The Consumer Cannabis Act (KCanG) has been in force in Germany since 1 April 2024. It allows adults to possess small amounts, to grow cannabis at home and to be members of a cultivation association. Sale and trade remain prohibited. This page sets out what the law regulates, each time with the section so you can look it up. The law was last amended on 20 June 2024.
Is cannabis legal in Germany?
Partly. In principle, handling cannabis remains prohibited (§ 2 para. 1 KCanG). For adults, the law makes exceptions: possession up to fixed amounts, private home growing and communal cultivation in cultivation associations (§ 2 para. 3 KCanG). For minors, everything remains prohibited.
There is no legal sale, and so no coffee shops either. Cultivation associations only pass on cannabis to their own members (§ 19 KCanG). You can read how the ban came about in the first place in Why cannabis was banned.
How much cannabis am I allowed to possess?
| Where | Allowed from 18 |
|---|---|
| Out and about | up to 25 grams |
| At home (residence or habitual abode) | up to 50 grams and three living plants |
This is set out in § 3 KCanG. It refers to dried plant material. In total, you may never have more than 50 grams, not even at home plus out and about. A residence or habitual abode is a place where you have lived or stayed for at least six months (§ 1 nos. 16 and 17 KCanG).
What happens if I have more?
The law has two levels: a little more is an administrative offence with a fine, considerably more is a criminal offence.
| Amount | Consequence |
|---|---|
| out and about, over 25 and up to 30 grams | administrative offence |
| in total, over 50 and up to 60 grams | administrative offence |
| out and about, over 30 grams | criminal offence |
| in total, over 60 grams | criminal offence |
| more than three living plants | criminal offence |
The limits are set out in § 36 para. 1 no. 1 KCanG (administrative offences) and § 34 para. 1 nos. 1 and 2 KCanG (criminal offences). For the criminal offences, the law provides for imprisonment of up to three years or a fine (§ 34 para. 1 KCanG). In particularly serious cases, for example when acting commercially or with a not insignificant amount, it is three months to five years (§ 34 para. 3 KCanG). If only a small amount for personal use is involved, the public prosecutor’s office may refrain from prosecution (§ 35a KCanG). There is no right to this.
A harvest from three plants can yield more than 50 grams. Even then, the limits above apply, and you may not pass any of it on (§ 9 para. 2 KCanG).
Am I allowed to grow cannabis?
Yes. From 18, you may grow no more than three plants at a time at your residence or habitual abode in Germany (§ 9 para. 1 KCanG). You must protect cannabis and plants from access by others, especially children and young people (§ 10 KCanG). You may buy seeds, but you may only import them from countries of the European Union (§ 4 KCanG). How to manage this at home is explained in the article Home and children.
Where am I allowed to use cannabis?
Never in the immediate presence of minors, wherever you are (§ 5 para. 1 KCanG). In public, use is also prohibited (§ 5 para. 2 KCanG):
- in schools, at children’s playgrounds, in children’s and youth facilities and at publicly accessible sports facilities, in each case also within sight of them
- in pedestrian zones between 7 am and 8 pm
- in cultivation associations and within sight of them
“Within sight” ends at a distance of more than 100 metres from the entrance. Our map of no-consumption zones shows which zone applies where in Dortmund.
The no-consumption zones only apply to public use (§ 5 para. 2 KCanG). So the law does not prohibit use on your own balcony or in your own garden, as long as no minors are in the immediate vicinity (§ 5 para. 1 KCanG). Your tenancy agreement, house rules and neighbour law can still set limits, for example if smoke and smell considerably disturb the neighbours.
Can I buy cannabis?
No. Trade and sale are prohibited and punishable (§ 2 para. 1 no. 4 and § 34 para. 1 no. 4 KCanG), as are shipping and delivery (§ 19 para. 4 KCanG). There are three legal routes: home growing, membership of a cultivation association and cannabis as a medicine on a doctor’s prescription from a pharmacy.
What applies in cultivation associations?
- Anyone who is at least 18 and has their residence or habitual abode in Germany can become a member (§ 16 paras. 1 and 4 KCanG).
- Each person may only be a member of one cultivation association, and a cultivation association has no more than 500 members (§ 16 para. 2 KCanG).
- Membership lasts at least three months (§ 16 para. 5 KCanG).
- No more than 25 grams a day and 50 grams a month are passed on, and to 18- to 20-year-olds no more than 30 grams a month with no more than 10 per cent THC (§ 19 para. 3 KCanG).
- Only marijuana or hashish in pure form is passed on, no edibles (§ 19 para. 1 KCanG).
How a cannabis social club works is explained on the page What is a cannabis social club? How many there are is shown under Cultivation associations in Germany.
What applies to young people?
Under 18, possession, growing and use are prohibited. If a minor is found with cannabis, the police must inform the parents and, if there are substantial indications of a risk, the youth welfare office as well (§ 7 KCanG). If a person over 21 passes cannabis on to children or young people, this is generally a particularly serious case (§ 34 para. 3 KCanG). More on this under Youth protection.
Are tourists allowed to smoke weed in Germany?
The law allows all adults to possess up to 25 grams; it does not require a residence in Germany for this (§ 3 para. 1 KCanG). However, there is no legal way for visitors to obtain cannabis: buying is prohibited, only people who live in Germany can become members of a cultivation association (§ 16 para. 4 KCanG), and bringing it with you is prohibited, even from countries where cannabis is legal (§ 2 para. 1 no. 5 KCanG). The bans on use apply to everyone.
Can I take cannabis abroad?
No. Import and export are prohibited and punishable (§ 2 para. 1 no. 5 and § 34 para. 1 no. 5 KCanG), including within the EU. What applies in other countries is covered in Cannabis laws compared, and what to bear in mind when travelling under Travel and work.
What applies in road traffic?
At the wheel, there is a limit of 3.5 nanograms of THC per millilitre of blood serum (§ 24a StVG). During the probationary period or under 21, you may neither use while driving nor set off under the influence of THC (§ 24c StVG). More on this under What does the 3.5 ng/ml limit mean? and in the module Road traffic and the law.
And cannabis as medicine?
Cannabis as a medicine is regulated by the Medical Cannabis Act, not the Consumer Cannabis Act. Doctors may prescribe it, and it is only dispensed in pharmacies. What applies to online prescriptions is explained in the guide Cannabis prescriptions online.
Will the law stay as it is?
The law is being evaluated scientifically. Initial evaluations of youth protection and the permitted amounts were planned by 1 October 2025, an interim report by 1 April 2026 and the comprehensive report by 1 April 2028 (§ 43 KCanG). As of October 2026, the law applies in the version of 20 June 2024.
Remember: From 18, possession of up to 25 grams out and about, 50 grams and three plants at home, and membership of a cultivation association are allowed. Buying, selling, passing on and taking cannabis across the border remain prohibited.