The German Cannabis Business Association reports
Rejection of the Cannabis Model Project in Berlin: Districts lodge an objection
2025-11-28 | The Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE) has rejected the application for a cannabis model project submitted by the Berlin district offices of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, Neukölln, and Pankow together with Humboldt University and the Sanity Group, as reported by the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg District Office in a press release. The Sanity Group also published a press release on this matter. The goal of the project was to enable adult study participants to legally purchase cannabis at selected points of sale in order to collect anonymized data for evidence-based cannabis policy. The applicants have already lodged an objection against the BLE’s decision. The BLE justified the rejection by stating that under the current legal situation, it sees no possibility for granting such permits, as a separate legislative procedure would be necessary to examine European and international law requirements, as reported by the Tagesspiegel. District Mayor Clara Herrmann (Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg) called the reasoning for the rejection “completely absurd” and criticized the government for ignoring the legal situation. Hannes Rehfeldt (Neukölln District Office) said the BLE’s legal interpretation is unfathomable and fails to meet the goals of the Cannabis for Consumption Act (KCanG). Finn Hänsel (Sanity Group) emphasized that personal cultivation and cannabis clubs alone cannot cover the demand, which is why consumers should not be left to the illegal market again. Cansativa also informed DAZ upon request that a notice of rejection had been received for the project in Groß-Gerau, where the dispensing of cannabis for consumption in pharmacies was planned, and an objection has also been lodged here. On X, the German Hemp Association accused the CSU Minister of Agriculture responsible for the BLE of protecting criminal structures by preventing the testing of alternatives to the black market. The taz titled this: “Black market still open”.
