Germany has legalized possession of small amounts of cannabis. Not everyone is mellow about that.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Marijuana campaigners in Germany lit celebratory joints on Monday as the country legalized possession of small amounts of cannabis for recreational use over objections from doctors and police.

The German Cannabis Association, which campaigned for the new law, staged a “smoke-in” at Berlin’s landmark Brandenburg Gate when the law took effect at midnight. Other public consumption events were scheduled throughout the country, including one in front of the Cologne cathedral and others in Hamburg, Regensburg and Dortmund.

Germany becomes the third European Union country to legalize cannabis for personal use after Malta and Luxembourg. The government argued that legalization would undermine criminal trade in the drug, guard against harmful impurities, and free police to pursue more serious crimes while providing for protections against use by under-18s.

The new law legalizes possession by adults of up to 25 grams (nearly 1 ounce) of marijuana for recreational purposes and allows individuals to grow up to three plants on their own. Use is prohibited within 100 meters (109 yards) of the entrance to a playground or school. That part of the legislation took effect Monday.

German residents age 18 and older will be allowed to join nonprofit “cannabis clubs” with a maximum 500 members each starting July 1. Individuals will be allowed to buy up to 25 grams per day, or a maximum 50 grams per month — a figure limited to 30 grams for people under age 21. Membership in multiple clubs won’t be allowed.

The clubs’ costs will be covered by membership fees, which are to be staggered according to how much marijuana members use.

The legislation also calls for an amnesty under which sentences for cannabis-related offenses that will no longer be illegal are to be reviewed and in many cases reversed. Regional authorities worry that the judicial system will be overburdened by thousands of cases.

Over the past 20 years, the general trend has been for European Union member countries to reduce cannabis penalties in various ways, according to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction.

Those could include making possession a civil offense or diverting offenders to treatment instead of the criminal justice system, or less strict enforcement. In the Netherlands, cannabis remains illegal but sale of small amounts in so-called coffee shops is tolerated by the public prosecution service. A number of countries in Europe permit medical cannabis under differing sets of rules.

The law was passed by the current coalition of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’ Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats, against opposition from some of Germany’s federal states and the center-right Christian Democrats.

Christian Democratic leader Friedrich Merz has vowed that his party will reverse the legislation if it wins national elections expected in the fall of 2025. Any likely new government coalition, however, would include one of the parties that supported the law.

Leading garden stores surveyed by the dpa news agency indicated they would not be adding cannabis plants to their horticultural offerings. The German Medical Association opposed the law, saying it could have “grave consequences” for the “developmental and life prospects of young people in our country.” So did the union representing German police officers, which called it “the wrong signal.”

People smoke marijuana in front of the Brandenburg Gate during the 'Smoke-In' event in Berlin, Germany, Monday, April 1, 2024. Starting 1 April, Germany has legalised cannabis for personal use. As per the new law, Adults aged 18 and over will be allowed to carry up to 25 grams of cannabis for their own consumption. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

A man takes a puff from a marijuana cigarette in front of the Brandenburg Gate during the 'Smoke-In' event in Berlin, Germany, Monday, April 1, 2024. Starting 1 April, Germany has legalised cannabis for personal use. As per the new law, Adults aged 18 and over will be allowed to carry up to 25 grams of cannabis for their own consumption. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

A man takes a puff from a marijuana cigarette in front of the Brandenburg Gate and a placard reading "We don't want to be offenders!" during the 'Smoke-In' event in Berlin, Germany, Monday, April 1, 2024. Starting 1 April, Germany has legalised cannabis for personal use. As per the new law, Adults aged 18 and over will be allowed to carry up to 25 grams of cannabis for their own consumption. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People smoke marijuana in front of the Brandenburg Gate during the 'Smoke-In' event in Berlin, Germany, Monday, April 1, 2024. Starting 1 April, Germany has legalised cannabis for personal use. As per the new law, Adults aged 18 and over will be allowed to carry up to 25 grams of cannabis for their own consumption. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

A man takes a puff from a marijuana cigarette next to a placard reading "We don't want to be offenders!" in front of the Brandenburg Gate during the "Smoke-In" event in Berlin, Germany, Monday, April 1, 2024. Starting 1 April, Germany has legalised cannabis for personal use. As per the new law, Adults aged 18 and over will be allowed to carry up to 25 grams of cannabis for their own consumption. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People smoke marijuana in front of the Brandenburg Gate during the 'Smoke-In' event in Berlin, Germany, Monday, April 1, 2024. Starting 1 April, Germany has legalised cannabis for personal use. As per the new law, Adults aged 18 and over will be allowed to carry up to 25 grams of cannabis for their own consumption. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People smoke marijuana cigarette in front of the Brandenburg Gate during the 'Smoke-In' event in Berlin, Germany, Monday, April 1, 2024. Starting 1 April, Germany has legalised cannabis for personal use. As per the new law, Adults aged 18 and over will be allowed to carry up to 25 grams of cannabis for their own consumption. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

PHOENIX (AP) — Corbin Burnes and the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a $210 million, six-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press late Friday night.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a successful physical.

The 30-year-old Burnes was perhaps the top free agent pitcher on the market after going 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA for Baltimore last season, when he earned a $15,637,500 salary. The Orioles acquired the right-hander in a February trade after he spent his first six major league seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers.

It’s no shock Burnes landed a big contract, but the destination is a surprise. Arizona's payroll usually ranks in the middle of the pack among big league teams, and this would be the largest contract in franchise history.

Among active major league pitchers with current contracts, Burnes’ $35 million average salary per year would rank fifth behind Zack Wheeler, Jacob deGrom, Blake Snell and Gerrit Cole. Burnes’ agent, Scott Boras, has negotiated more than $1.6 billion in contracts for his clients this offseason.

Arizona is spending in an effort to compete with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. The Diamondbacks, who barely missed the playoffs this year, reached the World Series in 2023 before losing to the Texas Rangers in five games.

The D-backs now have a potential starting rotation that includes Burnes, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez and Brandon Pfaadt, which on paper is among the best in baseball.

Burnes finished fifth in Cy Young Award voting in his first year in the American League. He won the award in the National League in 2021. He’s made at least 28 starts in each of the past four seasons.

Aside from a poor stretch in August, Burnes was excellent last season, giving Baltimore’s injury-riddled rotation an ace the Orioles could count on. Baltimore reached the postseason as a wild card and lost in two straight games to Kansas City, but that wasn’t Burnes’ fault. He started the playoff opener and allowed one run in eight innings of a 1-0 defeat.

Burnes was also the starting pitcher for the AL in the All-Star Game in July.

Burnes set a career high in 2024 with 22 quality starts. His strikeout rate of 8.38 per nine innings was his lowest since he became a starter, but his walk rate (2.22) was his best since his Cy Young-winning campaign three years earlier.

The agreement between Burnes and the Diamondbacks comes after left-hander Blake Snell went to the Dodgers on a $182 million, five-year contract in November. Burnes is two years younger and has been more durable than Snell, who pitched 216 1/3 fewer innings over the past four seasons.

AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum in New York contributed to this report.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

FILE - Baltimore Orioles' Corbin Burnes pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against New York Yankees, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray, File)