Germany was one of the first European countries to join the growing club of countries legalizing at least the use of medical cannabis. It legalized medical cannabis in the spring of 2017. Since then, cannabis has been available in pharmacies on prescription.
Recreational use is authorized from April 1, 2024. The has embarked on the legal regulation of cannabis in 2022 and could open its first legal cannabis sales as early as 2025. The first elements of the legalization of cannabis in Germany were presented by the German Minister of Health.
A National Cannabis Agency oversees national cannabis production, which will be replaced by the importation of medical cannabis.
Legal
Recreational cannabis is legal in Germany. Medical use is authorized under certain conditions.
As of April 1, 2024, adults in Germany may legally possess, consume, and cultivate cannabis for personal use, subject to quantity restrictions and specific conditions for Cannabis Social Clubs. No sales network has been established yet.
Medical cannabis has been legal in Germany since 2017 and can be prescribed by doctors under certain circumstances. The medical cannabis market is growing, and the CanG law has improved access by removing cannabis from the list of narcotics, thereby making it easier to obtain prescriptions.
CBD is legal in Germany. However, CBD products are rarely available in stores, as the permitted THC levels are very low.
As of April 1, 2024, adults in Germany may legally possess up to 25 grams of cannabis in public and 50 grams at home for personal use.
As of April 1, 2024, adults in Germany can legally grow up to three cannabis plants for personal use.
Last checked: September 23, 2026
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«Das Gras, the German word for weed, has undergone some legislative changes in recent years.
Germany's cannabis laws were amended on March 10, 2017, when the country legalized the prescription of cannabis to seriously ill patients, even if other treatment options are available. An amendment to the narcotics law (Betäubungsmittelgesetz) has enacted this change, which also includes the assumption of the cost of treatment by patients' health insurance.
The legalization of medical use is the first move on cannabis since a 1994 court ruling that ruled out the application of criminal penalties provided the quantity held is «small», as specified by the various German states.
The country has decided to legalize cannabis in 2022. By the time the bill has been written, put to the vote, passed and the production and distribution of cannabis to adults put in place, the first Cannabis Clubs will open in July 2024. Retail stores could follow in 2025.
Recreational cannabis is now legal in the city-state of Berlin, and medical cannabis is permitted under German marijuana laws.
A survey of the existing medical market in early 2018 reported 13,000 applications submitted by patients after the medical use legislation came into force in March 2017. By 2021, they number nearly 50,000.
To keep up with demand, Germany has opened applications for growers and has selected 3 companies who, from mid-2021, will ensure the regular supply of part of the German medical market, up to the point of replacing imports.
The Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices has set up a cannabis agency in accordance with the 1961 United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, which stipulates that 'a member state must establish or designate such a public body as soon as it is planned to cultivate cannabis in the state in question for non-industrial purposes» Werner Knöss, Ph.D., is the designated head of the German cannabis agency within the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices.
Main regulatory body: Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices
Sub-agency: Federal Opium Agency
Contact for «Exceptional authorizations to purchase cannabis for medical purposes».
Consumption by adults is legal but restricted near schools and other places where children are present.
Medical cannabis is prescribed by doctors to seriously ill patients and distributed by pharmacies. No special permit is required to obtain medical marijuana in Germany. However, doctors must believe that cannabis will be beneficial in treating the illness or symptoms.
In most cases, insurance companies cover or reimburse patients for medical marijuana.
The manufacture, purchase and sale of hemp oil and CBD with a THC content of less than 0.2 % are legal in Germany.
The sale of CBD flowers is periodically called into question by the German justice system, which considers that even at -0.2% THC, they could be intoxicating. This does not prevent Germany from having numerous CBD shops selling German and European CBD flowers in addition to the classic derivative products.
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