Data Demonstrates That German Cannabis Legalization Is Working

A key component of adult-use cannabis legalization in Germany involves
ongoing evaluations by researchers and government officials to gauge if the
nation’s cannabis policies and regulations are effective. The data derived
from the evaluation efforts, especially the EKOCAN project, will be heavily
relied upon by German lawmakers when they make future decisions about
German cannabis laws and industry regulations.

Several initial evaluation data points and findings have recently surfaced,
and the results are favorable. The information from researchers heavily
focuses on three main components:

1. Child and youth protection
2. Public health outcomes
3. Cannabis-related crime

[image: Legalization]

*Focus #1: Child and Youth Protection*

Regarding the first area of focus, the results of a recent government study
found that youth consumption rates have decreased since the first
provisions of adult-use cannabis legalization were enacted on April 1,
2024. The German Federal Institute for Public Health recently published
data regarding youth cannabis usage rates post-legalization. The “Drug
Affinity Study 2025” surveyed 7,001 young people between the ages of 12 and
25 from April to July 2025, and the results were then compared to those
from a similar study conducted between April and June 2023.

According to the Federal Institute for Public Health’s assessment of the
data before and after legalization, the proportion of youth aged 12 to 17
who reported having consumed cannabis within the last year fell from 6.7%
during the survey period in 2023 to 6.1% this year. The proportion of youth
who reported having consumed cannabis more than ten times in the past 12
months decreased from 1.3% in 2023 to 1.1% this year. The data effectively
debunks predictions by cannabis opponents that adult-use legalization would
result in a spike in youth consumption rates.
*Focus #2: Public Health Outcomes*

Measuring public health outcomes as they relate to cannabis policy
modernization efforts is somewhat challenging. However, a key measurement
comes in the form of surveying consumers to see if they source their
cannabis from legal channels. The theory behind using that measurement is
that if consumers obtain their cannabis through home cultivation or
regulated sources instead of unregulated sources, the products they consume
will be safer and thus public health outcomes will be improved. That is the
argument that German lawmakers successfully made to obtain European Union
approval for legalization.

“The Cannabis Act (CanG) led to significant changes in the supply channels
among adults: 88.4% generally purchased legally produced cannabis in the
last six months (home cultivation, including cultivation by friends,
cultivation associations, pharmacies); before the law, 23.5% used the now
legal sources.” stated the Institute for Addiction Research at the
Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences and the Evangelical University of
Freiburg about a recent collaborative survey they conducted (translated
from German to English).

It is worth noting that the reported significant changes in consumer
purchasing behavior come at a time when the adult-use cultivation
association sector is still experiencing significant bureaucratic hurdles
in Germany. According to the most recent data from the Federal Association
of Cannabis Cultivation Associations (BCAv), the total number of approved
German cultivation association applications is now at 323. BCAv lists that
743 total applications have been submitted to date. Germany’s cannabis
community can support exponentially more cultivation associations across
the country if afforded the opportunity. The average membership of current
German associations is 275 members, according to a recent survey.

*Focus #3: Cannabis-Related Crime*

The third major focus of ongoing German legalization research and
evaluation efforts revolves around how the historic law has impacted
cannabis-related crime enforcement in the European nation. According to
Jörg Kinzig, Director of the Institute of Criminology at the Eberhard Karls
University of Tübingen, cannabis-related crime data demonstrates that such
offenses have decreased by over 53 percent after legalization was enacted,
from 215,000 offenses in 2023 to 100,000 during the last year.

Cannabis opponents in Germany continue to try to thwart forward progress on
the nation’s cannabis policy modernization efforts. However, they have
seemingly struggled to spin the currently available data in their favor. A
full reversal of adult-use legalization, which some opponents have
expressed a desire to pursue, is not justified. Some opponents appear to
have pivoted their approach to some degree, and instead of pushing for a
full reversal, are trying to pursue changes to the law, such as reducing
the number of plants that adults can cultivate in their private residences.
Adults in Germany are currently permitted to cultivate up to 3 plants.
*Lack of Pilot Trials Hinder Cannabis Legalization System*

One major hole that continues to exist in Germany’s legalization system is
the lack of approved regional adult-use cannabis commerce pilot trials.
Pilot trials are a key component of Germany’s legalization model, and dozens
of pilot trial proposals have been submitted and are pending approval from
the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food. Pilot trials are already
operating in the Netherlands and Switzerland with no major issues reported,
and when they are finally launched in Germany, they will provide consumers
with more options to source their cannabis products legally. It will
further erode Germany’s unregulated market. Pilot trials will also be an
important source of additional data for researchers, regulators, and
lawmakers in Germany.

All of these topics and facets of Germany’s cannabis public policies,
ongoing research efforts, and industry sectors will be discussed
extensively at the upcoming International Cannabis Business Conference in
Berlin in April 2026.

The post Data Demonstrates That German Cannabis Legalization Is Working
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