In the Ruhr, the same rules apply as everywhere in Germany. From 18, you may carry up to 25 grams when you are out and about, keep up to 50 grams at home and grow three plants. Cannabis is not sold legally anywhere, not in Essen, Bochum or Duisburg either. The only legal ways to get cannabis are home growing, a cultivation association or a prescription from a pharmacy.
The details are on Cannabis in Dortmund. They apply in exactly the same way in every other city.
Fines in NRW
Cities and municipalities pursue consumption offences. The framework is set by the state’s catalogue of fines:
| Offence | Fine |
|---|---|
| Consumption in a no-consumption zone (schools, playgrounds, children’s and youth facilities, sports facilities, pedestrian zones from 7 am to 8 pm) | €50 to €500 |
| Consumption in the presence of minors | €300 to €1,000 |
| more than 25 grams when out and about (up to 30 grams) | €250 to €1,000 |
| more than 50 grams in total (up to 60 grams) | €250 to €1,000 |
Anyone who commits the same offence again within three years pays double. If the offence is negligent, the amount is halved. Anyone carrying more than 30 grams or holding more than 60 grams in total commits a criminal offence.
No-consumption zones: where there are official maps
Whether you may use cannabis in a particular place depends on the distance to the nearest entrance: consumption is prohibited within sight of a school, a playground, a children’s and youth facility or a publicly accessible sports facility. Beyond 100 metres, a place no longer counts as within sight.
So far, three authorities in the Ruhr have published official maps:
- Dortmund: our no-consumption zone map with address search based on the City of Dortmund’s cannabis map
- Duisburg: map of cannabis no-consumption zones
- Kreis Unna: the district’s GeoService. The district itself speaks of “potential” bans and accepts no liability.
We have not found an official map for the other cities. Private maps are mostly based on OpenStreetMap and may have gaps. If in doubt: if you can see a school, a playground or a sports ground, consumption there is off-limits.
Cultivation associations in the Ruhr
In NRW, licences are granted by the district governments. Three of them are responsible for the Ruhr:
| District government | Cities and districts |
|---|---|
| Arnsberg | Bochum, Dortmund, Hagen, Hamm, Herne, Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis, Kreis Unna |
| Münster | Bottrop, Gelsenkirchen, Kreis Recklinghausen |
| Düsseldorf | Duisburg, Essen, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Oberhausen, Kreis Wesel |
NRW permits at most one cultivation association per 6,000 inhabitants in a district or an independent city. How many associations there are in NRW and in the Ruhr is shown on Cultivation associations in NRW: figures.
Before you pay money anywhere: ask to see the licence issued by the district government. An association without a licence may not grow cannabis or pass anything on, not even in return for “advance payment” or a “reservation”.
Becoming a member if you do not live in Dortmund
To become a member, you must have had your residence or habitual abode in Germany for at least six months, not in any particular city. Anyone who does not live in Germany cannot become a member. You may only be a member of one cultivation association. At the Cannabis Social Club Dortmund, about one in five members lives outside Dortmund, for example in Lünen, Bochum, Witten, Unna, Herdecke, Duisburg or Essen. You collect your cannabis in person in Dortmund. How admission works is explained under Membership.
Counselling in your city
If you are thinking about your cannabis use or are worried about someone: the counselling services are free of charge and bound by confidentiality, and many offer anonymous counselling if you wish. Information as of October 2026.
Bochum: inechtzeit
Counselling service for cannabis and synthetic drugs run by Krisenhilfe Bochum, for people under 30, free of charge
- Address
- Katharinastraße 5-7, 44793 Bochum
- Phone
- 0234 309438
- 30 and over
- Drogenberatungsstelle (drug counselling service) of Krisenhilfe, same address, 0234 97843911
- Website
- inechtzeit.net
Bottrop: Jugendhilfe Bottrop
Youth and drug counselling, free of charge, anonymous if you wish
- Address
- Osterfelder Straße 88, 46236 Bottrop
- Phone
- 02041 29031
- Website
- jugendhilfe-bottrop-ev.de
Dortmund: DROBS Dortmund
Drug counselling service of the Soziales Zentrum, free of charge, anonymous if you wish
- Address
- Reinoldistraße 17-19, 44135 Dortmund
- Phone
- 0231 477376-0
- For young people
- FEEDBACK, open consultation hours on Mondays from 3 pm to 5 pm, same phone number
- Website
- soziales-zentrum.org
Duisburg: Suchthilfeverbund Duisburg
Drogenberatung Mitte (central drug counselling service), open consultation hours without registration, programmes for young people up to 30
- Address
- Beekstraße 45 B, 47051 Duisburg
- Phone
- 0203 7189066-0
Essen: Suchthilfe direkt Essen
Counselling on cannabis, online counselling free of charge and anonymous
- Address
- Kibbelstraße 10, 45127 Essen
- Phone
- 0201 8603-0
- Aged 14 to 25
- “Ist mein Konsum noch ok?” (“Is my use still OK?”), 0201 85617-0
- Website
- suchthilfe-direkt.de
Gelsenkirchen: Drogenberatung Kontaktcentrum
free of charge, bound by confidentiality
- Address
- Weberstraße 77, 45879 Gelsenkirchen
- Phone
- 0209 517830
- Aged 11 to 21
- Youth counselling “JuSt Be YOU”, Bahnhofstraße 46
- Website
- drogenberatung-kc.de
Hagen: Kommunale Drogenhilfe Hagen
Counselling on cannabis and other drugs, free of charge, for people from Hagen
- Address
- Bergstraße 99, 58095 Hagen
- Phone
- 02331 207-2850
- Website
- hagen.de
Hamm: Jugendsuchtberatung Hamm
for people aged about 12 to 25, free of charge and anonymous, also online
- Address
- Stiftstraße 12, 59065 Hamm
- Phone
- 02381 92153-220
- For adults
- Drogenhilfezentrum (drug support centre), Brüderstraße 39, 59065 Hamm
- Website
- drogenhilfe-hamm.de
Herne: Jugend-, Konflikt- und Drogenberatung (JKD)
Drug counselling
- Address
- Hauptstraße 94, 44651 Herne
according to the DHS addiction support directory - Phone
- 02325 3891
- Website
- jkd-ev.de
Mülheim an der Ruhr: municipal drug counselling service
at the city’s health office (Amt für Gesundheit und Hygiene), confidential and free of charge
- Address
- Heinrich-Melzer-Straße 3, 45468 Mülheim an der Ruhr
- Phone
- 0208 455-5309
- Website
- muelheim-ruhr.de
Oberhausen: Kompetenzzentrum Suchtberatung
The city’s counselling service, also on cannabis
- Address
- Dorstener Straße 52, 46145 Oberhausen
- Phone
- 0208 825-4330
- Consultation hours
- Mondays from 9 am to 11 am and from 2 pm to 4 pm, no appointment needed
- Website
- oberhausen.de
Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis: Sucht- und Drogenhilfe Witten
Diakonie Mark-Ruhr, free of charge, anonymous if you wish, also online
- Address
- Röhrchenstraße 10, 58452 Witten
- Phone
- 02302 91484-50
- South of the district
- Caritas-Suchthilfezentrum in Schwelm (August-Bendler-Straße 14) and Hattingen (Heggerstraße 11)
- Website
- diakonie-mark-ruhr.de
Kreis Recklinghausen: Drogenberatung Westvest
for the west of the district (Westvest), free of charge, anonymous if you wish
- Address
- Zeppelinstraße 3, 45768 Marl
- Phone
- 02365 17464
- East of the district (Ostvest)
- DROB Recklinghausen, Kaiserwall 34, 45657 Recklinghausen, 02361 36022
according to the DHS addiction support directory - Website
- drogenberatung-westvest.de
Kreis Unna: Suchthilfe im Kreis Unna
Counselling also on cannabis and illegal substances
- Address
- Bahnhofstraße 3, 59423 Unna
- Phone
- 02303 2602
- North of the district
- Counselling service in Lünen, Münsterstraße 1 L, 02306 57050
- Website
- suchthilfe-unna.de
Kreis Wesel: Familienorientiertes Suchthilfe-Zentrum Wesel
confidential and free of charge, also for children and young people
- Address
- Fluthgrafstraße 21, 46483 Wesel
- Phone
- 0281 46091660
- Other services
- Moers, Kamp-Lintfort and Dinslaken, overview from the district’s addiction guide (Suchtlotse)
- Website
- fsz-wesel.de
Nationwide and anonymous: Finding help with telephone and online counselling.
Sources
- NRW ordinance on responsibilities under the Consumer Cannabis Act, §§ 1 and 4
- Notice on the districts of the intermediate state authorities
- MAGS NRW: rules and fines for cannabis control (catalogue of fines of 16 May 2024)
- Consumer Cannabis Act (KCanG), §§ 3, 5, 16
- DHS addiction support directory and the websites of the counselling services, retrieved on 23 October 2026