Research application initially rejected: Scientific pilot project on recreational cannabis in Frankfurt and Hanover denied regulatory approval
The Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) has rejected the research application submitted in December 2024 for the implementation of a pilot project on controlled sale of recreational cannabis in Frankfurt am Main and Hanover. As early as October 2024, the two cities, together with additional project partners, had announced their intention to launch a scientifically monitored project to test the legal distribution of THC-containing products through specialized retail stores. The concept design and operational implementation were to be managed by the Berlin-based cannabis company Sanity Group, which has been operating retail stores since December 2023 as part of a comparable pilot study in the Swiss canton of Basel-Landschaft. As central reason for rejecting the application for Hanover and Frankfurt, the authority stated that the scope of the research clause (§ 2 para. 4) of the Cannabis Consumption Act (KCanG) did not apply. According to the BLE, the project essentially constituted a model project of the so-called “Pillar 2.” The applicants, however, do not accept this reasoning – not least on the basis of a current legal report. An official objection to the rejection has already been filed; in addition, Sanity Group reserves the right to consider further legal action should the objection be dismissed.
