Recently, a cannabis social club in the city of Gundersay, Germany, began distributing the first batch of legally grown cannabis for the first time through a cultivation association, marking an important milestone in the country’s history.
The city of Gundersay belongs to the state of Lower Saxony in Germany, which is the second most populous state among the 16 federal states in Germany. The government of Lower Saxony approved the first “cannabis cultivation social club” in the city of Ganderksee as early as July this year – the Social Club Ganderksee, which provides non-profit organizations for its members to obtain recreational cannabis in accordance with the law.
The Cannabis Social Club Ganderksee claims to be the first club in Germany to represent its members in legal cannabis harvesting. The Cannabis Association is an important feature of the German Cannabis Legalization Act, with the first batch of licenses issued in July 2024.
A spokesperson for the German Federal Drug Commissioner stated that it is understood that no other club has started harvesting earlier than it. However, the spokesperson added that her department has not yet collected any official information regarding the situation of each club.
Michael Jaskulewicz was the first member of the club to legally receive a few grams of different varieties of marijuana. He described the experience as an “absolutely fantastic feeling” and added that as one of the first supporters of the association, he was able to receive the first order.
According to German cannabis regulations, the German Cannabis Association can accommodate up to 500 members and adheres to strict rules regarding membership qualifications, locations, and operating methods. Members can cultivate and distribute marijuana within the association, and provide a place to use marijuana. Each member can distribute and legally possess up to 25 grams of marijuana at a time.
The German government hopes that members of each club can share the responsibility of planting and production. According to the German Marijuana Law, “members of planting associations must actively participate in the collective cultivation of marijuana. Only when members of planting associations personally participate in collective cultivation and activities directly related to collective cultivation, can they be considered as clearly active participants
At the same time, Germany’s new law grants states the freedom to decide how and what types of regulatory powers to establish.
The president of the club, Daniel Keune, stated that the club’s members come from the core of society, ranging in age from 18 to 70, and both club employees and entrepreneurs are marijuana enthusiasts.
When it comes to his relationship with marijuana, club member Jaskulevich said that he had been using marijuana as early as the 1990s, but gave up this habit since buying contaminated products from street marijuana dealers.
Since April 1st this year, marijuana has been legalized in Germany. Although the law is hailed as legalizing and marks an important milestone in ending Germany’s cannabis ban, it actually does not lay a legal foundation for providing commercial recreational cannabis to consumers.
At present, although adults are allowed to grow up to three cannabis plants in their own homes, there are currently no other legal ways to obtain cannabis. Therefore, some speculate that this legal change will promote the prosperity of black market cannabis.
The Federal Criminal Police Agency (BKA) of Germany stated in a recent article to Politico that “illegally traded marijuana still mainly comes from Morocco and Spain, transported by truck through France, Belgium, and the Netherlands to Germany, or produced in illegal indoor greenhouse cultivation in Germany
As part of the April marijuana law amendment, the second legislative “pillar” promises to investigate the impact of legal commercial pharmacies on public health, similar to trials being conducted across Switzerland.
Last week, the German cities of Hanover and Frankfurt released “letters of intent” to launch controlled cannabis sales to thousands of participants through new pilot projects, with a focus on reducing harm.
This study will last for five years and will take a similar form to the research already conducted in many cities in Switzerland. Similar to the pilot program in neighboring countries, participants in Germany must be at least 18 years old and physically and mentally healthy. In addition, they must complete regular medical surveys and health checks, and participate in mandatory discussion groups about their relationship with marijuana.
According to reports, just one year later, the pilot project in Switzerland showed “positive results”. More than half of the study participants reported using marijuana at least four times a week, and according to the relevant data collected from the pilot program, the majority of the participants had good health conditions.
Post time: Nov-13-2024