Germany Judiciary Examines Nearly 280,000 Past Cannabis Cases

Germany’s Judiciary recently announced that federal states have reviewed an estimated 279,000 past cannabis cases after adult-use legalization took effect in Germany on April 1st, 2024. Starting on April 1st, adult consumers in Germany can cultivate, possess, and consume cannabis within certain parameters.

“The most populous federal state, North Rhine-Westphalia, has the most reviews (86,000), followed by Bavaria (41,500) and Hesse (34,000). The smallest federal state, Bremen, has the fewest criminal records reviewed (531).” Augsburger Allgemeine reported (translated from German to English).

Cannabis prohibition previously cost Germany 1.3 billion euros a year according to an analysis by the Institute for Competition Economics (DICE) at the Heinrich Heine University in Duesseldorf. Reviewing old cannabis cases is a massive undertaking in Germany, and the huge number of reviews is a testament to how many lives were needlessly harmed in Germany due to prohibition.

“According to the evaluation, the judiciary in Bavaria has re-examined 41,500 cases, and the courts have so far received more than 6,200 cases for re-determination of sentences. The courts have already made a decision on this in around 3,500 cases. The Hessian authorities have already imposed sentences 450 times, and the sentence has been re-determined in a further 88 cases.” Augsburger Allgemeine also reported.

Meanwhile, in Bavaria, a reported 33 cannabis consumers have been recently released from incarceration thanks to Germany’s new cannabis laws.

“Since the partial legalization of cannabis on April 1, 2024, 33 incarcerated cannabis users have been released from prison in Bavaria.” stated the German Cannabis Business Association (BvCW) in a recent newsletter. The release of cannabis prisoners in Bavaria was first reported by Süddeutsche Zeitung.

In addition to cannabis being legal for adult use in Germany, recreational cannabis is also legal in Uruguay, Canada, Malta, Luxembourg, and South Africa, as well as at the local level in certain parts of the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United States.