As of: March 23, 2024, 12:01 p.m
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After the positive decision in the Federal Council, nothing stands in the way of legalizing cannabis.
How are cannabis clubs preparing?
Fulda - As of April 1st, the possession and cultivation of cannabis will be permitted for adults with numerous requirements for personal consumption.
Despite many points of criticism, there was no majority in the state chamber for sending the law to the mediation committee of the Bundesrat and Bundestag and thus slowing it down for the time being.
The law still has to be officially announced once Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has signed it.
Cannabis legalization: Clubs count new members every day
In Fulda, some non-commercial growing associations are already in the starting blocks.
The “Broccoli Buddies,” for example, have been registered with the local court since August and were one of the first Cannabis Social Clubs (CSC) in Fulda, reports chairwoman Elena Fischer from Schlitz in an interview with fuldaerzeitung.de.
It is not possible to determine exactly how many cannabis clubs there are in the Fulda area from the club register.
Fischer is currently assuming 10 to 15 clubs.
Just as the number of cultivation clubs is increasing, so is the number of their members.
The “Broccoli Buddies”, whose name results from the color similarity between the hemp plants and the vegetable, now has around 350 members.
According to Fischer, 90 other interested parties have registered on the website.
According to the Cannabis Act, a CSC can accept up to 500 members; the minimum age is 18 years.
Hemp plants can be grown in cannabis clubs.
(Symbolic photo) © Hauke-Christian Dittrich/dpa
Members are only allowed to be registered in one club - how exactly this will be controlled by the authorities is still unclear.
However, the “Broccoli Buddies” have decided to only accept adults aged 21 and over.
In general, “contrary to what is discussed politically,” most club members are between 40 and 50 years old.
Many wanted to use the drug primarily for relaxation and to treat pain and sleep problems, explains Fischer.
New members pay a one-time admission fee of 40 euros.
In addition, there is a membership fee of 10 euros per month or 100 euros annually; severely disabled people, pensioners, students and trainees are considered reduced.
The CSC wants to provide educational work for all of its members, regardless of age.
“If people in our community develop difficulties dealing with drugs, we want to offer counseling sessions.
Two founding members want to receive further training in this area,” reports Fischer.
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The association has also already given some thought to the cultivation of hemp plants: an approximately 300 square meter hall that will accommodate 300 to 400 plants has almost been rented and the necessary accessories have already been ordered.
“We want to start cultivation as soon as possible,” says the chairwoman.
The licensed clubs should be able to start growing cannabis from July.
According to Fischer, it will take another two to three months until the first harvest.
The “Broccoli Buddies” are currently looking for a central delivery point in Fulda.
The law requires a minimum distance of 200 meters from schools and children's and youth facilities.
“Finding a place like this in the city area is difficult,” says Fischer.
The club is not allowed to sell cannabis freely at the dispensary, but can only distribute it to its members.
Up to 50 grams of cannabis per person may be dispensed per month - for 18 to 21 year olds, a maximum of 30 grams with a maximum of ten percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the plant's intoxicating active ingredient, is permitted.
Elena Müller is getting ready to grow cannabis.
© Jonas Wenzel
According to Fischer, the “equivalent to the daily glass of wine in the evening” would mean a monthly requirement of around 15 grams.
However, the maximum permissible delivery amount of 50 grams per month is hardly in demand in their area and is rather the result of the political motivation to want to keep people with higher needs away from the black market.
Willi Kappes, chairman of the “High Green Palace” Cannabis Social Club Fulda, estimates that he will not be able to distribute cannabis to his members until the end of the year at the earliest.
“We want to work closely with the local authorities to ensure operations from July 1st.
“But then we first have to apply for a cultivation license, for which the authorities have allowed a processing time of up to three months,” says Neuhofer.
Only then can production begin, for which the club has already rented a 700 square meter hall.
How many plants should be grown there depends on the needs of the members and has not yet been decided.
The “High Green Palace” CSC Fulda is part of an umbrella organization of the same name, to which 17 other clubs across Germany belong.
“We currently have around 200 members at the Fulda location, and more applications for membership are received every day,” reports Kappes.
Unlike the “Broccoli Buddies,” members pay flat-rate fees based on their monthly consumption.
Adults aged 18 and over can join the club.
How are cannabis clubs preparing for legalization?
According to Kappes, club members under the age of 21 have so far been in the minority.
“We only have one member who is 18 years old.
Most are at least 30 years old.
Everyone already has experience with cannabis.” He also says: “Young people should stay away from cannabis because it can have detrimental effects on the developing brain.”
Kappes explains why the club still accepts members aged 18 and over: “Young people in particular often smoke contaminated, illegal stuff with an undetermined THC content from the street and become addicted.
We think it’s better to show them a different way of consuming.”
As part of its prevention work, the “High Green Palace” wants to offer workshops and educate people, especially in schools, about the dangers of cannabis consumption for young people in the development phase.
The club also provides a prevention center “run by experts” for its members.
He believes that the way the distribution and cultivation of cannabis is now planned is correct.
“The current drug policy has failed.
We think it's good that cannabis is now being legalized in order to curb the black market."
(by Sophie Brosch; with dpa material)