Possession and home growing
From 18, the Consumer Cannabis Act (KCanG) allows you to possess cannabis and grow it at home. The amounts are limited, and you may not pass any of it on (§ 3 KCanG and § 9 KCanG).
Possession and passing on at a glance
- Under 18ProhibitedPossession, acquisition and growing
- 18 and over, out and aboutUp to 25 gramsMore is an administrative offence or a criminal offence.
- 18 and over, at homeUp to 50 grams and three plantsStored securely out of reach of children and young people.
- Passing onNot allowed to othersNot to adults either, and not as a gift.
Where you cannot use cannabis in Dortmund
Consumption is prohibited in the immediate presence of minors, wherever you are (§ 5 para. 1 KCanG). In public, there are also fixed no-consumption zones, in Dortmund for example the pedestrian zones on Westenhellweg and Ostenhellweg between 7 am and 8 pm (§ 5 para. 2 KCanG).
Where consumption is prohibited
In the presence of minorsAnywhere, as soon as children or young people are close by.
Schoolsand within sight of them
Children’s playgroundsand within sight of them
Children’s and youth facilitiesand within sight of them
Public sports facilitiesand within sight of them
Cultivation associationsand within sight of them
Pedestrian zonesfrom 7 am to 8 pm
Beyond 100 metres from the entrance, a place no longer counts as within sight. In North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), consumption in a no-consumption zone carries a fine of €50 to €500, and in the presence of minors €300 to €1,000.
© OpenStreetMap contributors · Zones: City of Dortmund
Coffee shops and sales
There are no coffee shops or other legal points of sale in Dortmund, and the law does not provide for them. Trading in cannabis remains prohibited (§ 2 KCanG).
There are three legal routes
Home growingFrom 18, up to three plants at home, only for yourself.
Cultivation associationMembership from 18 in a licensed association, only ever in one.
Medical cannabisOn a doctor’s prescription from a pharmacy.
No salesCoffee shops and any other sale to adults are not permitted.
Membership of a cultivation association
In a cultivation association, the members grow cannabis together. The page What is a cannabis social club?DE explains what a cannabis social club is and what it is allowed to do. At CSC Dortmund, admission works like this:
Step 1: Apply
You submit your application for membership online and choose a date for the interview or suggest your own. You can switch the form to English using its language selector. You must be at least 18, have had your residence or habitual abode in Germany for at least six months and not be a member of another cultivation association (§ 16 KCanG). Anyone who does not live in Germany cannot become a member.
Step 2: Introductory interview
In a personal interview, held in German or English, we check your ID and explain the statutes, your obligations and the code of conduct.
Step 3: Decision
The board decides on admission; there is no entitlement to it. The Membership page explains everything else.
Road traffic
When driving, a THC limit of 3.5 nanograms per millilitre of blood serum applies. During the probationary period for new drivers and for everyone under 21, cannabis is banned completely. More on this in the module Road traffic and the law.
Help and counselling in Dortmund
If you are worried about your cannabis use, DROBS, the drug counselling service at Reinoldistraße 17-19, can help, free of charge and anonymously if you wish. You will find an anonymous self-test and other services under Prevention.
Frequently asked questions
Where can you smoke weed in Dortmund?
Only where it is not prohibited: not in the presence of minors, not within sight of schools, playgrounds, children’s and youth facilities, sports facilities and cultivation associations, and not in pedestrian zones between 7 am and 8 pm. Tenancy agreements, house rules or bars and restaurants can set additional rules. Our map of no-consumption zones shows the zones set by law.
Can I smoke weed in Dortmund city centre?
In the pedestrian zones only between 8 pm and 7 am, and even then only if there are no minors nearby and you are not within sight of a school, a playground or another protected facility.
Is there a coffee shop in Dortmund?
No. There is no legal sale of cannabis in Germany. Cultivation associations only pass on cannabis to their own members.
How much cannabis can I carry in Dortmund?
From 18, up to 25 grams when you are out and about and up to 50 grams at home. The same rules apply as everywhere else in Germany.