Germany’s legal cannabis sector is one of most dynamic markets in the world. In 2017, the European nation began selling legal medical cannabis through pharmacies. And in 2024, lawmakers will approve a landmark national measure to legalize adult-use marijuana. Germany has a significant amount of information about the cannabis market that is available to entrepreneurs, investors and government officials.
The number of patients served in Germany’s medical marijuana sector is becoming more apparent as the industry has grown and developed over time. The number of medical cannabis patients in Germany is harder to estimate than in state-level US programs, where there’s a central register that allows for easy tracking. Some patients who use medical cannabis receive reimbursements from the healthcare system while others “self-pay” for their medication.
The Medical Cannabis Patients in Germany
According to Beau Whitney of Whitney Economics, a cannabis expert and founder who is renowned internationally, approximately 200k-300k German medical cannabis users aren’t self-payers. The remaining 500k-600k are self-paying. In recent years, the rise of telemedicine has led to an increase in patients purchasing medical cannabis from legal sources.
In addition to the increased number of cannabis-based pharmacies in Germany, the European country has a large amount of them. In a newsletter from the German Cannabis Business Association, (BvCW), it is stated that approximately 2,500 out of 17,000 pharmacies registered in Germany now sell medical cannabis.
Imports of Medical Cannabis
Imports of medical cannabis are a great source of information about how Germany’s industry for medical cannabis has expanded in the past few years. The Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices in Germany (BfArM), which publishes data on imports every quarter, shows that Germany imported nearly 56 tons of medical marijuana products during the third quarter 2025.
In order to put this figure in perspective, remember that the importation of medicinal cannabis products was at its peak during the third quarter 2024. Germany imported over 14 tons of medical marijuana products in the nine-month period of 2025. This is an incredible amount and testament to Germany’s growing legal medical cannabis sector.
IPE Institute for Policy Evaluation researchers conducted a thorough market study and determined that the German self-pay medical cannabis market is worth 2.9 billion Euros annually. It is estimated that the German public health care system will save 2.9 billion euros annually.
Widespread Benefits
In Germany, the growth of the medical cannabis industry is not only beneficial to patients. The entire German population benefits in some way, not just the patients and members of the industry. According to the German Association of Pharmaceutical Cannabinoid Companies, (BPC), reduced sick days in Germany are worth more than 3.7bn euros.
The potential for the German adult-use cannabis market is, like in all large cannabis markets around the world, much bigger than that of the medical marijuana sector. According to annual estimates by the European Union Drugs Agency, 17.2% adults in Germany have reported having consumed marijuana at least one time in the last 12 months. In addition to this, 8.4% German adult report that they have consumed cannabis in the last month. This translates to an adult market with several millions of consumers.
In Germany, the adult cannabis market is still largely unregulated. This situation has been slowly improving as customers are given more options. Germany’s model for legalized recreational cannabis is composed of a number of elements, and all have the potential of helping the country’s market to capture market share each month.
Germany’s Homegrow Market
Adult consumers are increasingly turning to home-grown cannabis as a way of obtaining legal marijuana in Germany. The Department of Horticultural Economics of Geisenheim University compiled survey data that found one out of ten German adult cannabis users have grown cannabis since April 2024, when it was legalized. A further 11 percent could “imagine” doing it in the near future.
Germany’s model of legalization includes a large number of cultivation associations. The latest data from the German Federal Association of Cannabis Cultivation Associations (BCAv), shows that 368 applications for cultivation associations have so far been approved in Germany. There have been 806 total applications. The German legal cannabis industry needs to approve more cultivation associations to adequately compete on the unregulated market. However, the total continues to grow slowly.
Test Pilots Are Needed
Germany is currently facing a significant gap due to the fact that no pilot adult-use cannabis trials have been approved for regional commerce. The number of approved trials is zero despite dozens of jurisdictions applying to begin a trial. It’s a major problem for the legalization of cannabis in Germany and its stated cannabis policies and goals. There are pilot trials underway in the Netherlands, Switzerland and other jurisdictions. No major problems have been reported.
It is now more important than ever that people who are interested in joining the industry learn about the current market and connect with leaders in the field. This is the perfect time to network with industry leaders in Berlin at the International Cannabis Business Conference in April.