- Germany and Malta allow possession and home growing within limits, Luxembourg allows growing and use at home, and Czechia has allowed possession and growing from the age of 21 since 2026.
- In the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland cannabis remains prohibited, but small amounts are usually not prosecuted.
- Importing cannabis into Germany or exporting it from Germany is always prohibited and a criminal offence.
Overview
| Country | Possession | Home growing | Clubs or sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | from 18: 25 g out and about, 50 g at home | 3 plants | cultivation associations, at most 500 members, only for people resident or habitually living in Germany; no sale in shops |
| Netherlands | prohibited, up to 5 g usually not prosecuted | prohibited, up to 5 plants usually not prosecuted | coffee shops tolerated, from 18, at most 5 g per purchase, officially only for residents of the Netherlands; trial of legal cultivation in 10 municipalities |
| Belgium | prohibited, from 18 up to 3 g lowest prosecution priority | prohibited, one plant lowest priority | sale prohibited and prosecuted |
| Luxembourg | permitted at home; prohibited in public, up to 3 g a warning with a fine | 4 plants per household, from seed only | sale and passing on outside the household prohibited |
| Switzerland | prohibited, up to 10 g for personal use not punishable, use can incur a fixed fine | prohibited | prohibited, scientific pilot trials only |
| Czechia | from 21: 25 g out and about, 100 g at home | from 21: 3 plants | sale and passing on prohibited |
| Malta | from 18: 7 g out and about, 50 g at home | 4 plants at the registered address | non-profit clubs, at most 500 members, residents of Malta only |
| Canada | from 18 or 19 depending on the province, 21 in Québec: 30 g dried in public | 4 plants per household, provinces can restrict this | sale in shops licensed by the provinces |
The countries in detail
Germany. Since the Consumer Cannabis Act, adults may possess cannabis, grow it themselves and grow it together in cultivation associations. Only people who live in Germany or habitually stay here, usually for at least six months, can become members. Clubs pass on at most 25 grams a day and 50 grams a month, and to 18- to 20-year-olds at most 30 grams a month with at most 10 % THC. A comprehensive report on the effects of the law is due by 1 April 2028.
Medical cannabis is available on prescription from a pharmacy. A Federal Government bill (printed paper 21/3061, before the Bundestag since December 2025) would allow flowers to be prescribed only after personal contact in the practice or on a home visit and would ban mail order. It has not yet been passed (as of 28 September 2026). For adults without a medical reason, home growing and cultivation associations are the only legal options. The reform would not change that; only the detour via online prescriptions without a doctor’s visit would disappear.
Netherlands. Cannabis is prohibited but tolerated. Officially, only residents of the Netherlands may buy in coffee shops; each municipality decides whether and how strictly this is checked. Since 7 April 2025, coffee shops in ten municipalities have only sold cannabis from legal, state-regulated cultivation.
Belgium. Possession remains prohibited. A guideline instructs the police and public prosecutors to give adults with small amounts low priority. That does not give anyone a right to go unpunished. Selling is always prosecuted.
Luxembourg. Since 21 July 2023, adults may use cannabis at home and grow up to four plants per household from seed, not visible from the street. In public, use, possession, transport and purchase remain prohibited.
Switzerland. Cannabis with 1 % THC or more is a narcotic. Since May 2021, the law has allowed scientific pilot trials with controlled sales, limited to ten years. A law for a regulated market is being drafted, but the outcome is open: in May 2026, the responsible committee of the National Council instructed its subcommittee to revise the draft; a majority of the cantons reject it in its current form.
Czechia. Since 1 January 2026, people aged 21 and over may grow three plants and possess the amounts mentioned. Anyone who possesses or grows more first commits an administrative offence, and with even larger amounts a criminal offence. For people under 21, even possession of small amounts remains an administrative offence. Selling or passing on is not allowed.
Malta. Since 2021, possession and home growing have been permitted within limits. Clubs need a licence from the authority ARUC, operate on a non-profit basis, only admit residents of Malta, pass on at most 7 grams a day and 50 grams a month per member and may not advertise. Use in public is prohibited.
Canada. Since 17 October 2018, cannabis has been legal for adults and regulated by the state. The provinces regulate sales, the minimum age and further restrictions.
Across the border: never
The Consumer Cannabis Act prohibits any import, export and transit, even of small amounts and even from countries where cannabis is permitted or tolerated. The penalty is up to three years in prison or a fine. Canada also prohibits taking cannabis across the border, even to countries where it is permitted. What else applies when travelling is explained in the article Travel and work.
The legal situation changes. We check this overview twice a year, on 1 April and 1 October.
Sources
- Consumer Cannabis Act (KCanG), §§ 1, 2, 3, 9, 16, 19, 34, 43
- German Bundestag: bill amending the Medical Cannabis Act, printed paper 21/3061 (in German)
- German Bundestag (2025): amendment of the Medical Cannabis Act planned (first reading 18 December 2025)
- Government of the Netherlands: Toleration policy regarding soft drugs and coffee shops
- Government of the Netherlands (2025): Experimental phase of the Controlled Cannabis Supply Chain Experiment starts on 7 April
- Government of the Netherlands: Municipalities participating in the experiment
- FPS Justice Belgium: Cannabis
- De Druglijn (VAD): has cannabis been legalised? (in Dutch)
- VAD (2026): what does the law say about cannabis and CBD? (in Dutch)
- Luxembourg: Loi du 10 juillet 2023, Mémorial A no. 408 of 17 July 2023
- Portail Santé Luxembourg: growing at home, as of 5 January 2026 (in French)
- Switzerland: Narcotics Act (BetmG), SR 812.121, Art. 8a, 19a, 19b
- Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH): current legal situation for hemp and cannabis products
- Swiss Parliament, SGK-N, press release of 8 May 2026
- Czechia: Act no. 167/1998 Coll. on addictive substances, version from 1 January 2026, § 5 para. 12 and 13, § 39
- Czechia: Act no. 270/2025 Coll. (amending the Criminal Code and other acts), including § 283a (sale and passing on punishable) and § 285 (criminal offence above 5 plants, 200 g at home, 50 g out and about)
- AOOV law firm: new rules for growing and possessing cannabis (passing on and sale remain prohibited, in Czech)
- Malta: Drug Dependence (Treatment not Imprisonment) Act, Cap. 537, Art. 4A, 7, 7A, version of 16 May 2025
- Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis (ARUC): Licensing Guidelines
- Health Canada: The Cannabis Act, here's what you need to know
- Health Canada: Authorized cannabis retailers in the provinces and territories
- Health Canada: Growing cannabis at home safely
- Health Canada (2022): Taking stock of progress, cannabis legalization and regulation in Canada