FROM THE WALL TO CANNABIS LEGALIZATION: A STORY OF UNITY
On October 3rd, 1990, Germany was officially reunited after decades of division. Following World War II, the country had been split into two states: East Germany (DDR) in the East and West Germany (GDR) in the West. With the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the path to unity began – and German Unity Day still commemorates this turning point. But beyond politics, unity also brought everyday stories together. And that includes the very different ways East and West dealt with cannabis. While scarcity and improvisation shaped the East, the West went through a cannabis and drug boom in the 70s and 80s. Today, more than 30 years later, cannabis is legal, and the discussion around an own law for hemp are present. But before we look forward, let’s look back…
EAST GERMANY: DIY EXPERIMENTS & ALCOHOL
In the GDR, cannabis was almost invisible. Drugs were seen as a “capitalist problem” and were strictly forbidden. But in truth, the weak East German mark meant international dealers weren’t interested – you simply couldn’t buy cannabis there, except maybe in hidden corners of Berlin. For most of the country, cannabis was out of reach.
Young people craving adventure became creative. Stories of DIY “drug kitchens” circulated: dried banana peels (bananas themselves were scarce), poppy experiments, or even hemp fibers from water pipe seals crumbled into cigarettes. The effects? Barely noticeable – apart from headaches.
Far more popular were pharmaceutical substitutes. Faustan, the GDR version of Valium, became known as the “pink glasses.” Pills like Aponeuron, which kept people awake like speed, found their way into basements and parties. The East German youth created their own “intoxication culture” – improvised, hidden, and far removed from real cannabis use.
WEST GERMANY: HASHISH, SEIZURES & THE HEROIN WAVE
In the West, things looked very different. By the 1970s, cannabis was part of youth culture. Hashish – the resin of the cannabis plant – was everywhere. Surveys show that between 1976 and 1990, around 76% of young people in Germany started their “drug career” with hashish.
1988 saw a record: German police seized 11,350 kilograms of cannabis, nearly 500 kilograms of cocaine, and more than 500 kilograms of heroin. In Hamburg, Frankfurt, and West Berlin, open drug scenes exploded. While some people enjoyed peaceful joints, others were caught in the destructive spiral of heroin addiction and crime.
The media panic added fuel: drugs were portrayed as a symbol of a youth “out of control.” At the same time, early methadone programs were introduced, and prevention and therapy became part of the debate. But buying cannabis remained illegal – and heavily politicized.
1989: WHEN TWO WORLDS COLLIDED
When the Wall fell, two completely different realities collided. For many East Germans, the first encounter with real cannabis was a culture shock – what had been unattainable was suddenly everywhere. West Germans, in turn, experienced the East’s relationship with alcohol, but absence of cannabis.
With reunification, East Germany adopted the West’s Betäubungsmittelgesetz (Narcotics Act). Cannabis was suddenly on the streets of Leipzig, Dresden, and East Berlin – no longer improvised, but real.
TODAY: FROM PROHIBITION TO VARIETY
More than 30 years later, everything has changed. Cannabis is no longer stigmatized as a “gateway drug.” In 2024, the German government legalized cannabis, and terms like buy cannabis seeds or buy CBD are now part of everyday life.
CBD products, in particular, are legal, popular, and stand for relaxation without the high. They’ve become part of a modern lifestyle – what once seemed unthinkable, like ordering cannabis products online, is now as normal as buying coffee. With cannabis associations on the rise, access is becoming safer and more regulated… but thats a story for another time.
UNITY & FREEDOM: OUR CBD SALE FOR UNITY DAY
German Unity Day stands for freedom, for growing together, and for overcoming old borders. Cannabis tells a similar story: from taboo and punishment to openness, research, and lifestyle.
We celebrate this day with a special CBD Sale:
- Because 35 years of unity means freedom also to find your own balance.
- Because unity means celebrating diversity.
- Because Cannabis arrived in the middle of our society and is as natural as walking from East to West.
NOW HERE. BUD TOGETHER.
Whether in improvised East German bedrooms or on the streets of West Berlin, cannabis has always mirrored culture and the spirit of the times. Today, it shows us how far we’ve come: from scarcity and repression to variety and self-determination. Happy German Unity Day. From the Wall to CBD and Cannabis.
