Bavarian cannabis association plans to grow in Thuringia, not at home

A cannabis association from the Nuremberg area has received a permit from Bavaria, but it will not grow there. It plans to use a 150 square metre hall in South Thuringia, because it says Bavaria’s rules for cultivation sites cannot be met in practice.

What happened

On 13 October 2026 the Verein für Cannabis- und Stecklingsproduktion (VCSP) received approval from the Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety (Landesamt für Gesundheit und Lebensmittelsicherheit). The association says it is the twelfth cultivation association approved in Bavaria. Its cultivation will take place in southern Thuringia, not in Bavaria (Hanf Magazin; inSüdthüringen).

Why Bavaria is the problem

Bavaria requires cultivation associations to be placed in a special planning area, a “sonstiges Sondergebiet” (other special area). According to the reporting, no such area has been set aside for these associations, and the requirement is described as practically impossible to carry out (inSüdthüringen).

What is still open

The Thuringian plan uses a hall of 150 square metres in the Franconian part of South Thuringia. According to inSüdthüringen, the association has not named an exact site. The building permit has not yet been granted. The association says the local building office has already signalled its agreement (Hanf Magazin).

150 m²

What this means for readers

This is news, not legal advice. The case shows that a permit is only one step: a site also needs building approval, and the planning rules of the place where it stands. For how the wider EU framework classifies hemp, see our report on Ireland’s High Court case. Check the rules where you live before you plan anything.

1. Approval from the state health authority: granted by Bavaria on 13 October 2026
2. A building permit for the site: not yet granted in Thuringia
3. A site that fits the planning rules where it stands