BONN, Germany (Reuter) - Chancellor Helmut Kohl's government, running for re-election on a law and order platform, denied Thursday that a controversial supreme court ruling had legalized hashish and marijuana use in Germany.
Kohl's conservative Health Minister, Horst Seehofer, denounced media headlines and comments by some politicians that said the ruling last week meant an end to punishment for using the drugs, both made from the cannabis plant.
``A lot of commentary has been wrong and misleading,'' Seehofer told a news conference, called to give the center-right government's view of the court decision.
``I think that was irresponsible because it has made some people feel insecure, especially parents and teachers.''
Seehofer said the complex ruling last Thursday had largely upheld the government's stance that cannabis products should remain illegal even if some first-time offenders were given drugs therapy or no penalty rather than jail.
But the minister acknowledged the court had told prosecutors not to press cases against people for small amounts of hashish or marijuana as long as their consumption did not endanger others or tempt children to take drugs.
That key part of the ruling prompted a wave of comments saying the court had broken with Kohl's tough anti-narcotics line, part of a crack-down on crime the government is pushing ahead of national elections October 16.
Conservatives lashed out at the ruling, saying it would lead young people to dismiss anti-drugs messages and become addicts. Seehofer stressed users could still face jail terms.
Government estimates put the number of marijuana and hashish users at up to eight million in a country of 80 million people.