Allowing legal home cultivation by adults is a foundational component of a sensible approach to cannabis public policy. It affords consumers the option to save money and control what goes into the production of the cannabis that they consume. Other legal means by which adults can source cannabis legally should also be permitted, but home cultivation should always be an option for responsible adults.

Starting on April 1st, 2024, adults in Germany can cultivate up to three plants in their private residences. With national recreational cannabis sales remaining prohibited by the European Union, and regional adult-use cannabis commerce pilot trials yet to launch in Germany, home cultivation is an important option for consumers.

This month, cannabis seeds from Gutmut Saatgut are on sale at 255 branches of the Netto discount supermarket chain in Berlin and northeastern Germany. The sale of the seeds to adults through the popular supermarket chain marks a major milestone for Germany’s emerging industry, according to the German Cannabis Business Association (BvCW), which issued a press release this week touting the seed sales and pushing back on criticism by the Federal Government’s Drug Commissioner, Prof. Dr. Hendrik Streeck (CDU).

“The sale is a milestone for consumer protection and for combating the unregulated black market. Furthermore, home cultivation protects against potentially highly dangerous adulterants and additives, and is therefore in the interest of health and consumer protection.” stated Dirk Heitepriem, president of the German Cannabis Business Association (translated from German to English).

“We need to move away from a politics of fear and towards a policy of controlled quality. The sale of seeds at Netto is an important step in the right direction: guaranteed origin, guaranteed quality, normalization and destigmatization instead of criminalization. Whether it’s alcohol, tobacco, or cannabis: instead of checks on private households, we need evidence-based regulation. For cannabis, this requires research projects on regulated distribution.” added BvCW Managing Director Michael Greif.

“According to the BvCW (German Association for Seed and Plant Protection), the availability of high-quality seeds in brick-and-mortar retail stores is a crucial step towards achieving the legal objectives: promoting safe home cultivation and effectively combating illegal market structures. The BvCW believes this requires low-threshold access.” BvCW wrote in its press release.

“Therefore, the BvCW aims for regulated sales within the framework of scientific research projects. This goal is also supported by the Federal Drug Commissioner, Streeck; however, a political majority within the current governing coalition of the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats is lacking.” BvCW concluded.