A year after Germany legalized marijuana for personal use and cultivation, nearly 300 cannabis clubs have received government approval to operate under the country’s new regulatory system.
(Photo credit: SusanneSchulz/iStock via Getty Images).
According to a nationwide survey of state regulatory offices, 293 cannabis cultivation associations—commonly referred to as cannabis clubs—have been approved since the Cannabis Act took effect on April 1, 2024. These clubs are allowed to grow and distribute marijuana to their registered members under strict state oversight.
North Rhine-Westphalia leads all German states with 83 approved clubs, followed by Lower Saxony with 55. Rhineland-Palatinate has 27, and Baden-Württemberg has 23. On the other end of the spectrum, Saarland has not approved any clubs, while Bremen has two, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has three, Thuringia six, and Berlin seven.
The Cannabis Act permits adults to possess up to 25 grams of marijuana in public and up to 50 grams at home. It also allows for the cultivation of up to three live plants per adult. Cannabis clubs serve as a legal mechanism for group cultivation and distribution, but they must follow detailed rules around membership, plant counts, packaging, and security.
While the law was passed under the previous center-left government, it remains a contentious political issue. The current conservative-led administration has committed to reviewing the impacts of the reform.
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