Shortly after midnight on April 1st, 2024, cannabis enthusiasts gathered at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, to legally smoke the plant.
The new cannabis law in Germany took effect today, ushering in a new era of legal cannabis consumption. Starting later this year, cannabis social clubs will also be allowed to cultivate their own cannabis plants. Crowds gathered overnight in Germany to celebrate the legalization of cannabis from Monday onward. There was music and dancing at the Brandenburg Gate in the center of Berlin, with participants waving placards and exhaling smoke into the air.
According to the new legislation proposed by Germany's governing coalition parties, adults will be allowed to cultivate a maximum of three plants for private consumption from April 1st, and they will be permitted to possess up to 50 grams at home and 25 grams in public places. Joint cannabis cultivation clubs will also be possible. Cannabis will be sold in licensed non-profit clubs with no more than 500 members - all members must be adults.
This move makes Germany the third country in Europe, after Malta and Luxembourg, to legalize cannabis for recreational use, removing it from the official list of prohibited substances. While the possession of drugs is prohibited in the Netherlands, some cities allow the sale of cannabis in coffee shops under a policy of tolerance.