Cannabis Dispensaries in the German Capital: Sanity Group Plans Scientific Pilot Projects with Two Berlin Districts

At today’s press event, held at Pablo Neruda Central Library in Berlin, Clara Herrmann (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), District Mayor of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, and Hannes Rehfeldt, CDU District Councilor for Social Affairs and Health in Neukölln, signed a letter of intent to carry out the pilot project. The scientific lead of the cannabis pilot study will include Professor Dr. Dr. Christian Ulrichs, Head of Urban Plant Ecophysiology at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. The dispensary concept for the project was developed by Sanity Group.

“The fact that Berlin districts have now also expressed their intention to implement cannabis pilot projects is, of course, something very special for us as a Berlin-based company,” said Finn Hänsel, founder and CEO of Sanity Group. “We are proud to contribute our expertise and experience in the design and operational implementation of this pilot project and to pioneer this effort directly in our city.” Protecting the health of consumers is one of the central objectives of Germany’s partial cannabis legalization, Hänsel added, emphasizing the need to shrink the illegal market as a priority. “Personal cultivation and cannabis clubs alone are not enough to provide consumers with access to safe, regulated cannabis and to sustainably combat the black market. This makes it all the more important to use scientific studies to set the course for achieving legalization goals. The fact that CDU, alongside the Green Party, is now driving such a project forward in Neukölln adds significant momentum.”

Five Years of Scientific Observation: Promoting Responsible Consumption as a Key Pillar
The pilot project will grant adult study participants legal access to cannabis products at dispensaries in the two districts. Participation requires meeting certain health criteria and engaging in regular scientific surveys as part of the study. Passing purchased products to third parties will result in immediate exclusion. To ensure that only study participants can shop at the dispensaries, they will receive a pseudonymized participant ID. This ID, read digitally by dispensary staff, will track which products and quantities have already been purchased at specific locations. A QR code on product packaging ensures that the legally permissible quantity is not exceeded.

To provide low-threshold intervention options, dispensary staff will be available to answer questions and address any signs of problematic consumption behavior. This allows for referrals to associated counseling services before potentially harmful addiction patterns may emerge. The dispensaries will use software from the Swiss company Cannavigia to document sales quantities and the entire supply chain, enabling individual analysis of consumption patterns. Additionally, regular workshops and informational events on responsible and reflective cannabis use will be a core component of the study.

Analysis Shows High Contamination in Berlin’s Illegal Cannabis
The urgency of curbing the illegal cannabis market to protect consumer health was highlighted by a recent laboratory analysis of black-market cannabis from 30 German cities, including Berlin. Samples revealed that over two-thirds of the tested cannabis contained traces of toxic pesticides, while around one-third was laced with substances like hairspray. Traces of other drugs, including cocaine and MDMA, were also detected. These findings underscore the critical need for clean cannabis from commercial supply chains, such as those enabled by pilot projects. The study will now evaluate whether licensed cannabis dispensaries can be a viable path toward this goal.

KCanWV: Regulation on Research Projects in Model Regions Officially Announced
Independent of the planned second pillar of the Cannabis Consumption Act (KCanG), under which model regions with specialized stores were to become reality, a draft regulation from the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) has been available since April 2024. This regulation designates the Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE) as the competent authority for research projects aimed at non-medical purposes. With the announcement by the ministry on Wednesday that the so-called “Cannabis Consumption Science Competency Regulation” (KCanWV) will come into effect, applications for relevant projects can be submitted to the BLE by research institutions and companies, starting from its publication in the Bundesgesetzblatt.

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