A byline by Johnny Green Media and Content Director International Conferences Group
Germany is the undeniable leader of Europe’s emerging legal cannabis industry, and that was already true before national lawmakers implemented adult-use legalization in April 2024. Legal medical cannabis sales first launched in German pharmacies in 2017, and since that time, the German market has become a top destination for medical cannabis exports.
In the first quarter of 2025 alone, Germany imported over 37.223 metric tonnes of medical cannabis products. To put that figure into perspective, the total imports for Q1 2025 were an increase of roughly 14.8% compared to the Q4 2024 total (32.419 metric tonnes), which was itself a record at the time.
Q1 2025’s import total is an increase of over 457% compared to the same period one year ago. Germany imported 8.143 metric tonnes of medical cannabis products in Q1 2024.
The legal medical cannabis industry in Germany is experiencing so much growth that an estimated 2,500 out of the nation’s 17,000 pharmacies now sell medical cannabis products. It is not a coincidence that entrepreneurs, investors, and industry service providers from all over the globe are scrambling to get into the German market.
With all of that being said, Germany’s emerging legal cannabis industry still has a lot of room for improvement, particularly in the adult-use sector. Below are five ways German lawmakers and regulators can improve the German cannabis industry.
1. Lobby For Modernized EU Agreements
Leading up to the enactment of the German CanG adult-use legalization law in April 2024, domestic lawmakers sought permission from the European Union to implement a commerce model similar to what is currently in place in Canada. Unfortunately, the EU determined that current agreements prohibit robust nationwide recreational cannabis sales and that legal cannabis commerce is limited to medical cannabis and research-based recreational sales.
A logical improvement that must be pursued is modernizing EU agreements to permit member nations to implement nationwide regulated adult-use sales. Member nations wanting to allow national sales, such as Germany, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland, must work together to educate and lobby the European Union. The coalition must also educate and lobby lawmakers in EU member nations who are opposed to modernized cannabis policies.
No European nation’s legal cannabis industry will ever reach its full potential until EU agreements are reformed, and Germany is no exception.
2. Approve Adult-Use Pilot Trials
Regional adult-use cannabis commerce pilot trials are a key component of Germany’s legalization model. Pilots serve as the main focus of the second prong of the nation’s two-pillared legalization plan.
Pilot trials involve permitting cannabis production and retail sales at a local level to help national lawmakers and regulators gather data and be better informed when crafting national policies. Adult-use pilot trials are already operating in the Netherlands and Switzerland with no reported public health or safety issues. Pilot trials would give consumers another legal channel from which to source their products, and would boost ancillary industry sectors that provide goods and services used by pilot participants.
Unfortunately, the launch of pilot trials in Germany has experienced several delays, despite dozens of jurisdictions expressing interest in launching the research projects. In the grand scheme of things, launching pilot trials is not a heavy lift for lawmakers and regulators if they are properly motivated. They don’t need to reinvent the wheel, and merely need to allow local governments and researchers to do what is already being done in other European countries.
3. Approve More Cultivation Associations
Starting on July 1st, 2024, adults in Germany can apply to launch a member-based cannabis cultivation association. Cultivation associations are an important component of Germany’s adult-use model, and involve recreational consumers becoming association members and legally sourcing products. Cultivation associations also boost several ancillary cannabis sectors.
According to the most recent data from the German Federal Association of Cannabis Cultivation Associations (BCAv), a total of 215 cultivation association applications have been approved out of 626 submissions nationwide. While the 215 approvals are obviously better than zero, Germany’s cultivation association sector potential remains largely untapped. Further approvals present a straightforward way to improve Germany’s legal industry.
Malta also permits cultivation associations as part of its modern adult-use cannabis policy model, and the number of associations there provides some insight into how many cultivation associations may eventually launch in Germany. Currently, according to the Malta Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis’ website, there are 19 ‘cannabis harm reduction associations’ that have obtained an operating permit.
Malta has an estimated population of roughly 569,900, which works out to roughly one association for every 29,995 citizens. Germany currently has an estimated population of roughly 84,075,075. If we apply the same association-to-population ratio from Malta to Germany’s population, it would work out to about 2,803 total associations.
4. Expand Legal Product Options
One thing that is holding Germany’s industry back is the types of legal products that patients and consumers can legally acquire. In the State of Oregon (USA), where I am based, patients and consumers have a buffet of legal product options to choose from, including pre-rolled joints, vape pen cartridges, concentrates, topicals, tinctures, edibles, and other consumables. That is not the case in Germany.
Pre-rolled joints are still not permitted in Germany. Patients and consumers can legally acquire cannabis flower and then use that flower to prepare their own joints. However, they cannot buy pre-rolled joints because lawmakers apparently seem to think that cannabis flower is not smoked by the purchasers.
Germany’s legal industry will never reach its full potential until consumers and patients can legally acquire the products that they are actually using. Until the current situation changes to match reality, the unregulated market will continue to fill the void, and that will come at the expense of the legal industry, public health outcomes, and Germany’s public coffers.
5. Set Up Industry-Specific Government Funding Programs
Germany’s government serves as an economic driver for other large industries by administering public funding programs. Many governments around the world have similar programs in place to help boost important domestic industries.
“Germany offers numerous incentives for international investors. A variety of funding programs – designed to fit companies business activity financing needs – is available.” states Germany Trade & Invest, the economic development agency of the Federal Republic of Germany, on its website. “A significant number of incentives are funded using financial resources provided by the European Union (EU). The German federal government and the individual federal states also provide their own funds.”
Just as this economic support concept helps other large industries, the same could be true for Germany’s emerging legal cannabis industry. If Germany’s government were to set up options catered to the nation’s legal cannabis industry, it would create jobs, boost local economies, generate revenue via taxes and fees, and further combat the unregulated market.
Germany’s cannabis industry holds tremendous potential, and if the nation’s government served more as an industry partner versus a hindrance, it would dramatically improve the industry, and all members of German society would benefit either directly or indirectly from the evolved approach.
Disclaimer: Guest contributions do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial team.