Cannabis Growing Clubs in Germany: A New Era for Cannabis Distribution

Cannabis growing clubs have been approved since the summer. In Ganderkesee near Oldenburg, cannabis is now legally distributed to members for the first time.

A Milestone for the Ganderkesee Cannabis Social Club

For the first time, a cultivation society in Ganderkesee near Oldenburg in Lower Saxony has distributed legally grown cannabis to its members. Michael Jaskulewicz was the first member of the Ganderkesee Cannabis Social Club to receive a few grams of different types of the drug. “Being here and raising this was an absolutely amazing feeling,” he said.

Legally Grown Cannabis: A New Reality in Germany

Since July, cannabis cultivation associations have been allowed in Germany for the collective cultivation and distribution of cannabis. According to his own knowledge, the club in Ganderkesee was the first club in Germany to bring in a legal cannabis harvest.

A Developed Club with a Clear Mission

According to a spokesperson for the Federal Drugs Commissioner, no other association is known to have started harvesting earlier. However, he pointed out that the authority has no official information about the harvest situation of the individual growing associations. It is known that the club in Ganderkesee is very developed.

A Club for the Community

“Our members come from the middle of society,” said the club’s chairman, Daniel Keune. The age range is between 18 and 70 years old, from salaried workers to entrepreneurs.

Promoting Preventive Health Protection

The association has been dealing with the issue of legalizing the use of cannabis in Germany for two years, said Keune. Partial legalization enables preventive health protection because the society guarantees that the cannabis supplied is safe and without any additives. “The health protection we can provide has motivated us.”

A Personal Story of Rediscovery

Because he was one of the very first supporters of the club, he was given the right to pick up the first grams of the drug, Jaskulewicz said. He had already smoked in the 1990s, but stopped after he was contaminated with cannabis on the street: “After that I felt very dirty and I thought, you will not do that anymore.”

A New Perspective on Substance Use

The recent discussion about the legalization of cannabis partly made him think. He decided not to drink beer in front of his five year old. “I would like society to go in this direction and consider that the use of cigarettes and drinking alcohol are also things that can be avoided in front of children.”