German Cannabis Business Association
Court ruling in Bavaria: Suspended prison sentence for grow shop owner over sale of cuttings in coconut-peat mixture
2026-03-06 | The District Court of Augsburg sentenced the owner of a cannabis accessories shop in Neusäß to a six-month suspended prison sentence, as the court concluded that he had illegally traded cannabis plants, according to the Augsburger Zeitung. The 42-year-old had offered cuttings for sale in his store “Grow love and weed”, which according to the prosecution exceeded the legal threshold into prohibited cannabis. While the defendant argued that the items were non-punishable propagation material, the court ruled that the planted shoots—up to 23 centimeters in size and with their own roots—must already be classified as full cannabis plants.
According to the ruling, the legal distinction is based on the fact that the cuttings had already been planted in a coconut-peat mixture, enabling them to take root. Once a shoot is placed into a substrate, it is no longer legally considered mere propagation material but a plant, the transfer of which outside licensed cultivation associations is prohibited. The case is representative of a series of investigations in Bavaria in which authorities are taking strict action against the sale of planted seedlings. Since both the public prosecutor and the defendant have announced appeals, the ruling is not yet final; however, the shop in Neusäß has already been permanently closed.
