According to a study, the trend of a slight increase in cannabis consumption in Germany continues. This is demonstrated by data from the Epidemiological Addiction Survey (ONE) 2024 on cannabis consumption, published in “Deutsches Ärzteblatt International”. In 2024, 9.8 percent of those surveyed said they had used the drug in the past twelve months. In 2012 it was 4.5 percent, in 2021 it will be 8.8 percent.
The Epidemiological Addiction Survey is published every three years and shows the consumption behavior of various drugs in Germany. In 2024, 7,534 people between the ages of 18 and 64 were surveyed from August to December. It’s been there all along marijuana it has only been partially legal for a few months.
According to the study authors, there was a small but not statistically significant increase in marijuana consumption immediately after legalization. “It is too early to see a clear impact of the law changes,” the study said.
Partial legalization in April 2024
Partial legalization implemented by the traffic light coalition has permitted smoking and growing marijuana for adults with many restrictions since April 1, 2024. It is permitted to grow up to three plants in a private home. You can store up to 50 grams of marijuana and take 25 grams with you when traveling.
Distance from playgrounds and schools is mandatory, and consumption in front of minors is prohibited. Non-commercial cannabis cultivation associations with up to 500 members, called cannabis clubs, are also permitted.
The majority are smokers and male
Benedikt Fischer of Simon Fraser University in Vancouver emphasized that cannabis consumption has changed little as a result of partial legalization. Further impact on consumption developments cannot be gleaned from last year’s data, “which was collected only a few months after legalization,” he said.
According to figures from the ESA, last year the majority of people (88.6 percent) said they smoked marijuana in a joint. In addition, around 68 percent usually take the drug together with tobacco. About one in four people who use marijuana are also members of a marijuana club (25.7 percent).
More than one in five (22 percent) grow the crop themselves. Nearly two-thirds of consumers are men (65.6 percent). The most frequently cited reason for consumption was “to get drunk/have fun” (66.8 percent), followed by “to relieve stress/relax” (61.3 percent).
© dpa-infocom, dpa:251113-930-290844/1
