At the recent International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC) in Berlin, it was evident that Germany is currently the most exciting legal cannabis market in the world. Entrepreneurs, investors and industry service providers from around the globe are scrambling to make inroads into Germany’s emerging industry.
The rise of Germany’s legal cannabis industry is paralleled by improving options for suffering medical cannabis patients and consumers. Medical cannabis sales through the nation’s pharmacies started in Germany in 2017, and the first provisions of adult-use legalization became effective in mid-2024.
Germany Considered Best Place to be a Cannabis Patient or Consumer
Neither Germany’s medical cannabis laws nor its recreational cannabis laws are perfect, which is true of every jurisdiction that permits one or both types of cannabis activity. However, there is no other country in Europe that currently has more modernized cannabis policies than Germany, making it the best place to be a patient or consumer.
Germany’s legal medical cannabis patient base has increased exponentially over the last year. In one of his recent newsletters, leading international cannabis economist Beau Whitney, founder of Whitney Economics, described how Germany has traditionally had a strong legal medical cannabis market.
Europe’s Largest Legal Medical Cannabis Market
Even before the adoption of the nation’s CanG adult-use legalization law in April 2024, which removed cannabis from Germany’s Narcotics List, the nation was already home to the largest legal medical cannabis market in Europe. The removal of cannabis from the German Narcotics List, combined with the rise of telemedicine, has resulted in a significant spike in Germany’s overall patient base.
“There has been a consistent number of between 200k – 300k medical patients,” Beau Whitney wrote in his newsletter. “As a result of this new innovation, there is now an additional 500k – 600k self-paying consumers participating in the legal market.”
“When combined with 100k cultivation association members, there is approximately 800k legal consumers in the German market right now. For perspective, 800k consumers represents between 10% and 20% of the total market, while the supply and capacity at the end of 2024 represented nearly 15% of all of the supply that the market needs,” Whitney stated.
Increased demand for legal medical cannabis is demonstrated by the number of German pharmacies that now offer medical cannabis products.
“Patients can order cannabis online with a private prescription and have it delivered to their home. Nationwide, around 2,500 of the 17,000 pharmacies now offer medical cannabis,” stated the German Cannabis Business Association BvCW (translated from German to English). “The industry’s revenue is now estimated at around half a billion euros.”
Import Statistics Reveal Increased Demand for Legal Medical Cannabis
Another area of data demonstrating increased demand for legal medical cannabis products in Germany is import statistics. In the first quarter of 2025, Germany imported over 37.223 metric tonnes of medical cannabis products.
The total imports for Q1 2025 increased by 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. By comparison, Germany imported 8.143 metric tonnes of medical cannabis products in Q1 2024.
The updated import numbers bring the total amount of legally imported medical cannabis products to Germany during the last 12 months to 101.9 metric tonnes. Canada remained the top source for imported medical cannabis products to Germany at 16.1 tonnes during Q1 2025. Portugal was the second leading source for medical cannabis imports during that timeframe at 12.1 tonnes, and Denmark was third at 2.6 tonnes.
For years, Germany’s medical cannabis industry was subject to a quota limit, which capped the amount of medical cannabis that could be produced within Germany’s borders. However, part of the CanG law involved the removal of the quota limit, and domestically cultivated medical cannabis is increasing in Germany. That will, in turn, provide German medical cannabis patients with more options to choose from going forward.
Home Grow on the Rise
Adults in Germany can cultivate up to three plants in their private residences thanks to the 2024 legalization law, and data is demonstrating that many consumers are taking advantage of the new freedom. The results of a new scientific study, led by Dr. Mira Lehberger and Prof. Dr. Kai Sparke from the Department of Horticultural Economics at Geisenheim University, provide insight into how popular home cultivation is in Germany post-legalization.
One in ten participants of the study indicated that they had already legally cultivated cannabis post-legalization. Eleven percent of participants who indicated that they had not cultivated cannabis yet ‘could imagine’ doing so in the future. A YouGov poll from a year ago in Germany found that 7% of poll participants had already purchased cannabis seeds or cuttings/clones, and another 11% responded that they planned to purchase cannabis genetics in the future.
Member-Based Cultivation Associations
Another legal option for acquiring adult-use cannabis in Germany is joining a member-based cultivation association. According to the most recent data published on BCAv’s website, 215 cultivation association applications have been approved so far, out of 626 submitted applications nationwide in Germany. Eventually, regional adult-use cannabis commerce pilot trials will serve as yet another option for German cannabis consumers, although the launch of pilots has experienced several delays.
Germany does have a new coalition government which includes lawmakers who are opposed to modernized cannabis polices. However, as leading cannabis policy expert attorney Peter Homberg predicted at the International Cannabis Business Conference in Berlin in April, a complete reversal of the CanG law is unlikely. That prediction was later confirmed by current Bundestag member Carmen Wegge (SPD), who recently indicated that a reversal of recreational legalization is “off the table.” Still, attempts to hinder Germany’s cannabis policy progress serve as a reminder that advocates need to remain active in Europe’s largest cannabis market.
Cannabis Reform Continues Across Europe
The continued success of cannabis policy modernization in Germany is boosting momentum for reform in other parts of Europe and the world. The prohibition dominoes are falling in Europe, with the Czech Republic being the latest example. Czechia’s lawmakers recently approved an adult-use legalization measure that will permit adults to cultivate up to three plants and possess up to 100 grams of dried flower.
Legalization in the Czech Republic brings the total number of legalized European Union nations to four: Malta (2021), Luxembourg (2023), Germany (2024), and Czechia (2025). The list of legalized EU nations is sure to rise in the coming years, and the continental legalization movement will continue to be led by Germany.
