70% Of Surveyed Germans View CanG Law As ‘Positive Or Neutral’

Earlier this year German lawmakers adopted a historic adult-use cannabis legalization measure (CanG), with the first provisions of the new cannabis law taking effect on April 1st. Germany is the largest nation to ever adopt recreational legalization.

The only other countries to adopt an adult-use legalization measure before Germany are Uruguay (2013), Canada (2018), Malta (2021), and Luxembourg (2023). South Africa has since adopted its own adult-use legalization measure.

Adults in Germany (18 years and older) can now legally cultivate, possess, and consume cannabis for recreational purposes. Additionally, starting on July 1st, adults in Germany can join cultivation associations from which to source cannabis legally.

Leading up to the passage of legalization in Germany cannabis opponents in the European nation predicted doomsday scenarios if/when the country adopted adult-use reform. That fearmongering has continued post-legalization.

Unfortunately for cannabis opponents in Germany, and fortunately for sound public policy and logical reasoning, a supermajority of respondents in a recent survey in Germany hold a positive or neutral view about the cannabis public policy change.

“According to a recent representative survey by the Björn Steiger Foundation, 61 percent of Germans have never consumed cannabis, or at least not in the last 12 months. In the new federal states, the figure for never-consumers is almost 50 percent, which is almost 10 percent higher than the figure in the old federal states.” stated the Björn Steiger Foundation regarding its recent survey.

“Around 70 percent of respondents see the partial legalization as positive or neutral, with male respondents showing significantly greater approval.” the organization also stated.

One of the claims made by cannabis opponents leading up to the launch of legalization was that legalization would lead to a substantial spike in cannabis use in Germany. However, the Björn Steiger Foundation found that “only eight percent of respondents want to consume more or even consume for the first time in light of the new legislation.”

Even if survey data demonstrates a spike in cannabis use post-legalization in Germany, such data needs to be put into proper context. Before cannabis became legal in any jurisdiction, consumers were less likely to tell surveyors that they consume cannabis given that it could have resulted in criminal prosecution.

A ‘spike’ in cannabis usage rates in Germany could very well be indicative of more people being willing to admit to their established cannabis use rather than people trying cannabis for the first time.

There appears to be no ‘buyer’s remorse’ in Germany when it comes to legalization, which is not exactly shocking given that the same is true in other jurisdictions that legalized before Germany. According to a recent poll conducted by Research Co., a strong majority of Canadians (54%) were still in favor of legalization five years after the nation’s policy change.