When Germany partially legalised cannabis in April 2024, it marked a historic shift: stigma eased, outdated narratives fell away, and the country finally stepped into a more modern conversation about cannabis. However, one year later, the picture is far more nuanced. New data, ongoing political adjustments, and a patchwork of real-world experiences reveal a system that is functional, hopeful — and still undeniably chaotic.
The newest consumption data confirms something essential: there was no explosion in use after legalisation.
According to the latest Epidemiological Survey on Substance Abuse (ESA), cannabis use has simply continued its long-term, gradual rise — a trend that predates the law by many years.
In 2024, 9.8% of respondents reported using cannabis within the past 12 months (2021: 8.8%, 2012: 4.5%). Experts agree that this slight increase follows the existing curve rather than reacting to the new legislation. In other words, people consume for the same reasons they always have: fun, stress relief, relaxation. A significant share also uses cannabis medically, although this was not separated in the data. Meanwhile, consumption methods remain unchanged: Germany still prefers joints mixed with tobacco — one of the least healthy forms. In short, behaviour hasn’t shifted dramatically — but the structures around it certainly have.
A LAW UNDER CONSTANT CONSTRUCTION
What has changed far more than consumption itself is the Cannabis Act (CanG). In fact, no recent reform has been adjusted, debated, defended, or criticised as frequently as this one. In many ways, the law is still the chaos child of German legislation — ambitious, emotional, heavily scrutinised, and still figuring itself out.
The biggest current debate centres around medical cannabis. Over time, telemedicine platforms created grey areas no one anticipated: fast-track online prescriptions, e-commerce-style delivery services, and rising import volumes. As a result, a system intended for patients gradually became an alternative supply path for recreational consumers.
The government is therefore tightening regulations — introducing mandatory in-person doctor contact, restricting telemedicine to follow-up prescriptions, and planning a ban on shipping medical cannabis flower. These adjustments are necessary, but they also illustrate that the law was opened before all structural screws were tightened.
(A full breakdown of these changes is available in our separate medical cannabis article.)
MODEL PROJECTS: BIG VISION. MINIMAL REALITY CHECK.
If you want to understand why Germany’s cannabis regulation sometimes feels like an unfinished puzzle, simply look at the model projects — the second pillar intended to test, under scientific supervision, how regulated cannabis retail might work in practice.
However, these projects have now come to a standstill.
For weeks, the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) has been systematically rejecting applications. Even the planned projects in three Berlin districts appear to be close to collapse. The BLE has since released a preliminary statement, and it makes one thing unmistakably clear: the authority does not see itself in a position to approve these projects at all.
Why?
Because while the former government created a “research clause,” it never passed the actual law required for Pillar 2. Consequently, the BLE is working with a legal framework that was never intended to support real-world retail model regions.
In its statement, the agency explains that the research clause cannot be used to test commercial supply chains or cannabis retail stores. This means that the very purpose of the model projects — generating evidence for consumption behaviour, prevention, and youth protection in a regulated setting — is essentially blocked.
Ironically, the BLE openly states in some rejection letters that certain applications are “in essence model projects of Pillar 2,” therefore making them ineligible under the research clause. A scientific pilot project that is too scientific for approval — a perfect German paradox.
At the same time, the BLE emphasises that it lacks key competencies: it cannot determine how many stores a region should have, cannot define participant groups, and cannot authorise supply chains. All of this, the agency argues, would require a separate law — one that was never finalised.
Therefore, what remains are only small-scale studies: cultivation trials, consumption-pattern research, AI-assisted cultivation optimisation, and storage experiments. All useful — but still far removed from the real question Germany hoped to answer:
What would a safe, regulated, scientifically evaluated cannabis retail system actually look like?
THE DEVIL IN THE DETAIL: MARKET SHIFTS NO ONE PLANNED FOR
While model projects stall, another development moves much faster: rising medical cannabis imports and low-price telemedicine models. As a consequence, recreational consumers can obtain medical cannabis — often at lower prices — through digital pathways that were never intended for them.
Cannabis Social Clubs and community-based associations, which are non-commercial and strictly regulated, cannot compete with these prices.
This creates an unintended imbalance:
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Fair, transparent, locally regulated associations risk being outpriced
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The medical system becomes strained by non-medical demand
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The intended structure of the law becomes increasingly blurred
If Germany wants a sustainable cannabis framework, it needs stable associations — not an import-driven, algorithm-fed substitute market.
CONCLUSION: GERMANY LEGALISED. NOW IT’S TIME TO STRUCTURE.
The new study shows: consumption is stable — no crisis, no surge.
Politics shows: the law is constantly being adjusted.
The market shows: it is evolving faster than regulation can follow.
To move forward, Germany needs clear priorities:
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Strengthen cannabis associations
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Maintain medical access without creating a parallel recreational channel
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Restart and prioritise model projects
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And above all: allow the Cannabis Act to grow into a law with clarity, structure, and long-term vision
Until then, our commitment remains the same:
TOGETHER TOWARDS DREAMS OF GREEN.
