Cultivation associations in Germany still have to contend with legal harassment today. Above all, ideologically shaped convictions mean that many of these initiatives are nipped in the bud. In Bavaria, a Cannabis Social Club recently capitulated after a legal defeat. In Jena, a club was not allowed to dispense cannabis because it was only 198 meters away – instead of the prescribed 200 meters – from an object that could be interpreted as playground equipment in the broadest sense. These examples illustrate the sometimes absurd hurdles that cultivation associations are exposed to.

Since organisational and bureaucratic requirements are difficult for individual associations to cope with, a corresponding interest group was founded, which also serves as a political mouthpiece. The Federal Association for Cannabis Cultivation Associations (BCAv) is committed to appropriate and uniform framework conditions for Cannabis Social Clubs (CSCs) and recently published a position paper with clear demands.

One of the central goals of the CSCs is effective youth protection. Nevertheless, cultivation associations must not be subject to official arbitrariness – which is currently often the case. For example, they are subject to a comprehensive ban on advertising, which, in the opinion of the BCAv, is disproportionate in its current form. The association is therefore calling for a regulation that safeguards the protection of minors on the one hand, but on the other hand ensures consumers’ right to information. A cultivation association must at least be clearly recognizable to potential members.

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