Germany dodged marijuana legalization – POLITICO

“In this business, you have to be resilient from the start,” said Schack, who was one of the first entrepreneurs in Germany to sell CBD products. CBD products consist of cannabis extract that does not cause a high and is legal in most EU countries.

Among the many licensing regulations that social club owners must adhere to are a youth protection policy, an advertising ban and a vandalism policy.

Furthermore, the premises where their weed is grown and sold may not be within 100 metres of schools, childcare facilities and playgrounds. The same rules apply to the use of marijuana.

Schack does not expect his club needs to be up and running by April 2025. First, he needs a permit (which is expected to take at least three months), then he needs to rent a place to grow and sell weed, and finally he needs to grow it himself (which takes another three months).

The Federal Ministry of Health agreed that “some state governments could decide on such applications more quickly.” But the spokesperson also pointed out that if the full proposals to commercialize cannabis had been realized, shops would also have to meet the same requirements as cannabis clubs. Therefore, it is unlikely that shops would have replaced dealers by now.

Huge legal reservations in some conservative states won’t make things any easier. Bavaria, for example, is investing millions in policing cannabis consumption.