Hemp farmer Josef Bayer from Franconia is giving up selling hemp products. According to the 37-year-old, an economic aspect plays a particularly important role.
Kronach – Cannabis has been partially legal in Germany since April 1st. In Bavaria, as in other federal states, the drug is consumed by many people. But to do this, consumers first have to get cannabis. For a long time, one of the most famous addresses was the Franconian farmer Josef Bayer.
The 37-year-old from the Kronach district near Bamberg once wanted to be the only person in a field in Germany to offer hemp (another term for cannabis) for people to pick themselves. Bayer has been selling hemp products for years with his company, Grasshopper Crew. But now Bayer is calling it quits – and there is an economic reason for it.
Hemp farmer Bayer from Franconia is quitting - because there are cheaper prices on the world market
As Bayer explains on its website, it began growing hemp on a large scale in 2017. In 2021, he and two other friends started selling his hemp products, such as cannabidiol (CBD), through the Grasshopper Crew. Today he only sells remaining stock from previous years, says the 37-year-old in a report by
Frankenschau aktuell
. The reasons he cited included insufficient profits and high levels of bureaucracy. Bayer only sells a few of its remaining stocks. “No one is able to take in eight tons of hemp seeds at a reasonably reasonable price because there are cheaper prices on the world market,” explains Bayer in the
Frankenschau
.
Farmer from Franconia gives up hemp cultivation – many questions are still unanswered
In addition to the difficult economic situation, according to Bayer, many legal questions surrounding cannabis cultivation are still unresolved. “What is my CBD when I offer it to an end customer? Is it a medicinal ingredient or is it perhaps just a food or luxury item? How can I offer it? What is it actually classified as?” Bayer asked the Frankenschau as questions to which there is still no answer.
Bayer became familiar with the complicated legal situation surrounding CBD sales immediately after it started selling hemp. “When the day of the opening finally arrived, a gentleman from the Bamberg public prosecutor’s office stood next to the many interested and curious stoners and handed me a letter asking me to stop selling to end consumers,” says Bayer on its website. As long as the questions regarding cannabis law are not clarified, Bayer wants to stick with its main business - the cultivation of strawberries.
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Cannabis legalization is causing discussions in many places in Bavaria
The partial legalization of cannabis is accompanied by some discussions in Bavaria. The Bavarian state government is planning to set up cannabis-free zones, such as the English Garden. Cannabis is also making waves in the catering scene. The Augustiner Keller in Munich banned smoking weed on the entire premises. And other innkeepers also don’t want to see cannabis and similar substances in their establishments.
(jr)