Berlin facts
The cannabis rules, accurately
Germany partially legalised cannabis on 1 April 2024, and almost every travel page since has implied that this created somewhere for visitors to buy it. It did not. Here is what the law actually says, and the part that will get you fined.
Legal for adults 18+
- Possessing up to 25 g in public
- Possessing up to 50 g at home
- Growing up to three plants at your own home
- Consuming it in public, outside the banned zones below
Still illegal
- Selling it. There are no shops and no dispensaries
- Buying it from anyone who is not your own cultivation association
- Bringing it into or out of Germany, including from the Netherlands
- Consuming it within 100 m of the places listed below
- Anything at all if you are under 18
So where does a visitor legally get it?
Nowhere. That is the honest answer, and anyone telling you otherwise is either describing something illegal or confusing Germany with the Netherlands.
The only lawful supply route is a Anbauvereinigung — a cultivation association. These are non-commercial members' clubs, capped at 500 members, which may only supply people who have been members for a minimum period and who are resident in Germany. They cannot sell to visitors, they cannot sell to walk-ins, and they are not permitted to advertise. The separate medical route requires a German prescription from a doctor who has examined you.
We do not list sellers, link to them, or route itineraries past them. Buying on the street in Görlitzer Park remains a criminal offence for the seller and an excellent way to be robbed.
The part that actually catches people
Where consumption is banned
Holding it is one thing. Where you consume it is where the fines happen — and the 100-metre buffer is much larger on the ground than it sounds.
What creates a zone
- 6,092 Sports pitches
- 5,566 Playgrounds
- 2,368 Kindergartens and nurseries
- 1,081 Schools
- 873 Sports centres
- 183 Youth centres
Each one is buffered by 100 metres. We buffer the whole site rather than a single entrance point, which makes our zones slightly larger than the strict legal definition — deliberately, because the failure modes are not symmetrical. Telling someone a banned spot is fine is much worse than telling them a legal spot might not be.
Separately, consumption is banned in pedestrian zones between 07:00 and 20:00, and in the immediate vicinity of cultivation associations at any hour.
Our source for this
No cannabis consumption within 100 m
Consuming cannabis is banned within 100 metres of schools, children's and youth facilities, playgrounds and publicly accessible sports facilities. Possession of 25 g in public is legal for adults 18+, but selling is not — there are no shops, and cultivation associations are members-only and require German residency.
Legal basis: KCanG (Konsumcannabisgesetz), in force 2024-04-01. Last verified 2026-11-10 · due for re-check by 2027-04-01 · official text
This page is information, not legal advice. The law has changed twice since 2024 and enforcement differs between Berlin districts. Where it matters, check the current text yourself or ask a lawyer.
Planning a trip?
The planner knows these zones, and the rest of Berlin's rules, for the dates you are here.
Plan my trip