Germany’s Cannabis Reform Shows Limited Risks but Calls for Regulatory Adjustments

Cannabis enthusiasts can breathe a sigh of relief: An evaluation report from EKOCAN concludes that the negative effects of the partial legalization in effect since 2024 are manageable. However, the report states that legislators need to revisit the regulations concerning growers’ associations and medical cannabis.

When the Consumer Cannabis Act (KCanG) came into force on April 1st, 2024 , conservative politicians in particular reacted with outrage. Their fear: the decriminalization of possession of cannabis up to a certain quantity, as well as the permitted cultivation – either at home or, since July 2024, also collectively in so-called cultivation associations – would transform Germany into a drug den.

They predicted that cannabis use would explode, children and young people would not be adequately protected from the drug, and criminal dealers would be rubbing their hands with glee more than ever. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU), for example, maintains to this day that the liberalization must be reversed immediately.

Two years after its implementation, however, it is becoming increasingly clear that the worst fears of the reform’s critics have not materialized. This is the preliminary conclusion of the collaborative research project “Evaluation of the Consumer Cannabis Act” (EKOCAN), commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Health.

The EKOCAN research team, comprised of researchers from various disciplines at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, and the University Hospital Düsseldorf (UKD), will present its second report on the effects of the partial legalization of cannabis on Wednesday. A first report on this topic was published in October 2025, as reported by LTO . A three-stage evaluation is mandated by law itself (§ 43 KCanG).

In its current study, EKOCAN focused on the societal impact of the KCanG (Cannabis Act) on organized crime. The cannabis market and child and youth protection were also examined.

Another focus of the study was on medicinal cannabis: This is because the handling of cannabis for medical purposes was liberalized as part of the reform through the Medicinal Cannabis Act (MedCanG). Since then, it has become significantly easier to prescribe medicinal cannabis flowers on a private prescription and subsequently obtain them from a pharmacy.

Here are the key findings of the EKOCAN study:

“No increase in consumption is apparent”

Scientists cannot confirm that the partial legalization of marijuana has led to increased cannabis use in the country. “An increase in consumption that could be attributed to the reform is not apparent at this time,” the interim report states. At the same time, it has been possible to partially curb the black market.

According to the researchers’ analysis, a moderately growing proportion of the cannabis consumed in Germany comes from legal sources. Since partial legalization on April 1st, 2024, an increasing number of consumers are growing their own cannabis or obtaining it from pharmacies.
However, the researchers criticize the fact that the very places created to disrupt the dealers’ business model have so far played only a minor role in displacing the black market.

For example, the cultivation associations, where adult members can purchase cannabis according to strict rules, have not yet realized their full potential. Too few of these associations have been approved so far; only 366 were authorized by October 31, 2025, the researchers point out.

Therefore, in 2025, only a maximum of 3.5 percent of consumers would have been able to obtain their cannabis from a cultivation association. Such an association exists in less than half of the districts in Germany.

More growers’ associations, less black market

The responsibility now lies with the legislature: EKOCAN recommends that it review the currently restrictive legal and institutional framework for the approval of cultivation associations.

“The cultivation and distribution of cannabis in cultivation associations should be strengthened so that the goal of displacing the black market can be achieved,” explains Dr. Jakob Manthey, coordinator of EKOCAN and head of a research group at the Center for Interdisciplinary Addiction Research at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE).

EKOCAN sees a need for reform not only in the approval process of these associations. According to the scientists, the numerous legal regulations governing the cultivation and distribution of cannabis, as well as the consumption ban within these cultivation associations, also need to be reviewed.

Furthermore, growers’ associations must be allowed to provide neutral information about their products online. It also seems sensible to publish all approved growers’ associations in a nationwide whitelist. “The overarching goal of such an amendment to the Cannabis Act could be to enable all adult consumers to become members of a growers’ association,” the report states.

Medical cannabis: “Germany’s largest market in Europe”

Researchers are concerned about developments in medical cannabis. Together with domestic production capacity (2.6 tons), up to 200 tons of medical cannabis could be available in Germany by 2025. “This means that Germany has developed into the largest, in principle, legal commercial cannabis market in Europe.”

In qualitative interviews conducted by EKOCAN, adolescents and young adults who regularly consume cannabis stated that they primarily obtain it from online pharmacies. One reason for this trend is the now numerous online platforms for medicinal cannabis, which also market the prescription drug to recreational users. The researchers criticize the fact that cannabis with very high THC content is frequently prescribed through these platforms. This is not justified by studies and poses an increased health risk.

Against this background, EKOCAN proposes an “evidence-based” reform of the Medical Cannabis Act (MedCanG): “In light of the identified problems in the medical cannabis market, legislators should consider limiting the THC content of freely prescribed cannabis flowers. Furthermore, they should examine how effective enforcement of existing regulations governing the advertising of medicinal products can be ensured.”

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(Featured image by Elsa Oloffson via Unsplash)

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First published in LTO. A third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

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