When Germany introduced the Recreational Cannabis Act (KCanG), it not only legalised home cultivation and consumption for adults but also laid the groundwork for scientifically monitored pilot projects allowing the legal sale of cannabis at authorised distribution points. This approach was designed to comply with EU and international law, making it possible to provide professionally cultivated cannabis flowers to adults.
However, nearly 18 months after the KCanG came into effect, no sites have yet been approved or established for these pilot projects, which were intended to represent the second pillar of partial cannabis legalisation. As this framework is essential to evaluate how legal cannabis sales affect consumers and society, a group of scientists is now urging the swift processing of submitted applications so that evidence-based drug policy can finally be implemented in Germany.
Relevant Database Currently Impossible to Create
Researchers across multiple disciplines are warning that the absence of the second pillar of the KCanG severely limits the potential to gather meaningful data. Current supply routes, which rely on home cultivation and a limited number of cannabis social clubs, are considered inadequate. Without pilot projects, it is ‘not possible to create a relevant database on the social and scientific challenges associated with recreational cannabis use’.
Although ongoing efforts such as the EKOCAN research project at the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf are examining the effects of decriminalisation, significant scientific questions remain unanswered. EKOCAN’s evaluation focuses on three key areas: the protection of children and adolescents, general health protection, and cannabis-related crime since the KCanG came into force.
Researchers argue that pilot studies conducted under Section 2(4) of the KCanG, with scientific oversight, could generate the comprehensive evidence base needed to inform future policy.
Call to the Federal Government
The scientists emphasise that implementing the second pillar is also a political necessity, as the Federal Government has committed to evaluating the Cannabis Act within its coalition agreement. These pilot projects would provide the empirical foundation required for that assessment.
However, the researchers express concern that ‘not a single scientific, non-medical research project on cannabis has been approved’ so far. Bureaucratic and political uncertainty has reportedly stalled multiple initiatives, despite the readiness of several universities, municipalities, and project consortia that have already submitted proposals to the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE).
The signatories argue that scientific progress must not be delayed, and call on authorities and the federal government to review and approve applications promptly in line with the provisions of the KCanG.
Research Projects Involving Controlled Cannabis Distribution Are Legally Permitted
The scientists’ open letter also recalls that in 2013, the Scientific Service of the German Parliament confirmed that research projects involving controlled cannabis distribution are legally permissible. Even before the KCanG was enacted, legislators had a duty to regularly review the cannabis ban and its societal impacts.
According to the letter, the proposed pilot projects would fulfil that constitutional obligation while creating a protected environment for evidence-based research. They could also provide crucial insights into consumption patterns, youth and health protection, and the prevention of crime and addiction. Researchers stress that only through regulated frameworks can Germany displace the illicit market while realising social, health, and economic benefits.
Evidence-Based Drug Policy Must Enable Research
The open letter, signed by 16 prominent scientists and physicians, concludes with a clear message: research projects under Section 2(4) of the KCanG must be approved without further delay. Only through these projects can the effectiveness of regulation be empirically evaluated and reliable data collected on youth protection, public health, consumption, and the illegal market.
Such research would allow Germany to keep pace with international developments, particularly with countries such as the Netherlands and Switzerland, where pilot studies have already informed regulatory approaches.
‘Anyone who wants a rational, evidence-based drug policy must enable research, not prevent it,’ the signatories wrote, warning that otherwise Germany risks falling behind in scientific progress.
