Since April, the possession and consumption of cannabis have been legal in Germany – and consumers can join special clubs. But so far, hardly any cultivation associations have received their license.
Their old warehouse in Wuppertal is empty. The guys from “Wubatz” have long been ready to go: They finally want to start growing – as a so-called Cannabis Social Club. Their first tents in which they would grow the plants are already up. But even four and a half months after the partial legalization of cannabis, the club still doesn't have permission to grow.
“The legislature approved the consumption of cannabis in April. But cannabis social clubs have only had the opportunity to obtain a license since July,” explains Sebastian Brebeck, one of the founders of “Wubatz,” adding: “If there is no one who is allowed to produce it legally, the question naturally arises as to where the cannabis is currently coming from.”
Federal states can hardly keep up
The federal government has legalized cannabis in order to decriminalize consumption and, above all, to curb the black market. Since April, anyone who wants to smoke weed has been allowed to grow up to three plants at home. Since July, consumers have also been able to join a cannabis social club.
Such cultivation associations have up to 500 members and operate as registered non-profit organizations. However, in the individual federal states, the implementation of legalization is making little progress.
So far only eight approvals
Lawyer Olivia Ewenike is not surprised by the low number of applications. She advises cannabis social clubs on licensing throughout Germany and knows how much work goes into a cultivation application like this: “It can take months if you do it properly,” explains Ewenike.
For the authorities, processing the applications seems to be no less time-consuming, as in July only eight cultivation associations in the whole of Germany received a license – all in Lower Saxony.
The black market profits
The fact that the cultivation of cannabis is becoming an economic factor in Germany is also evident at the Aurora company in Leuna, Saxony-Anhalt. The company has been producing medical cannabis since 2022. Strangely enough, the medical cannabis industry has been booming since partial legalization in early April.
“We are seeing a significant increase in demand and sales in the overall market,” says Dirk Heitepriem, President of Aurora Germany. Since cannabis is no longer subject to the Narcotics Act, obtaining it has become much easier.
Nevertheless, the sale of cannabis for companies like his is and remains prohibited under EU law. These medicinal cannabis plantations are therefore unsuitable for combating the black market. The only hope is that the cannabis social clubs will soon be licensed so that the black market is not further fueled.
License application submitted
For a year and a half, the guys from “Wubatz” have been preparing for the completion of their cultivation hall and the submission of their license application with countless protection and security concepts. To date, this has cost the founding members around 90,000 euros.
Their application is now with the district government in Düsseldorf. However, the responsible authorities have three months from the submission of the application to review the documents. During this time, the fixed costs of the “Wubatz” will continue – around 12,000 euros per month. The association does not even know whether it will actually get a cultivation license in the end.
