2023.

The decision was made by the District Court in the town of Aurich in East Frisia, in the northwestern German state of Lower Saxony.

The defendant fully admitted the charges and said he started selling the light drug because his €800 (855 dollars) pension was not enough to cover living expenses.

The prosecutor asked the court to assign 34 months of imprisonment due to the man's record, which included 24 previous convictions and the current probationary period.

The judges said that the defendant's case is special due to his poverty and health problems.

"We have taken into account the circumstances under which you did this," the presiding judge in Aurich said, addressing the defendant.

However, the judge noted that this was a "final warning" for the man to avoid prison.

It is worth noting, the German pension system is one of the oldest in Europe. The system of state pension insurance in Germany is based on the principle of solidarity between generations. Citizens who have retired live at the expense of deductions from those who are still working. All German pension savings are guaranteed by the state through the system of state pension insurance.

According to official data from the pension insurance service, there are currently just over 25 million pensioners in Germany.

Their average pension is 910 euros per month. But this indicator is quite conditional, as the actual payments vary greatly depending on the gender of the pensioner and the region of his residence.

Male pensioners in the western federal states of Germany receive on average 1169 euros per month, women - 700 euros.

Many pensioners, due to the fact that in their youth they were on long-term maternity leave, now have to somehow survive on a pension of 500-600 euros.

In the east of the country, pension payments are slightly higher, which is associated with the longer working experience of citizens of the former GDR and the higher professional employment of women.

Earlier in Belgium, they stated that they want to reduce the retirement age and that working until 67 years is impossible.