44% Of German Adult Cannabis Consumers Plan To Join A Social Club
In a recent nationwide survey conducted in Germany by Pronova BKK, 44% of self-reported ‘regular’ cannabis consumers indicated that they plan to join one of the country’s social cannabis clubs once they launch this summer. Another 27% of ‘occasional’ cannabis consumers also indicated that they plan to join a club.
The Pronova BKK survey involved 1,000 people in Germany aged 18 and over and was conducted in May 2024. The survey also determined the following (translated from German to English) about Germany’s cannabis consumer base:
- Over a quarter of Germans consume cannabis at least occasionally, and one in ten consumes it weekly
- More than half of Generation Z consumes cannabis at least occasionally
- For a third of cannabis consumers, legalization does not influence consumption behavior
- Among younger respondents under 45 years of age, one in ten has increased consumption since legalization
- Eight percent of non-users are considering growing their own cannabis at home
Among self-reported ‘regular’ cannabis consumers participating in the survey, 51% selected “Yes, I can imagine having my own cannabis to grow at home” when asked about home cultivation. Another 40% of ‘occasional’ cannabis consumers also selected that option in the survey.
The results of the Pronova BKK survey were published shortly after the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) released its annual European Drug Report. The EMCDDA report lists that 34.7% of German adults have consumed cannabis at least once in their lifetime.
A YouGov poll that was also conducted in May 2024 found that 7% of surveyed German adults (consumers and non-consumers) have already purchased cannabis seeds or clones. Another 11% indicated in the YouGov survey that they planned to purchase seeds or clones in the future. The YouGov poll involved 3,375 German adults.
The first provisions of Germany’s CanG law took effect on April 1st, 2024. Adults in Germany can now cultivate up to three plants in their private residences and possess up to 25 grams of cannabis when away from their homes.
Additionally, cannabis was removed from the nation’s Narcotics List which is having an immediate impact on Germany’s medical cannabis industry. Germany was already the largest legal medical cannabis market in Europe, and now domestic production quotas are removed, doctors can prescribe cannabis more easily, and the medical cannabis supply chain has fewer hurdles.
In 2023, Germany imported 31,398 kilograms of medical cannabis products according to data from Germany’s Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM), a 26.2% increase compared to the previous year’s medical cannabis imports.
With domestic production quotas removed and many patients now cultivating their own medical cannabis, total imports will presumably lower by a considerable amount in Germany in 2024.