At the end of October 2025, German news magazine Der Spiegel reported that Germany had 343 licensed cannabis social clubs. This meant 50 more licenses granted in 3 months since July 2025.
In November 2025, an update by the BCAv (Federal Association of Cannabis Cultivation Associations) reported that the number of licensed cannabis social clubs has increased to 357. This means permits were issued to only 45% of the total 791 applications received throughout the country.
What are Cannabis Social Clubs?
In Germany, Cannabis Social Clubs (CSCs) operate as non-profit entities that focus on cultivating and supplying cannabis solely to their members. CSCs should not be mistaken for coffeeshops and dispensaries which are typically for-profit businesses that are permitted to sell cannabis to non-members as well, albeit often with specific restrictions on who can purchase from them.
The primary goal of CSCs isn’t financial gain but rather providing their members with access to safe, high-quality cannabis that has a traceable origin.
Increasing numbers, but unequally distributed
It is clear there is steady growth. However, these CSCs are not evenly distributed across the country.
North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) & Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) – the two states bordering the Netherlands – have far more clubs compared to the rest.
For example, those in Niedersachsen enjoy the highest access with 8.5 clubs per million inhabitants. In contrast, those in Bayern (Bavaria) have far less access – with only 8 clubs to serve a whopping 13 million+ inhabitants.
👇Here is the diagram showing the distribution of these CSCs:
How many licensed cannabis social clubs does each German state have?
Below is the ranking of states from highest to least number of CSCs.
• Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia) – 100
• Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) – 73
• Baden-Württemberg – 29
• Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate) – 27
• Sachsen (Saxony) – 3*
• Brandenburg – 21
• Hamburg – 13
• Sachsen-Anhalt – 15
• Hessen (Hesse) – 12
• Schleswig-Holstein – 10
• Bayern (Bavaria) – 8
• Berlin – 12
• Thüringen – 6
• Mecklenburg-Vorpommern – 4
• Bremen – 3
• Saarland – 1
* For Sachsen (Saxony), we’ve found that different sources show different numbers. The BCAv reports only 3 permits have been granted from a total 32 applications. On the other hand, other sources like DieSachsen and n-tv report there to be 23 cannabis clubs with a license – which is quite a large variation.
As such, the minimum number of licensed cannabis social clubs in Germany is 357, where it could actually be 377, or more.
How many applications have been made (as of November 2025)
As of November 2025, 791 total applications have been made for a permit to legally operate a cannabis social club.
Here are the numbers per German state:
- Baden-Württemberg – 111
- Bayern (Bavaria) – 44
- Berlin – 39
- Brandenburg – 35
- Bremen – 7
- Hamburg – 24
- Hessen (Hesse) – 39
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern – 14
- Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) – 126
- Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia) – 197
- Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate) – 50
- Saarland – 8
- Sachsen (Saxony) – 32
- Sachsen-Anhalt – 23
- Schleswig-Holstein – 27
- Thüringen – 15
How many applications have been rejected (as of November 2025)
As of November 2025, 42 total applications have been rejected.
Here are the numbers per German state:
- Baden-Württemberg – 7
- Bayern (Bavaria) – 3
- Berlin – 5
- Brandenburg – 5
- Bremen – 0
- Hamburg – 1
- Hessen (Hesse) – 0
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern – 1
- Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) – 13
- Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia) – 1
- Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate) – 2
- Saarland – 1
- Sachsen (Saxony) – 0
- Sachsen-Anhalt – 0
- Schleswig-Holstein – 1
- Thüringen – 2
How many applications have been withdrawn (as of November 2025)
As of November 2025, 77 total applications have been withdrawn.
Here are the numbers per German state:
- Baden-Württemberg – 7
- Bayern (Bavaria) – 16
- Berlin – 11
- Brandenburg – 3
- Bremen – 1
- Hamburg – 1
- Hessen (Hesse) – 0
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern – 0
- Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) – 1
- Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia) – 23
- Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate) – 2
- Saarland – 0
- Sachsen (Saxony) – 1
- Sachsen-Anhalt – 1
- Schleswig-Holstein – 9
- Thüringen – 0
More to come
The number of CSCs may yet increase by the end of the year. For one, the Chamber of Agriculture in Lower Saxony disclosed that there are already more than 50 clubs that have applied for a license.
With all the recent updates in the German cannabis market, all eyes are fixed to see how this will all unfold.
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