Cannabis law in Germany

Since 1 April 2024, adult use of cannabis in Germany has been governed by the Consumer Cannabis Act (Konsumcannabisgesetz, KCanG) [1]. The law allows adults to possess and grow limited amounts and to obtain cannabis through non-profit cultivation associations. It does not allow shops or any other commercial sale. Medical cannabis follows a separate law, the Medical Cannabis Act (MedCanG) [11].

Possession

Adults aged 18 or over may carry up to 25 grams of cannabis for personal use. At their home or usual place of residence they may keep up to 50 grams in total, plus up to three living plants [2]. The weight of flowers and other plant material is counted after drying [2]. According to the Federal Ministry of Health, going slightly over these limits (up to 30 grams in public or 60 grams at home) is an administrative offence, and anything above that is a criminal offence [10].

Home growing

Adults may grow up to three cannabis plants at a time at their home in Germany [4]. The Federal Ministry of Health states that this applies per adult in the household, to people who have lived in Germany for at least six months, and that plants and harvest must be secured against children and third parties [10]. Cannabis from home growing may not be passed on to anyone else [4].

Cultivation associations

Cultivation associations (Anbauvereinigungen) are non-profit clubs or cooperatives that need a permit from the competent state authority to grow cannabis together [1]. The main rules are:

• At most 500 members, all aged 18 or over and resident in Germany. A person may belong to only one association [5].
• Members aged 21 and over may receive up to 25 grams per day and 50 grams per calendar month. Members aged 18 to 20 may receive up to 30 grams per month, with a THC content of no more than 10 percent [6].
• Cannabis is handed over in person on the association’s premises. Shipping and delivery are not allowed, and members may not pass it on [6].
• No consumption on the premises, no sale of alcohol, tobacco or edibles, and no location within 200 metres of schools, youth facilities or playgrounds, according to the ministry [10].

There are no cannabis shops in Germany. Commercial trade, import and export remain criminal offences, and mail order and online sales of cannabis stay banned [10].

Where consumption is banned

Cannabis may not be consumed in the immediate presence of people under 18 [3]. It is also banned in and within sight of schools, children’s playgrounds, child and youth facilities and public sports venues, in pedestrian zones between 7:00 and 20:00, and in and within sight of cultivation associations [3]. “Within sight” ends at a distance of more than 100 metres from the entrance [3]. Consumption is also banned in military areas of the Bundeswehr [3]. The ministry notes fines of up to 30,000 euros for breaches [10].

Medical cannabis

Medical cannabis is a prescription medicine. Only doctors may prescribe it, and it is dispensed to patients only by pharmacies against a prescription [11]. It is not classed as a narcotic, so no special narcotics prescription form is needed [10].

A government bill to amend the MedCanG (Bundestag document 21/3061) would require personal contact with a doctor before a first prescription, limit follow-up prescriptions by telemedicine and end mail-order delivery of medical cannabis, while keeping pharmacy courier services [12][13]. The cabinet adopted it on 8 October 2025 and the Bundestag held its first reading on 18 December 2025 [12]. As of 18 October 2026 the ministry lists it as an ongoing procedure, and the current text of the MedCanG contains no such rules [11][12].

Separately, the Federal Ministry of Health states that since the GKV-Beitragssatzstabilisierungsgesetz entered into force on 29 July 2026, statutory health insurance no longer covers cannabis flowers, alone or in preparations; standardised extracts, dronabinol and nabilone remain covered [10][14].

Driving

Driving with 3.5 ng/ml or more of THC in blood serum is an administrative offence, with fines of up to 3,000 euros [15]. If the driver has also consumed alcohol, or starts driving under the influence of alcohol, a stricter rule applies with fines of up to 5,000 euros [15]. Drivers in their probationary period and drivers under 21 may not consume THC while driving or start a journey under its influence [16]. These rules do not apply where the THC comes from a medicine taken as prescribed [15][16].

CBD

CBD as a substance is excluded from the legal definition of cannabis in the KCanG, and so is industrial hemp (Nutzhanf) [8]. Hemp only counts as Nutzhanf if its THC content does not exceed 0.3 percent (or it comes from certified EU varieties) and trade in it serves commercial or scientific purposes that rule out misuse for intoxication [8].

That misuse clause is why the position of CBD flowers sold to consumers is unclear. In 2021 the Federal Court of Justice, ruling under the earlier narcotics law, held that low-THC hemp tea sold to consumers counted as a narcotic where misuse for intoxication could not be ruled out [20]. A bill from the Green parliamentary group (21/2116) would delete the misuse clause and raise the Nutzhanf THC limit to 1 percent; the Bundestag agriculture committee held a hearing on it on 14 October 2026 [18]. It has not been adopted.

For CBD in food, the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety states that CBD is a novel food without an authorisation, so it knows of no case in which CBD foods or food supplements are marketable [19].

Seeds

Handling cannabis seeds is legal as long as they are not intended for unlawful cultivation [7]. Seeds for home growing or cultivation associations may only be imported from other EU member states [7], and the ministry confirms they may be ordered online from there [10].

Evaluation of the law

The KCanG requires an evaluation of the consumption bans, possession limits and club distribution limits by 1 October 2025, an interim report including effects on organised crime by 1 April 2026, and a final report by 1 April 2028 [9]. The second interim report was presented on 1 April 2026; the health, interior and family ministries and the federal drug commissioner said they saw an urgent need for action, but no concrete amendment to the KCanG has been announced or adopted as of 18 October 2026 [17].

Where to obtain cannabis legally

Adults can obtain cannabis legally only by growing it at home within the limits above or as a member of a licensed cultivation association [1][10]. Patients with a prescription obtain medical cannabis from pharmacies [11].