On April 1, cannabis will have been legal in Germany for two years – at least partially. A new study shows how the Cannabis Consumption Act (KCanG) affects the daily work of the Berlin police. It is a special evaluation of a study conducted by the University of Tübingen last year on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health. In it, police officers across Germany were asked about their experiences with the partial legalization of cannabis.

The study came to a surprising conclusion: Berlin’s patrol officers, in particular, have more frequent dealings with the KCanG, but compared with the national average they do not perceive it as an excessive additional burden. While 62 percent of Berlin officers see the law as (rather) not a burden, only 55 percent say the same in the rest of Germany. According to the Berlin police union DPolG, this suggests a normalization in everyday work, possibly also relief at not having to prosecute consumers any longer.

Berlin police officers deal with cannabis more frequently

This means that the worst-case scenarios predicting that the bureaucracy-heavy partial legalization would lead to an enormous workload for officers have so far failed to occur. According to the study, almost 15 percent of the Berlin respondents say they deal with the Cannabis Consumption Act almost daily, compared with just eight percent nationwide.

Berlin’s police force is holding up

“The KCanG works in everyday practice not because it is particularly clear, but because our colleagues make it manageable with experience, judgment, and a great deal of personal responsibility,” says Frank Teichert, deputy state chairman of the Berlin DPolG. “Berlin is characterized by an urban environment, high operational density and visible consumption in public.” The police routinely compensate for gaps in the law. The evaluation therefore shows not a failing police force, but a functioning one – despite a law that remains incomplete in key areas, according to Teichert.

Berlin police officers record more crimes related to cannabis

Handling the KCanG is by no means a marginal phenomenon in the capital. Berlin police officers record significantly more offenses related to the law (42.9 percent) than their colleagues in other federal states (36.2 percent), particularly in consumption and trafficking offenses. In 2024 alone, police registered 1,227 violations of the KCanG, and by October of last year there had already been 1,912.

25 grams of cannabis are allowed in public

Background: Since April 1, 2024, adults aged 18 and over are allowed to possess 25 grams of the popular drug for personal use in public, and 50 grams in private. In addition, it is permitted to possess up to three cannabis plants. Adults can also become members of a licensed cultivation association that is authorized to grow and harvest cannabis. Anything outside these limits remains punishable, as do trade and sale.

Legalization does not help in the fight against clans and the black market

However, in the eyes of respondents the law is not a suitable instrument to combat organized crime (82 percent of Berlin respondents say so) and the black market (69 percent of Berlin respondents say so). Here the capital’s police officers are roughly in line with their colleagues from other federal states. “The KCanG is not an instrument for combating organized crime. It is a law regulating consumption,” trade unionist Teichert also makes clear.

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The KCanG is not an instrument for combating organized crime. It is a law regulating consumption

Frank Teichert, Deputy State Chairman of the Berlin DPolG

In addition, the KCanG appears impractical to many officers working in a metropolis like Berlin. Berlin shows above-average uncertainty in practical application. 31.4 percent of Berlin police officers said they have difficulty determining whether a punishable violation is present at all. The national average is only 25 percent.

More measuring devices demanded for Berlin police

“More than a quarter of respondents report uncertainty when dealing with administrative offenses – particularly regarding visibility distances and possession quantities,” says Teichert. On the one hand, this is due to the impractical radius of 100 meters around schools, playgrounds, daycare centers, and kindergartens in which cannabis consumption is prohibited – a rule that is particularly difficult to enforce in a city of millions like Berlin.

On the other hand, the study also shows a perceived lack of measuring equipment. “A law based on measurability should not treat measuring tools as an optional recommendation,” criticizes Teichert. Improvements could be made here by purchasing new scales. With 42.5 percent, Berlin is above the national average in reporting missing equipment – a critical point, according to the DPolG, given the high number of cases. “The rule of law does not thrive on improvisation, but from reliability,” Teichert emphasizes.

This article was originally written and published on the 6th of March in German. It was translated in English with the use of Artificial Intelligence.