As has been last year’s expectation of recent developments, cannabis has been fully and officially decriminalized in the Federal Republic of Germany where it is also partially legalized.
As of the first of April 2024 German residents are permitted to possess up to 25 grams of cannabis at a time and maintain up to three cannabis seedlings. For private residences the limit of personal possession rises to 50 grams. The consumption of cannabis is exclusively aimed at adult residents of Germany over the age of 18 and is prohibited within a perimeter of 200 meters outside sports centres, educational institutions and playgrounds as well as in the presence of those underaged. Smoking cannabis is also prohibited from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in pedestrian sidewalks and areas where pedestrians circulate (all pedestrian zones).
The Cannabis Control Act was overwhelmingly approved by the Federal Parliament and then approved by the Federal Council, coming into force on the first of April.
These developments make Germany the country with the most lenient conditions for personal recreational cannabis use across the European Union. But those do not come without negative reaction from the medical world of healthcare and the country’s authorities. A police federal spokesman complained that concerns voiced by the authorities had not been taken into account, saying officers could be “exposed” to the public, whilst police unions predict that the legislation could lead to uncertainty.
From July last year, Federal German legislation permits establishing non-commercial cannabis clubs with up to 500 members resident in Germany from which it can be grown and sold. It appears however that recreational cannabis cannot be sold commercially through shops in Germany due to the opposition met from the European Union concerning Europe’s biggest economy and the country’s compliance with international treaties and legislation. Read more on the conditions that the draft underwent through parliament and its voting here.
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