(de-news.net) – Conservative-led ministries have demanded reforms of the cannabis laws, citing ongoing black market activity. The research consortium Ekocan cautions that Germany is home to Europe’s largest ostensibly legal cannabis market, even though it reports no increase in consumption or indications that legal markets are replacing illegal trade. Court decisions limit advertising, medical cannabis’s therapeutic value is still debatable, and record seizures point to complicated effects on illicit supply.
Two years after the partial legalization of cannabis, the ministries for Health, Family, and the Interior, all led by the CDU/CSU bloc, have publicly called for legislative revisions, describing the previous coalition’s 2024 law as fundamentally flawed and defective in its design and implementation. In their joint statement, the ministries highlighted several perceived shortcomings of the current regulatory framework. Among these, they emphasized that law enforcement authorities reportedly possess diminished capacity to direct young people toward preventive programs, a factor seen as weakening the protective measures aimed at youth. At the same time, they noted a significant proliferation of online cannabis offerings, alongside the persistence of a robust and continuously active black market, which has, in their view, undermined the policy’s original objectives.
Within the CDU, the debate over the future of cannabis policy has intensified, with an increasing number of party members advocating for a complete repeal of the 2024 legislation. This sentiment was most prominently expressed by the Women’s Union, whose delegates at a party congress in Stuttgart approved a formal motion calling on the federal government to rescind the existing law, thereby reinstating criminal penalties for the possession, cultivation, and distribution of cannabis. Following preliminary assessments of concerning trends observed under the current law, the leadership of the Women’s Union announced that further consultations and deliberations were scheduled to evaluate the potential consequences of policy reversal and to inform future party positions.
The second interim report of Ekocan, which was officially tasked with scientifically monitoring the effects of the policy, was published shortly after the ministries’ statement. The report offered a more nuanced assessment of the law’s outcomes, noting that, despite governmental concerns, overall cannabis consumption had not increased to alarming levels. Additionally, the study observed that legal supply channels were beginning to replace illicit trade to a measurable extent, even though the ministries criticized the law’s perceived inefficiencies. Nevertheless, researchers cautioned that the legislation had created what is now the largest ostensibly legal commercial cannabis market in Europe, which could present significant public health risks and thus necessitate targeted regulatory adjustments. The report further noted that non-commercial cultivation associations, permitted since April 2024, exerted very limited influence within the overall legal market, highlighting structural imbalances in access and distribution.
Record cannabis seizures show that black market persists
Cannabis’s medicinal potential remains the subject of considerable debate, particularly with regard to mental health conditions. A meta-analysis conducted by researchers at the University of Sydney reviewed 54 international studies encompassing 2,477 patients and concluded that there is currently no substantive evidence that cannabis provides therapeutic benefit for depression, anxiety disorders, or post-traumatic stress disorder. While the authors cautioned that cannabinoid use could delay the initiation of more effective therapies or produce adverse effects, they characterized the study as the largest synthesis of its kind to date and noted potential therapeutic benefits in conditions such as autism spectrum disorder, insomnia, or Tourette syndrome. In the context of non-psychiatric conditions, the analysis suggested that cannabis could provide measurable benefits, including seizure reduction, alleviation of multiple sclerosis–related spasticity, and relief of certain types of pain. Since 2017, medical cannabis has been legally prescribed in Germany, and in April 2024, it was formally removed from the Narcotics Act. The current government has taken additional steps to minimize the risk of misuse, including reinforcing regulatory oversight and monitoring of prescribing practices.
Judicial oversight of the sector has also been strengthened. The Heilmittelwerberecht, a legal framework that restricts the promotion of prescription drugs to licensed distributors and medical professionals, was found to have been violated by online advertising for medical cannabis therapies. The Federal Court of Justice (BGH) ruled that a digital platform facilitating cannabis therapy appointments had overstepped the boundaries of neutral medical communication by presenting information in a manner likely to encourage patients to seek prescriptions. The case, initially contested through lower courts with conflicting rulings, culminated in the BGH denying the platform’s appeal. In response, Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) announced forthcoming plans to introduce stricter regulations governing the marketing and distribution of medical marijuana, signaling a commitment to tighter control and compliance enforcement.
The complexities of the cannabis market are further underscored by enforcement and seizure data. Last year, customs authorities reported a record 50 tons of cannabis confiscated, a sharp increase from approximately 24 tons jointly seized by police and customs in 2024. Investigative reporting and detailed analyses of smuggling routes have offered alternative explanations for the rise in seizures, with some officials interpreting the trend as evidence that legalization had inadvertently expanded the black market. However, research indicates that while imports of medical cannabis for licensed pharmacy distribution have grown substantially, overall cannabis consumption has remained relatively stable. Many experts contend that, despite the notable increase in seizures, the demand for illegal cannabis has likely declined since the partial legalization, reflecting the gradual substitution of legal channels for previously illicit consumption.
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