Cannabis Clubs: Up to 3000 Clubs Allowed in NRW, Germany

According to the Ministry of Health, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, wants to authorize up to 3,000 cannabis clubs and hand over the approval process to the district governments. Additional jobs are to be created there. According to the ministry, the staff will be paid from fees charged by the associations.

In the state parliament’s health committee, State Secretary Matthias Heidmeier had already made it clear on Wednesday that the cultivation associations, as they are called in the law, will give the authorities a lot of work: “We are dealing with a complicated new application process, we have to take into account very complex aspects and not only health protection in the application process in question.”

Collective cultivation of the drug in special cannabis clubs

It is unclear when the first cultivation association will actually be launched: applications can be submitted from July 1st. These will then be examined by the responsible district government.

“We assume that if we calculate that one cultivation association is possible per 6000 inhabitants, then a maximum of 3000 cannabis clubs cultivation will exist in North Rhine-Westphalia in the future,” said Heidmeier. It is unclear whether that many applications will even be submitted.

A look at the map: Where smoking cannabis will continue to be banned

From July 1st, according to the Cannabis Act, the drug can be cultivated communally in special clubs and distributed to club members. However, consumption in cannabis clubs is not permitted. The clubs can have a maximum of 500 members and can only distribute cannabis in limited quantities to these members and not sell it.

Cannabis cultivation: Delayed regulation is a delaying tactic

The municipalities, whose regulatory authorities already have to monitor the rules for smoking cannabis in everyday life , saw the state as having a duty when it came to the cultivation associations. The classifications are to be laid down in a regulation that was still pending on Thursday.

“The delayed regulation governing cannabis cultivation associations is a clear sign of the delaying tactics of Minister Laumann and the state government,” said the FDP parliamentary group’s health spokeswoman, Susanne Schneider: “Although applications can be submitted from July 1, it is completely unclear when permits will be issued and cannabis will actually be available – that could take months,” criticized Schneider. The only positive thing is “that there is now finally clarity about the responsibilities and the municipalities are not burdened.”

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