From July 1, 2024, people in Germany will be able to join Cannabis Social Clubs and access marijuana legally. If you’re considering joining a club, here’s what you need to know about the process:
Cannabis for personal use has been legal in Germany since April 1, 2024. Anyone over the age of 18 can grow up to three cannabis plants and keep up to 50 grams of cannabis at home. Adults can also carry up to 25 grams of cannabis on their person in public spaces.
Between April 1 and July 1, 2024, the government has not regulated where people buy cannabis seeds to plant or cannabis to consume, and drug dealers have continued to sell as before cannabis was legalised for personal use.
With the introduction of Cannabis Social Clubs (CSCs) on July 1 - when marijuana production, distribution and consumption will be regulated - the government hopes that cannabis in Germany will be of a higher quality and can be consumed in a safer environment.
From July 1, joining a CSC will be the only legal way to access marijuana in Germany.
These CSCs will follow the model of the German Verein. There are around 600.000 Vereine (associations) in Germany, groups which get together to do anything from swimming in cold lakes and breeding rabbits to practising ethical hacking and stopping tree felling.
Cannabis Clubs will also be Vereine, meaning they need official permission to operate and function as non-profit organisations, which is why it is where consumers can “access” but not “purchase” marijuana.
In a CSC the following rules will apply:
If you would like to join a CSC to access cannabis there are several requirements you must meet and factors worth considering to find the right Verein for you. In all CSCs, prospective members must:
If you meet these requirements there are other factors to consider regarding what you want to get from a CSC personally, how keen you are to try different strains of cannabis, how regularly you want to consume the drug and what your budget is. This is because while CSC members do not directly purchase cannabis, they have to pay a membership to be part of the Verein.
At most CSCs, you can apply for a monthly membership online, but prices vary greatly from club to club and between membership models. For example, a membership for the Cannabis Social Club Berlin e.V. in Berlin costs 12 euros per month, while the Mariana Cannabis Club in Hamburg charges 25 euros per month.
Some CSCs, such as Hanf im Glück, also have varying subscription models costing different amounts (e.g. 25, 50 or 100 euros) within one club. Which model you choose can impact how much cannabis and the variety of strains you can access each month.
Since legalisation, several apps and websites have been set up - including Hazefly and CSC Maps - which help prospective members find nearby CSCs. Once you have found a CSC you are happy with, there are also some rules that you must follow:
Currently, it is not possible to legally buy cannabis in a shop, supermarket or pharmacy in Germany.
Germany’s cannabis law has two pillars and CSCs are part of the first pillar. This means that for now, CSCs are the only place - apart from their personal harvest - where people in Germany can legally access weed.
However, the German government is taking steps to implement the second pillar of its cannabis legislation, which includes selling the drug in shops and pharmacies. The commercial sale of cannabis in shops will soon be trialled in several federal states, regions and cities, after which the government will assess how to move forward with the policy.
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