A Look At The New German Cannabis Social Club Scene

In this article, we’ll take a look at the new cannabis laws in Germany, and explore what opportunities they have created for the cannabis industry. From clubs, to pharmacies, to software companies, the world of cannabis is opening doors for those willing to take the opportunity.

What is the law regarding cannabis in Germany?

From April 1st, 2024, recreational cannabis has become partially legalized in Germany. While the original intention was to allow the sale of recreational cannabis in a manner similar to American states and the Netherlands, the law was eventually watered down to allow the not-for-profit production and distribution of cannabis in members-only clubs—more akin to the situation in Barcelona.

However, as these regulations are very new, they remain a partial mystery even to those running such clubs and ventures, making it a tricky area to safely operate in. Nevertheless, there are a range of clubs and businesses trying their hand at this new market!

Unfortunately, unlike in Spain, the social clubs in Germany cannot legally have consumption areas. So members can only purchase the cannabis there, and must then consume it elsewhere.

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Regarding medical cannabis, Germany actually has quite liberal, though fairly nebulous, laws. Much like parts of the US before recreational cannabis was more broadly legalized, almost anyone can get a medical cannabis prescription from a private doctor (publicly funded doctors rarely hand them out), and can then purchase—in person or online—high-quality cannabis grown in the very best European labs.

What new cannabis companies are there?

Below are some of the companies making the most of Germany’s laws and trailblazing this nascent scene. Get some insight into what they offer and how they work. 

Club Blum

Club Blum is accepting new members as we speak, and has only just opened to the public in recent months. This collective is based in Berlin and purchased a grow space outside of the city. Club Blum is led by a couple of professionals who take care of growing and the legal aspects of the organisation; otherwise, the operation is supported by the various members of the collective, depending on how engaged they want to be.

Club Blum describe themselves as the “architects of a new kind of community in Berlin”. Rather than operating like a simple weed dispensary, they are passionate about getting the process right from conception through to consumption, as well as creating a warm and creative environment.

Club Soul

When a new industry pops up, a whole ecosystem emerges alongside it. And this is just as true for Germany’s cannabis scene as it is for any other realm.

Club Soul isn’t a cannabis club; it’s a software solution to help different clubs manage memberships, cultivation processes, logistics, and distribution. This means that clubs can streamline their processes and, instead of getting bogged down in admin, can focus on more interesting parts of the job.

What’s more, with a team of dedicated legal experts, Club Soul aims to create full transparency and to keep cannabis clubs within the bounds of the law. As the law is murky at best, it can be extremely difficult for those who aren’t lawyers to accurately interpret it, so Club Soul offers to assist with this, making it safer for those who want to start a club or growing association.

The current functions of this software are as follows:

• Member requests
• Member administration and data
• Community app
• Club administration/finances
• Role administration (authorise various permissions)
• Membership fee administration

Cannaflow

Cannaflow offers another piece of software seeking to fill the same gap in the market as Club Soul. Alongside having a team of lawyers, they also work with expert growers to ensure that their cultivation management tools are fit for purpose.

And regarding the legal aspects of this new world, the lawyers at Cannaflow assure organisations that they can help them comply with all legal documentation and obligations, while also managing all financial and tax requirements adequately.

Helios

Helios is a cannabis-specific pharmacy that supplies cannabis to users with a medical prescription. With a physical location in Munich, they also sell cannabis nationwide from their online store. Interestingly, patients can buy up to 1 kg of cannabis at a time if they have the right prescription—which Helios claims is fairly easy to come by.

They source their cannabis from Switzerland, where it is grown in the very best conditions by seasoned experts. As such, they have a huge range of top-quality options that can fully cater to the needs of anyone who has a prescription.

Bigger Trees

With the motto “Grow Big or Grow Home”, Bigger Trees isn’t shy about their intent. This is a traditional grow shop based in Hamburg, and though they can cater to all growing needs, their expertise is in cannabis.

Initially, they focused on selling high-quality LED lights but have since branched out into all aspects of growing. At one point they were even selling young cannabis plants that hadn’t yet flipped to flowering, although this service now appears to have been removed from their website.

While Bigger Trees existed prior to the recent change in laws, they have seized the moment and positioned themselves as a high-quality grow shop with genuine expertise in cannabis cultivation, and as such are poised to serve the many new grow operations sure to crop up in the coming years.

Cannabis clubs in Germany: Uncharted territory

The German cannabis industry is still in its infancy, and will no doubt continue to shift in the months and years that follow. The current government would like to legalize further, but other parties, some of which may come into power at the next federal election, have other ideas. So those who are testing the waters can’t know for sure what’s in store for them in the future. Nevertheless, it’s an exciting look into what could happen when laws are relaxed and cannabis is allowed to emerge from the shadows.

Max Sargent

Max has been writing for over a decade, and has come into cannabis and psychedelic journalism in the last few years. Writing for companies such as Zamnesia, Royal Queen Seeds, Cannaconnection, Gorilla Seeds, MushMagic and more, he has experience in a broad spectrum of the industry.

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