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Cannabis Report 2025: Legalization reduces crime and consumption among young people!
UNI Tübingen presents the first results of the evaluation of the KCanG: Insight into cannabis consumption and legal developments.
Cannabis Report 2025: Legalization reduces crime and consumption among young people!
In 2024, an estimated 5.3 million adults in Germany will have consumed cannabis. These figures come from a current report evaluating the Consumer Cannabis Act (KCanG) introduced on January 1, 2025, which is considered the most significant decriminalization in the history of the Federal Republic. Medical cannabis only covered about 12 to 14% of the total cannabis demand, while cultivation associations produced less than 0.1% of the required amount. This raises questions about the efficiency and acceptability of the new law.
Another interesting result of the evaluation shows that there were no significant short-term changes in the number of users or in the frequency of health problems caused by cannabis use. Rather, partial legalization led to a decrease in cannabis crimes. In 2024, 100,000 fewer cannabis-related criminal cases were registered than in the previous year. What is particularly noteworthy is that small-scale consumers are no longer prosecuted, which has significantly changed the legal framework.
Changes in consumer behavior among young people
The period since the introduction of the KCanG also seems to have an influence on the consumption behavior of young people. The proportion of young users shows a falling trend, which is supported by the report by the scientific consortium EKOCAN, which works on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health. Overall, it was found that around 10% of young users use cannabis in a risky manner. It is noticeable that fewer young people are taking advantage of addiction counseling after partial legalization, which indicates a possible change in awareness and behavior.
The evaluation center EKOCAN evaluated extensive data from twelve surveys and 20 routine data sources. Their final report is scheduled for April 2028, but initial findings have already been published. EKOCAN, which launched on January 1, 2025 and will be active until April 30, 2028, involves partner institutions such as the Center for Interdisciplinary Addiction Research (ZIS), the Center for Health and Society (chs) and the Institute for Criminology (IfK) to comprehensively analyze the effects of the legal changes.
In summary, the initial results show that the partial legalization of cannabis consumption in Germany has various effects on society that continue to be monitored. The changes in the legal framework and the consumer behavior of citizens are just a few aspects that will shape the coming years. Further information is provided by the Ministry of Health, which continuously monitors the scientific evaluation of the KCanG and regularly documents progress.